Holy bananas… another project finally checked off the to-do list in my office! Possibly the most important piece of furniture in any office is the desk, and mine has definitely seen better days. It was passed down from my grandmother and is still in great condition, but with my freshly-painted white office, this old desk was due for a makeover. I’ve been hinting around on Instagram that I decided to add a splash of color to my all-white office, and this desk turned out to be the perfect piece to try it out on…
Ladies and gents, meet my new mint-colored desk!
Before we go too far, let me remind you of where my sad, little office started just a few weeks ago.
It was bad, ya’ll. Lots of wood. Way too dark. And definitely not a space I want to spend everyday working in. So I dove right in and painted the trim and doors white, the walls white, and even a thrifted office chair white. Much lighter and brighter already!
For the desk, I started with 2 coats of Kilz Latex Primer
applied with a foam roller on the large areas and a small paint brush for the fine details.
Then I went over the primer with 2 coats of Olympic “Sweet Pea” in a satin finish. I was so nervous about picking out the perfect mint color. I didn’t want it to be too bold or too light, too green or too blue. But this color ending up being the winner, and I am absolutely smitten with it!
I finished the piece with 3 coats of Rust-Oleum’s Varathane Soft Touch Polyurethane in Matte, applied with a brush. I absolutely love this matte poly for sealing furniture. It dries perfectly clear and is really smudge, fingerprint, and scratch resistant. I also prefer a matte finish vs. a glossy finish, so I use this stuff ALL the time! And no, I’m not getting paid to tell you that (I wish!)… I just really love the stuff!
I painted the fronts and outside of the desk drawers, but didn’t worry about the inside. I had a special idea in mind for that later!
I waited just shy of a week for the paint and polyurethane to fully cure, which is SO hard to do but a very necessary step! I put the original hardware back on but didn’t love the way they looked against the mint. So I grabbed my trusty can of Rust-Oleum Metallic Gold Spray Paint
and gave them a brighter, more modern look. What a difference paint can make!
I’ve had some ideas for cute office artwork tucked away in my brain for a LONG time and couldn’t wait to add this sassy little saying on my desk!
Tell me this framed “like a boss” print isn’t perfect for an office?
Remember when I said I didn’t paint the insides of my drawers? That’s because I lined them with this cute shelf liner! Such a fun little surprise every time I open the drawers!
This office is finally starting to feel like “my” space. I love all the white, and I’m completely smitten with the new pop of color in the room. It’s such a fun place to blog from everyday!
So from now on, you can picture me sitting right here, at my mint and gold desk and houndstooth chair typing up my blog posts for you! Moving on the the next project in my office makeover…. can you guess what it might be?
Tell Me: What do YOU think of my desk makeover? What color would you paint your office desk?
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What a neat piece!! And to have it passed down from your Grandmother!! Love the transformation and the color you picked…perfection!! Oh..and I love the picture of you next to it…work it!
Haha, Selene! Photo shoots are about the only chance for me to get out of my yoga pants these days! 😉 Thanks so much for checking out my desk makeover!
Beautiful makeover! I love the combination of mint and gold and the lined drawers. I would love for you to link up to Your Designs This Time on Monday and 8:00!
Katie
Thanks so much, Katie!
I love how it turned out. Mint is like my favorite color.
I love it too! Thanks for stopping by, Jazmine!
Wow! That colour is lush! I may just have found the inspiration needed for an old roll top desk I was resigned to giving away! Also, where did you get that mirror?!!
I feel a makeover coming on… 🙂 The mirror is from Kenroy Home. It was originally silver, but I just spray painted it gloss white a few weeks ago. Perfect for my white office now!
Cute cute cute!!! Oh this is the perfect shade of mint. I’m going to have to write that one down!
Thank you, Amy!! Yes, I’m very happy to have plenty of this mint paint leftover because I’ll definitely be using it again!
Like seriously! My furniture painting never looked so graceful & easy. You make it look so glamorous my friend. I’m so wishing I had known about the matte finisher when I was doing my bigger projects. I asked the guy several times & he told me I didn’t need it. Now I’m wishing I didn’t listen to him. Back to the store to pick that up. I’m SOOOOOO loving how this turned out. Swooning over the color – you know it’s my fave. 🙂
Gina, I just love you! There is nothing graceful about me still in my pajamas at 2:00pm covered in mint-colored paint, but I appreciate your compliment! Lol 🙂
And yes, I definitely love that matte poly. I use it on just about everything! Thanks so much for stopping by to check out my desk makeover!
This is absolutely perfect! I love it so much!! Where did you get the drawer liners? I love the pattern 🙂
Hey Breanna! Thank you so much! I picked up the drawer liners from TJ Maxx awhile back. Thanks for stopping by!
Just gorgeous!! Love the mint and gold combination, and the liners look great too! Great job!
You are too sweet! Thank you, Carmen!
Soooo so so so cute!! We love everything about this!!! WOW!
xoxox
Yay!! The Lolly Jane Stamp of Approval is awesome!
Liz- this desk is so eye-catching! What a refreshing color, and I love the hardware. You did a great job.
I co-host a link party on Fridays called Pin Your Friday Favorite, and would love to have you and your great projects if you ever get a chance to pop over (tshirtjeans.blogspot.com)
Have a great weekend!
Thank you so much, Nicki!
I can’t “like” this enough times! Mint and gold look so perfect together and you have made this desk look like a million bucks. Plus, I love that it belonged to your grandma. You must think of her often when you are sitting at it! Pinning for sure! 🙂
Absolutely! I’m so glad I can re-use pieces handed down from my grandmother and give them new life! Thanks so much for stopping by, Michelle!
I LOVE the color you chose for the desk. The gold handles look lovely on the mint green. Thank you for sharing…pinned.
Thank you so much, Kathi!
I love your desk makeover, it turned out beautifully Liz! Great Job!
Thank you, Marie! That means a lot!
Love the colors! Mint + gold is always a nice combination. 🙂
I agree! Thanks for stopping by!!
Looks great! I adore the mint color with the bright gold accents. I am a big fan of neutral spaces with black and white and pops of color.
That’s exactly what I’m going for! So glad you enjoyed it!
Girl when I saw this I thought “Mmm that is really minty…ooooh I really like that…I must have it!” 😀 Sweet Pea is officially my favorite color now! Must find something to paint that shade!
Isn’t that color to die for? Happy painting!
I love everything about this! Like a Boss sign, that lovely office chair, and that lovely desk with shelf lined drawers! I am definitely Pinning and sharing this on my Facebook! =)
Thanks so much for sharing, Jessica! I’m glad you like it!
This is ridiculously beautiful! The perfect color… serene and fresh at the same time. And the gold hardware is the icing on the cake. Nicely done!
xo Heidi
Thank you so much, Heidi! I do love that gold against the mint!
Love the the color! Would do the same. So pretty. I do have a question. I painted a small night stand using a latex paint with s foam roller and brush. The top came out kinda bumpy. Like an orange peel. What do you think I did wrong? Would love some advice. Thanks!
Hi Carol Jane! That’s a great question. I like using foam rollers to avoid brush marks, but some of the larger ones can leave texture in the paint. I find that even though the paint looks textured when it goes on, it smooths out before it dries. Depending on how big the piece you’re painting is, I’d recommend trying a smaller roller. Hope that helps!
I am so envious, what an outstanding desk, love style, and painting hardware was very smart idea. It looks awesome with that light mint green, just enuf color, not overwhelming, very soft. You sure did excellent job on your desk then lining drawers with that awesome paper, how did you do that so nicely? We won’t even think about what it would have looked like if I’d done it, eeeekkkkk. I’m all thumbs and toes.
You have inspired me to fix up my office chair. I bought my office chair when we still lived in CA, we left San Diego in 1992. I bought that chair at least couple years before we moved to MT. It’s sure held up well. I bought it at a used office furniture store in town where we lived inland from San Diego.They call the towns out there east county since S.D. county is so big. My chair is maroon upholstery with blah color arms, etc. The seat is lately becoming quite uncomfortable. Just have to decide what I want to use for upholstery and paint other parts white or gray. Your chair looks so sharp with pattern on it and white.
Happy week and enjoy your awesome desk and chair.
Thank you, JaneEllen! Lining the drawers was actually easier than I thought. I just lined it up in the drawer and used an box cutter to make a straight-edge cut on the sides. Good luck re-doing your office chair!
Wow! This is gorgeous!! I love the hardware and the shelf liner in the drawers! 🙂
Thanks so much, Sarah!
Love this! We just painted our kitchen a similar color and are now moving to finishing our office. I may steal your idea and paint our desk mint too. Its such a fresh, happy color!
How fun! I think you’ll really like the mint in there!
Oh my word. I adore this! And your photography rocks 🙂
You are the sweetest, Stacy!! P.S. I am loving your new white walls too!
Darling!! Where did you get your shelf liner from?
TJ Maxx! Isn’t it fun?
I love this, it’s stunning! (through moonlight & mason jars link party)
Thank you, Leandra! So glad you stopped by!
How beautiful! You did a fabulous job! I love it!
Thank you, Christy!
What a beautiful transformation and one of my favourite colours, mint, love it!
Isn’t it such a happy color? Thanks for stopping by, Jillian!
The desk looks gorgeous! What a wonderful makeover. I love all the step by step instructions too. Thank you for sharing at The Handmade Hangout. Featuring at Redouxinteriors tomorrow evening.
Thank you so much, Karen!!
Oh. my. goodness. I am in LOVE with this!! The colors are perfection – seriously LOVE! I’ll be featuring it in the Handmade Hangout tomorrow!! <3
Thank you, Christina!!
That looks fantastic! I love how the color turned out!
Thank you so much, Liz!
What a great makeover! I knew my favorite was going to be your mint desk, but then when you showed the drawer liners!! I think that’s my favorite.
I’m so glad you like it, Mandee!!
Hello…. you’re AMAZING!! I think I’ve just spent a half hour browsing your lovely blog 🙂
You’re too sweet, Sara! I’m so glad to have you at Love Grows Wild!
So gorgeous and styled to perfection!!!
Thank you so much, Jeannine!!
Absolutely fabulous, Liz!
Thank you so much, Aniko!!
wow I absolutely love the color you chose! It looks so great with the gold. I will be featuring this on my favorite things friday! Thanks for sharing.
-Shonee
http://www.hawthorneandmain.com
Thank you so much, Shonee!!
I love love love this and was thinking about doing similar to my makeup vanity. Was your piece originally stained and if so did you sand it down before you started?
Hey Katie! The desk did originally have a light stain on it, but I didn’t feel the need to sand before painting. I just made sure to use a couple good coats of primer first! Have fun painting!
Excellent choice of colours! I even love your attention to detail with the lining of the drawers – perfect colour and pattern choice there. You’ve really given this desk a whole new life! Thanks for sharing.
Thank you for the sweet compliments! I really appreciate it!
Great makeover! LOVE those handles — just gorgeous!
Isn’t the pop of gold fun? I love how the handles turned out! Thanks for stopping by, Sarah!
I love it! You did a fabulous job on the desk. I’d like to invite you to share it at the Twirl & Take a Bow Party at http://www.houseontheway.com. We’d love to have you! 1 link shows up on 6 blogs.
Have a great week,
Leslie
House on the Way
Thanks so much, Leslie!!
This is soooooooooooo inspiring. You did a great job.
Thank you, Shanae!!
This desk has my name written all over it. I need it in my life immediately
!
I’m so glad you like it, Tiffany!
Your mint desk makeover looks great. I love the color plus the lining in the drawers.
Thank you so much, Julie!!
I shared this post on my blog’s facebook and twitter pages!
https://www.facebook.com/HomeIsWhereIBelong
https://twitter.com/jewels0588
Thank you so much, Julie! You’re too sweet!
hi! i love this makeover! i’ve been wanting to start painting furniture myself but i am so nervous to take the plunge. my MIL just gifted us a hand-me-down desk that needs a little updating and i would love to steal this combo 😉 question: did you sand? what is your rule of thumb about sanding? i know a lot of primers and paints say you don’t need to, and i would ideally like to skip this step (i mean, who likes to sand?!) but i want the color to last. the desk we are thinking of painting is fairly dark wood…what do you think? would this combo work, or should i sand first?? (sorry this is a long comment!!)
Great question, Emma! I was really nervous tackling my first paint project too, but I promise you’ll get the hang of it quickly! For me, sanding depends on the specific piece I’m refinishing. If the piece is in fairly good condition, with no paint chipping off, I usually don’t bother sanding. Two coats of primer, two coats of paint, 2-3 coats of sealer is usually what I will do. If the piece has damage or chipped paint, you’ll want to sand down those areas to get a smooth surface to paint over. If your piece has a glossy finish on it, the paint and primer will have a hard time adhering, so I’d recommend giving it at least a light sanding to rough up the surface first. And always make sure to clean the furniture really well first, after sanding/before painting. I hope this helps! Let me know if you have any more questions!
xoxo Liz
Ok so I am loving this WHOLE thing. I’m painting my desk the exact same way. No sanding was required for this?? Also, how long did you wait between coats and how did you get the hardware that beautiful gold color?
Thank you!!
Thank you so much, Brittany! Isn’t the color fun? No, I didn’t sand because the piece was in pretty good shape, but if you have peeling paint to start with, you’ll want to sand it first. I think I waited 2-4 hours in between coats… the instructions on the paint can should give you better details than I can remember. 🙂 And I used this spray paint
for the hardware! Hope all this helps! Have fun painting. 🙂
Just read the part about sanding…I’ll probably sand my desk then – it was a freebie from the 40s apparently! But looks like it needs some TLC.
I know I’m really late on this, but I LOVE it, Liz! The color is fantastic!
You’re never too late, Amy! 🙂 Thank you so very much!
Hi, Liz…
I loved the chair makeover! I haven’t done a lot of this sort of thing but I DO have a desk that I’ve had for 42 years that needs some love. You know, I would never have thought of pairing the houndstooth chair with the mint desk…but it’s GREAT! Unfortunately, I always wish to be whimsical in my choices but seem to wind up being…drab. LOL So, thanks for the inspiration…and blessings to you!
Cricket~ <3
Trust me, my crazy design ideas don’t always work out! I’ve made plenty of “whoops” decisions before! Sounds like you have a fun project ahead of you with that desk. Best of luck!!
LOVE LOVE LOVE it and it totally inspired my newest makeover! 🙂
You are the sweetest!! I just checked out that fabulous makeover of yours and am totally smitten. Awesome job, Jen! 🙂
Hi Liz,
I was SO exited to find your tutorial on Pinterest! Your desk came out beautiful and inspired me to paint an IKEA Hemnes dresser we have and repurpose it for our nursery!. t’s the perfect shade of mint! I was curious though, if you sanded between coats of poly?
Hey Angela! This color would look beautiful in a nursery! Great choice! I typically don’t sand between coats of poly, and it turns out with a great finish. I hope this helps! I’d love to see the finished look!
Whoa. Hold up. Love this! We’re building a house right now and I’ve been fantasizing for months about what my office is going to look like. I think it looks like it has a mint desk now. So awesome. Great job. Love the gold hardware too 🙂
I feel like I’ve been fantasizing about my dream office for YEARS! It feels so good to finally be working on it. How exciting to be building a new home right now, and I bet you’re itching to get in there! This mint desk would look gorgeous in your office too. 😉 So glad you enjoyed my little makeover!
WOW is all i have to say! BEAUTIFUL WORK. Originally came here after googling carrot centerpieces. I will be creating those for my bunny themed baby shower 🙂 I have been spray painting furniture for a few years and it was never perfect. Just good enough..and extremely time consuming. However, i am moving into my first “adult” home lol and I’m also expecting…I have so many pieces I love that need to be painted and customized for baby and the rest of the home. Spray painting wont work this time so my question is what kind of paint brush do you use? When i use s brush, you can always see the bristle lines. Any tips would be appreciated. THANK YOU!!!
Those carrot centerpieces would be so cute for a bunny-themed shower! Congratulations, Momma-to-be! The tool I use for painting depends on the furniture I’m doing. If it has nice, flat sides, using a roller is the easiest method. For pieces with more intricate details, I’ll use a good-quality angled brush. I have several that are Purdy brand. I hope this helps!
Oh my goodness! This looks absolutely beautiful! The mint green and gold are so beautiful together. I love the before and after, great job!! Im inspired to finally paint mine.
Arika
http://www.alittlepepinyourstep.wordpress.com
Thank you so much, Arika!! Mint and gold is a favorite combination of mine. So fresh and girly! Have fun painting your desk too! 🙂
I love the color! I was wondering what the name of it was and where you got it so I could use it in my home
Hi Rose! I used “Sweet Pea” from Olympic on this desk. I believe I got it at Lowe’s!
Ha vuelto a la vida. Pero a una vida mejor. Qué frescura da. Cambia toda la habitación. Enhorabuena.
Y eso que me encantan loa muebles rústicos. Pero este escritorio me ha llevado al oteo lado…
me encanta!
Hi there! This is such a great desk makeover. How has the paint finish held up over time?
Thank you, Carly! 🙂 The paint has held up beautifully over the last year. The top of the desk gets dirty from time to time just because I’m always working at it, but with the finishing coat I did, it’s easy to wipe clean with some mild cleaner or even just hot water. I hope this helps!
Hello!! I was browsing the neverending world of Pinterest and I have to say, I love love love the color you chose! That room looks so happy and bright! I know you’re loving sitting in there everyday!:) May be inspiration for my nightstand makeover project! Thank you!!!
A little late to the party here, just came across your blog as I did a google search for wooden décor arrow. I love that post and I absolutely LOVE this desk. The mint color with gold is just perfect. Thanks for the inspiration!
Shayla Martin
shayrenovation.blogspot.com
Hi! I tried getting this paint but it’s not available anymore…do you have any alternatives or perhaps a new link?! I love love LOVe your site!!! Thank you!!! 🙂
Hey Emma! Is it the Sweet Pea paint by Olympic you’re looking for? I believe you should be able to find it at Lowe’s!
Hi Liz, I love your tutorial and the way you up-cycled your desk to suit you! Quick question, when you painted it, did you just paint over the old desk, or did you sand it down and all that good stuff?
[email protected]
Hey! If I remember correctly, I lightly sanded over the desk, just to rough up the surface, but I didn’t bother sanding the old finish off. I’d definitely recommend using a primer before paint to help with the adhesive and coverage though!
I chuckled a bit when I saw your desk posted on Pinterest because I have that same desk! It was in my brothers’ bedroom when they were growing up and they had the matching twin beds, and two dressers. Now they have been passed down and are in my son’s room. You did a great job to that small desk! Thanks for the inspiration.
Love it! Love the color, the hardware and especially that you redid it for yourself! I always get rid of the pieces I do, so that’s a treat to have the stuff you did. How funny, I also have that drawer liner. Now I’m going to go read about the DIY blanket ladder, I just might have to get on making one of those.