30 Comments

  1. Hi! I have a similar desk but with a hutch how did you remove all the slots on yours! I would love to be able to take mine out without damaging the piece. Thanks for your help!

    1. Hi, I was able to take the entire piece out without damaging it and I have it in my attic in case I ever change my mind and want to use it. All I had to do is take out a couple of nails and screws in the back. that attached the piece to the thin back side of the desk. After that I was able to slide the piece out.I hope that helps. Let me know if you have any other questions.Julia

  2. Hi, visiting from over at Centsational Girl’s blog where this project was mentioned. I’m a lurker over there. 🙂 Just wanted to tell you how beautiful your restoration job is. I LOVE deep red stain like that. I love that little detail touch of the striped wallpaper for the back of the hutch area, too. Your little desk looks very expensive now! Great job!

  3. Desiree Guy @ Camelot Art Creations says:

    OMG!!! SO GORGEOUS!! I love that whole corner with all your stripes:)

    1. LOL, I know I have a lot of stripes. I just can’t help myself!
      Thank you!

  4. OMG this is awesome too! Love it paired with that lucite chair.

    Smiles!
    Sammy ~ Renew Redo

  5. I googled “how do I remove the slots on an antique secretary desk” and yours was the first post. I have a huge secretary and I can only find one small screw that attaches the slots to the desk. The screw is at the top. I have looked on the back of the piece and there are no nails or screws. I am sure there is more than one small screw attaching the slots, but I can’t find them. I’m trying to remove it so it would be easier to paint and I don’t want to damage it because I want to reinstall it. I’ll get a flashlight out and reinvestigate, but if anyone knows where they may have hidden the screws, please let me know:) Thank you!
    Julia, you did a great job on your desk!

    1. Thanks and good luck finding your screws. I think mine was also attached with tiny finishing nails in the back

  6. Virtual Office Space Provider says:

    What a lovely piece you reinvented. How nice of you to share the items you used for that successful project. That desk simply rocks! 🙂

  7. Thanks for publishing this. I have a desk very similar to this that was handed down to me by my aging mother. Unfortunately, it was involved in a jack knifed trailor accident many years ago and slid across the road which sheared off everything below the last drawer. Since I am woodworker I wanted to replace the bottom section and restore it to it’s original condition. After showing this picture to my mother I now have confirmation of what the bottom portion looks like. Thanks again. Great job on the design.

  8. Thanks for publishing this. I have a desk very similar to this that was handed down to me by my aging mother. Unfortunately, it was involved in a jack knifed trailor accident many years ago and slid across the road which sheared off everything below the last drawer. Since I am woodworker I wanted to replace the bottom section and restore it to it’s original condition. After showing this picture to my mother I now have confirmation of what the bottom portion looks like. Thanks again. Great job on the design.

  9. Hello.
    Gorgeous desk! I’ve done some searching on your blog looking for how you did your striped wall behind the desk (it’s so fun!) but can’t seem to find anything. Do you have a tutorial or paint colors used anywhere? Thank you!

    1. Hi Mary,

      Sorry but I don’t have a tutorial. I should though, since painting stripes is my favorite 😉
      This project was pre blogging times.
      Shoot me an email if you are interested in the colors and I’ll see if I can find them.

  10. Just gorgeous! The stain and the hardware are perfect. Great project.

  11. Beautiful piece and awesome refinish job! How long did you leave the stain on before wiping it off? I’m always impatient to finish the job but the piece I am working on, I really want a beautiful deep red.

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  13. you should have your own TV show – this is one of the most amazing redo’s i’ve seen on the internet
    Really Impressed! so beautiful.

  14. I didn’t follow your blog in 2012 so I missed this post. I’m not big on traditional
    Furniture but wow this is amazingly gorgeous!

    1. I’m usually not that big on traditional furniture either but I like to mix it in here and there. Thanks so much for the sweet complement!

  15. Julie Babal says:

    Hi Julia,
    What a beautiful job! I own this desk as well; it was passed down to me from my great-grandmother. Do you know anything about its history?
    Thanks!
    Julie

    1. Hi Julie, sorry but I have no idea about the history.

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