Interior deco, my style

Without sounding too fancy, I like to put some thought into what I put in my flat. Mostly, I like bright colors, but I try to make it work with the white walls, bright wood look off the furniture and the red curtains. A new speck of color has entered my room today: The repainted drawers for my desk.

The desk is pretty ancient (older than me for sure) and has spent the last fifteen years in the attic at home, where my brothers used it as a desk, and more often, as a workbench. It was looking a little beat when I took it to my new flat, but it’s a rock-solid build, good wood, rather big and sturdy steel guides for the drawers. I maybe wouldn’t jump on them when they’re all pulled out, but anything less they’ll take.

The problem: There were stickers on it. Old, ugly stickers from when my brothers were little (i.e. I wasn’t born). Flags, soccer players, you know. The little stickers you find in choclate bars. First I tried to get them off with acetone – no reaction. Then I went to the hardware store, told of my troubles and was given Lösin (english roughly “Solvine™”). It kept its word – it vigorously dissolved the paint off the stickers. But not the glue, so now I had white stickers and a full can of something I didn’t want to touch if I could avoid it. Next attempt was sticker-remover from the electronics store, which (together with strong scrubbing) did the job. However, the wood underneath the stickers had of course aged differently. The only solution is to sand off the upper layer of wood and repaint.

My parents are better equipped for this – they have a sander, base paint and tough varnish. In between, the drawers have to dry, so it took two weeks until it was actually finished. But now I have colored drawers, nicely repainted, in my desk. For all those who wonder what colors I’d think appropriate on a desk, here’s a picture: