A Young Girl Asked for a Light Green Desk, but the Painter Used Several More Colors Across Its Five Drawers
Gray paint covered a five-drawer wooden desk with tapered legs and metal cup handles. Three drawers ran across the top, with two larger drawers beneath them on either side of the knee space. The desk was about to become part of a young girl’s bedroom, but its gray finish was not what she wanted.
The girl had seen another desk painted by the same artist and asked for the same hand-drawn leaf design in light green. During the makeover, the painter removed the gray paint from the desktop and chose to preserve the exposed wood instead of covering it with the requested color.
Furniture artist @thelittlefurnitureroom from Bristol, United Kingdom, used Ingilby Paints Moot green for the frame and drawers, added multicolored leaves with acrylic paint pens, and refinished the wooden top with English Light Oak dye and Danish oil. The finished desk kept its five drawers and original hardware.
Gray Paint Covered the Original Five-Drawer Desk
Gray paint covered the rectangular top, legs, and drawer frames. Three shallow drawers ran across the front, with two deeper drawers beneath them on either side of the knee space.
The desk had an intact frame and tapered legs, with the original drawer pulls available for reuse. Before repainting, the artist sanded the exterior to remove marks and prepare the painted surfaces for another coat.
Sanding Revealed Wood She Decided Not to Paint
Sanding stripped the gray finish from the desktop and exposed pale wood grain. The artist had planned to repaint the desk in light green, but the condition of the uncovered wood changed her approach.
She kept the desktop free of paint and chose to darken the wood instead, creating a contrast with the green frame and drawers.
Two Coats of English Light Oak Wood Dye Changed the Top
Colron English Light Oak wood dye gave the sanded surface a darker finish. The artist applied two coats to change the color of the pale wood without covering its grain.
Once the dye had settled, she applied Danish oil from Furniture Clinic to protect the surface. The oil darkened the wood a little more, leaving a golden-brown top above the green desk frame.
Light Green Paint Covered the Frame and Drawers
The young client requested a light green shade called Moot by Ingilby Paints, matching another desk the artist had completed.
Paint covered the legs, drawer fronts, and frame, while the refinished desktop remained exposed. The artist used Ingilby Paints Matt wax finish coat to seal the painted surfaces.
Hand-Drawn Leaves Added Several Colors to the Five Drawers
The client also requested the leaf design from the earlier desk. Using acrylic paint pens, the artist drew branches across the drawer fronts and filled their leaves with bands of pink, yellow, coral, mint, and dark green.
Each leaf received several narrow bands of color rather than a single painted fill. Some branches extend across the three upper drawers, while separate designs occupy the two lower fronts.
The original metal cup pulls were polished and returned to the drawers. The artist sealed the painted designs with the same Matt finish coat used on the rest of the desk.
Five Painted Drawers Sit Beneath the Refinished Wooden Top
The finished desk combines a golden-brown wooden top with light green legs and drawers. Silver cup pulls interrupt the painted leaves, while the open knee space separates the two lower drawers.
Branches spread across the upper drawer fronts, with individual leaves positioned around the hardware. The green base remains visible between the colored shapes.
The side view shows the stained desktop extending beyond the painted frame. Its wood grain remains visible across the top and front edge.
Finished Desk Keeps the Original Frame and Hardware
The five-drawer arrangement, tapered legs, and original handles remained in place. Gray paint gave way to Moot green, while the desktop received English Light Oak dye and Danish oil instead of another coat of paint.
The artist said this was her first commissioned piece for a child’s bedroom and shared that the young client was excited to receive the finished desk.
This wasn’t the artist’s first furniture project inspired by a child. In another makeover, she asked her three-year-old daughter how to paint a 1960s dresser. Her daughter’s request for rainbows led to a finish made with 14 chalk paint colors, replacing the dresser’s original gray paint.
Would you have painted the entire desk light green, or kept the wooden top exposed?
Images and project details courtesy of @thelittlefurnitureroom