DIY: old school style

Little ones love their very own space to sit and create, and — with a nod to old school nostalgia — parents will love this desk set-up too.

Who remembers their desk from primary or intermediate school days? Lifting the lid to stash your books or maybe sliding your hand in to hide a note you’d been passed…Most schools have now chucked out this style of desk, in favour of furniture that is far more modern, but far less charming. An old secondhand school desk is the perfect size for a child's room, however, and you can buy them online or from local secondhand shops. What’s more, ours cost only $20! We matched it with a simple wooden stool and a picture ledge shelf for easy-to-reach art supplies; both from IKEA. Let the lesson begin! 

you will need
• A desk and a stool or chair
• Paintbrushes
• A roller and smooth surface sleeves
• Masking tape – we love Resene’s washi tape
• Primer – we love Resene Waterborne Smooth Surface Sealer adhesion primer,
which provides a paint-ready finish without the need for sanding
• Resene Lustacryl semi-gloss waterborne enamel paint in your choice of colours 

method
1. Seal all surfaces of your desk and chair with Resene Waterborne Smooth
Surface Sealer.
2. We applied our first colour coats to the top of our desk and stool. We used Resene Lustacryl semi-gloss waterborne enamel paint for this project, as the desktop and stool especially need to withstand wear and tear. With this in mind, we chose a darker colour, Resene Jimmy Dean, for the desktop and stool seat. Using a roller makes these flat surfaces super quick to paint. Allow to dry and then apply a second coat.
3. Next we painted the other surfaces with a brush, in our choices of contrasting colours, using masking tape to protect any finished edges. We painted the interior of the desk white to keep it as light as possible, assisting searches for missing pencils.
4. To add some finishing touches to the project, we masked off sections of small jars and painted them in Resene Jimmy Dean and Resene Viola, creating cute little pen pots.

 Colours we used:

Resene Jimmy Dean BUY THE TESTPOT HERE	Resene Viola   BUY THE TESTPOT HERE
Resene Umber White BUY THE TESTPOT HERE

Visit your local Resene ColorShop, phone 0800 RESENE (737 363) or :