Thursday, September 29, 2011

Mid Century Sewing Table Turned Modern Desk

So have you entered my giveaway for the Dremel Saw Max? What?! What are you waiting for! You could totally win!


Anyway- Phew, long title but trust me it's will be worth the read. Remember last week when I was talking about how just because a piece of furniture was built for a specific purpose doesn't mean it has to live out the rest of it's life that way? Last week I turned an old beat up coffee table into a functional bench.

Well this week I'm at it again. This time with an old Mid Century Sewing table I picked up at a thrift store for 10 measily dollars. 




As I've said before I'm a sucker for Mid Century Design. I liked the style of the skinny legs, blond maple wood, and for $10 I couldn't pass it up. I don't need a sewing table I usually do my sewing on the kitchen table. And I suspect most people these days do the same or just don't have space in their home for one- hence the cheap price of this table.

So if I couldn't use it for a sewing table, what else could it be? A desk would be great! I could really use a little desk for our laptop. And Con-Man could use it when he gets older.

All it needed was a solid top. So I set to work unscrewing the fold out part. Then since all the sides were particle board, not maple like the drawer fronts, I sanded them down and painted them white. I used a Glidden 2 in one Paint and Primer- worked great!


Once that was finished I needed a wood top. This was going to be tricky~ I first went to the local hardware store and bought a piece of MDF and wood trim that I was going to cut down to size. 

BUT! The furniture gods were smiling on me this day. Because I happened to notice that the funky coffee table I had bought a few days before had a wood top. And it seemed to be the same width as my new desk.


It seemed almost to good to be true but after a little measuring, remeasuring, and measuring again it was true!

So I returned the MDF and got started stripping off the thick varnish and sanded it smooth.





 I took it to the local wood shop on base (A great kept secret for any military peeps out there I'll share later) and cut it do the depth I needed for the table.


Next some more sanding. I sanded the top of the sewing table to prep it for glueing. I used Gorilla Wood Glue and some finishing nails to adhere the new top to the table base.




Then I painted the new top the same white as the base. And I spray painted the metal handles and tips of the legs.




(Sorry for the bad dark garage shots.)

Then Finished! This old Mid Century Sewing Table has a new life as a cool Modern Desk!




And I now have a place for my laptop, sketching, thinking~ whatever I please! And the best part is that it only cost me $10. Score!




So what are your thoughts? Will you think twice about passing up an old sewing table at the thrift store? I don't think I'll be able to pass up anything I "don't need" again!

17 comments:

Peggy said...

I am so in love with your sew cabinet turned computer table! The coloring and lines are incredible!! And I have to admit I've been coveting the legs from your tiered coffee/end table.. ha ha! :)

On a side note... are you all a military family? (AF to be exact) Just noted your mention of the base would shop... They are wonderful aren't they? (sigh..) We are an oddity amongst active duty as my husband is an active duty reservist which means we have all the benefits but don't live near/on an active duty base. (think no base facilities within an hour drive for the past 12 years... its ok even though I do miss the community... its what i grew up with)

Sorry I digressed... its one of those types of weeks.. months... years! ha ha!! But to the subject at hand... your thrift store and roadkill "designs" are absolutely gorgeous! Keep up the good work!!

Sharon @ Elizabeth & Co. said...

What a great retro desk! You definitely made a great save on this one!

Lainey said...

Wow. That was amazing.

Mary said...

Whoa! Great job! It's really beautiful. I'm anxious to see what you do with those hair pin legs.

MulticoloredPieces said...

Loved the sewing machine desk redo--I would've kept it for the sewing machine!
best, nadia

Lindsay said...

This is SUCH a great re-do! Awesome job. I am loving that color!

Julia @ 551Eastdesign said...

Wow this is so updated! It looks 1000% better. :)

Unknown said...

great post. the desk turned out so cute and very mid century feel to it. I love those skinny legs. thanks for visiting my blog too. I will sure enter the demel giveaway ! I sure could use one.I do a lot of stuff with wood for my art too.

- KAT -

6th Grade said...

love, LOVE, LOOOOVE this piece and what you have done with it...FOR $10!! i'm in mid-century mode, myself and just wrapped up a dresser today that will be hard to sell!

love your work...i'm your newest follower!

amy

Tanya Anurag said...

OMG... you did such a wonderful job. I am sure the person you bought it from would be ready to pay you $100 to get it back :)

jandjhome said...

I LOVE it. You did a fantastic job.

Unknown said...

Simply FAB! You had a vision, put in the work, and it paid off. This piece is absolutely super!

Jenn @ Peas and Crayons said...

Think twice indeed! Wow!!!!! I love it!!!!

Crisp white and natural wood paired together is my latest obsession. I want an old wood dining table with modern plastic white chairs.. just cause it makes me happy =)

congrats on your new fab furniture!

The Charm of Home said...

Oh, very nice! I love it paired with that chair. Thank you for linking it to Home Sweet Home!
Sherry

Chris said...

Wow, that was an ambitious project you undertook and what a great job you did. Congratulations. I have recently found your blog and am now following you, and will visit often. Please stop by my blog and perhaps you would like to follow me also. Have a wonderful day. Hugs, Chris

Cassie Bustamante said...

i love the modern look! and it is perfect with that chair!

Unknown said...

I love your update. I recently purchased the exact same sewing table in a darker shade of wood from my local Goodwill. I would love to do this project, but the wood veneer on the drawer faces is chipped. Do you have any suggestions for remedying this?