thursdays are rapidly becoming my favorite day of the week thanks to an influx of really lovely before & after projects. this beautiful makeover comes courtesy of barb at knack studios. i’m a sucker for the gold knobs and that dark stain on the wood- i think it elevates the piece from ordinary to spectacularly sophisticated. to see more of barb’s before & afters, click here, here, here and here. thanks, barb! (the desk lamp is from art and light)
[have a before & after you'd like to share on d*s? just send me an email right here with your images]
25 Comments
Very Bold and Masculine. Loves it!
Wow, this is an elegant and restrained transformation! Congratulations!
It’s amazing how black makes everything look sooo great!
What a great improvement! I like how the black paint accentuates the carving on the drawers. Is that marbleized paint on the top?
lovely transformation!
absolutely beautiful!!
Barb is THE MASTER of transforming very average furniture into really special pieces. That’s exactly the kind of desk you see out on the curb, waiting to be trucked off to a landfill. Obviously I don’t have Barb’s vision, because I never would have seen its potential!
p.s. I really hope nobody comments that she “ruined” a “beautiful piece of wood furniture”!!!
Very nice. LOVE the lamp!
Ah, this one is great, classic, really great transformation…I said great twice, no THREE times…great lamp…four
This is the way to do a dark color with wood – i love that the black is NOT glossy. Very tasteful with the marble and knobs as well. Excellent job!!!
Simple and gorgeous.
this is fantastic… love that you didn’t spray paint it magenta or something ridiculous like that.
Lovely! Thanks for the peek, barb! Can I ask what color of stain you used? And how I can give it that textured effect (do I see natural wood showing through along the middle drawer?) I have a piece to redo and this is just what I’d like it to look like! Any tips?
looks amazing. So, that is stain, and not paint? Barb, how did you do this? I love the concept, and the execution makes it look great without looking “redone.”
i covet that lamp.
(and the desk is truly handsome)
Oooh La La! Magnifique!
im a staunch before and after skeptic, but this gets an A+. never are the before and afters this tasteful
Love the styling of the final pic. The lamps and plates are all perfect with the desk.
TIGHT!!! Love the color combo, the styling. That lamp is gorgeous too.
Very nice! I would love to know how you painted the wood, I love the effect that turned out. I’m also curious about the top. What is that? Paint? Paper? How did you do that?
This is really beautiful. After seeing a couple of painted desks on ds recently I’ve decided to go this route and save myself the expense of buying something new that I am not all that excited about anyway.
Thank you, thank you, thank you everyone! I’m blushing ……..
This piece is actually black paint in a satin finish with a papered top. There is a slight rub back on the edges of the drawers to let some of the natural wood come through.
I really think black is the best over a dark wood finish … the combination is always this beautiful chestnut look.
I am so happy to see matte black paint- it makes the project look so much better than a goopy shiny finish. The trend of painting wood furniture has definitely trended towards high-gloss, which I think makes the pieces look contrived and trendy. Instead, by sticking with a classic color in a satin finish, this desk looks great now but will also age gracefully.
love love love it!!!!
Amazing, that looks like a $2k item at a really beautiful store. Good for her!
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