The New/Old House: A Fireplace into a Desk

Now that she's seven years old, the number one first thing on Moussia's wish-list in her room was a desk. She spends so much time writing, drawing and creating so she wanted a space where she could keep all her art supplies organized and ready to go.

Although the room is large it has three doors, a huge bay window (where the two twin beds sit) and angled walls (the room is not a rectangle). So, as crazy as it sounds, the only spot for the desk was right smack in front of the fireplace! Not only did it have to be large enough for two little girls, it had to be custom made to fit exactly in the spot and done on a budget.


Here is a bad picture of the before...I shot it when painting the room...

The dark brown color was depressing for a girl's room, so it got a fresh coat of white paint. Annie Sloan's chalkboard paint was perfect since it doesn't need any priming or sanding and it's VOC free.

The desk top is white Formica that I had made at a local shop. The legs are Adils from Ikea. They're adjustable which works well since it's sitting on tile and wood floor which are not even. The Helmer drawer unit from Ikea is perfect for storing paper and art supplies.

I needed to cover the brick and hole in the fireplace so a large piece of quarter-inch MDF was cut to fit the spot. The area above the desk made the perfect spot for a bulletin board—it was covered with cork tiles and wrapped with leftover coral fabric I used on the headboards.

The chairs were leftover from the kitchen in my old house, but after a few coats of paint look like new...

Zelda is only two but she is also enjoying a special place to create!

Next up...window treatments!

Linking to:
Best of the Nest