“The Desk” – A Mid-Century Cool-ification

The Story…

My dad worked for Bell Canada for most of his professional career. While there he saw a great many changes and expansions of the buildings. In those years of abundance, with every new expansion and change, the offices were refurnished. The managers and staff were often invited to auctions selling off old furnishings for pennies and dollars. This Mid-Century, birchwood-core, oak-veneer, and vinyl top desk came home to become the homework desk me and my siblings all used at some point. I was the last to get it. It moved around with me for a while, before sitting in storage in my parents’ basement for a good 20 years. When my parents finally sold their home, I reclaimed it with the intension of restoring it to its original glory… the only problem was that I didn’t like how it looked… originally.

I decided to change it somehow and started to consider the possibilities. It sat in my garage an additional 2 years before I dove into it early this Spring.

Before…

I started by taking it apart and repairing any structural flaws I could find. The bigger job was to clean out the decades of spider and other insects that had died in it.

During…

I then sanded it down carefully, so to not ruin the veneer that was already thin in some areas. Then I gave it a few coats of chalkboard paint to highlight structural details, and gave it all a few coats of matte finishing wax.

I just didn’t know what to do with the top. I couldn’t find any reclaimed fabrics or leather that appealed to my vision. So, I brought the whole piece, without the top being finished into my office-studio so i could live with it a while. A few months later, after discovering some old pulp comics I had hidden away, the vision became clearer.

After…

I started cutting the comics up and, decided on the crystal coat varnish and I went to market on it.

Available to Own… Accepting offers (limited time).

The desk (according to the my research) is circa 1919 to 1934. IT has a solid birchwood core table top, oak framing and drawer fronts, oak veneer over maple plywood panels and what appears to be maple drawer sides.

The Dimensions are: H – 31cm x D – 31cm x L – 42.5cm

Restoration time: approximately 32 hours.

Restoration cost: approximately (due to reclaimed materials) – $100 (paint, wax, cleaning supplies, and sanding pads)

Shipping not included in sale price, but if your offer is really good, I’ll consider it. My goal is for it to find an appreciating home.

Please IM me here, or through Instagram @mariomjperron