We used to have one of those big corner desks. You know the type... They look really cool in the store, or other people's houses. But then you buy one, and discover that it's really very crowded. And then you move a couple of times, and try to figure out where to shove it in a corner where it's not going to block a doorway or a window. And then you still need another desk, because there's no place to put your printer without it being a pain in the arse. And then your kids get bigger and you get a second computer...
Well, we ripped that sucker apart. The shelves you see on top and bottom come from the original desk. Press board with that fake wood veneer finish. Hubby cut a sheet of 3/4" plywood in half for the desk top. The ends are two small MDF bookcases that we had at the time. One was painted green, the other brown. The book shelves face outward, which worked really well at our old place. The desk fit perfectly between two doorways. Here, that doesn't work so well. There's only about a foot and a half of space between the left end and another book case on the wall. I keep my printer paper and stuff I don't want the kids digging through down there. It actually works pretty well that way. Out of sight, out of mind.
I cleared off about half of the desk- all the stuff that was likely to fall off- and we pulled it away from the wall. I washed the wall and did the putty. And as I'm standing on the ladder looking down at the top of the desk, I am really annoyed with the whole mess. The dust. The clutter. The crappy press board that's chipped in various locations. The stains on the plywood.
I kept dusting and cleaning as I waited for the putty to dry. Well, I got to wondering how the paint would go on over that crappy veneer. Hmmm... So I grabbed a brush and did a little test spot at the back. I only did one coat, so it still kind of shows the wood grain look through the paint. And off I went... I had the desk done before the wall. #3- the head of the computer addict department here- had himself a very miserable day. But I think it was worth the whining.
I think it came out pretty good in the end. My crappy camera doesn't do it justice. It is rather strange not to be surrounded by stacks of clutter though. The really cool thing... Right there in front of my keyboard... That's $19. $19 that I lost months ago in the clutter. Money that we collected for a fundraiser, that I ended up paying out of pocket. So it's kind of like I got paid for cleaning up my disaster zone. Gotta like that!
I finished the final wall today. Hung up the kids pictures that we had taken in the spring. Nothing like getting things done in a timely fashion, eh? Sorted through printer paper and books. Tossed a ton of papers that I no longer need. Still have two bins of receipts and bills and such to file, but at least they've been moved to the 'tax zone', rather than cluttering the computer desk. By tomorrow night I should have the rest of the stuff back on the walls and put away. Just in time to set up the tree!
Wow, that was a big job. Yes, getting paid to clean might motivate me to clean up the place a bit. It looks nice. I am very slowly working the same kind of magic on my kitchen. Thanks for the pictures to inspire us.
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