I have been considering a new desk for a while, or rather another one given that until now malcolm and i have always shared one. Our first desk we found abandoned on Dalkeith road, a traditional oak school desk which was one of my first restoration projects, sanded completely by hand.

I fancied a wee corner in our bedroom for computer moments or journalling. My friends at Retropolis came good once again with this lovely painted victorian pine leaf table. One leaf is missing which is in a way ideal as we don’t have a lot of floor space, so the single leaf option means it can function as an occasional desk which is tucked away when not needed. In true lucy fashion, of course i couldn’t come away without some additional purchasing. More on that later…

I started with a test spot to see what condition the wood was in underneath. (i’m sure test areas are supposed to be concealed but in my creative haste i only think of these kind of things afterwards). My plan was to do the top only, as i find stripping turned legs too difficult, plus i was quite taken by the retro red/pink paint.

I then did 3 rounds of Nitromors on the top, taking off the red paint and 2 layers of sticky varnish.Time for the fun bit! Sanding down to the bare wood. This doesn’t take too long – maybe an hour. But essential to have an electric sander – i’ve tried the traditional method (by hand) but it takes days.The next stage involves one of my favourite household friends – a bit of good old bleach. The table looked like it hadn’t seen a cloth since the original paintwork was done, and needed some decent elbow grease to get the grime off. Most things in the house undergo an initiation rite of being bleached to within an inch of their life, so the latest recruit was no exception. The wood looks pretty ravished by this stage and definitely is in need of some love – enter beeswax and linseed balsam. The wood retains an unfinished look but takes on a healthy glow with this stuff, plus you get to enjoy the aromas whilst typing up your subsequent blog post.And here is the finished product in situ, happily relishing its new home by the window. (Sneak peek at my wonderful crochet blanket collection in the right hand corner – clearly a desk is no place to store blankets but they complement each other too well for me to care about the practicalities.)And you can see also in the picture a beautiful Ercol-style vintage chair, purchased as a set of 4 from the same place as the table. Makes the perfect friend for my pretty desk….