Greetings all!
Back in 1998 I "inherited" a junked-out partners desk from a classmate at college. He had actually pulled the desk out of the attic at school . . . and I suspect that it had been placed in the attic by previous students who, in all likelihood, got the thing for free from a church fair or some such event. Regardless, the desk saw good use (in its junked condition) while I was at school and I have kept it ever since.
Earlier this year I figured that I would spend my accumulated birthday money on having the desk restored. My wife & I got the thing out of the back porch (where it had seen light use as scaffolding) and I found a little hand-written note in the drawer. The note was nothing special, but it said something along the lines of "please don't throw this desk away - it is under restoration", signed by me, and dated 1999.
Anyway, I got the desk back yesterday. It is a nice walnut piece and has a new lather writing surface...not nearly as high-end as a lot of the library tables and partners desks that I have seen over the years, but it is a nice desk. The top looks like it is pretty straight-forward Renaissance Revival, but I have not seen another example with 8 legs. I don't know if this was intended to give the piece something of a William & Mary look, but "it is what it is" and I suspect that I couldn't find something equivalent for any less money than what I have sunk into this one (restoration was right at $2k). ...and, if I did find something similar for less, I'd still have a junked-out piece of scaffolding in my back porch (the extra space is pretty priceless).
This is a bit of a personal milestone as I have never had a piece of furniture restored and I have had this desk for a fairly long time...dragged it with me from NY to WI back in 1999. A lot of things have happened since then.
- Jason
Restored partners desk - a personal milestone
Archive summary
Victorian Furniture thread on victorianforum.com · started October 21, 2009 by 1881victorian · 3 posts, 5 image attachments · discussion in 2009.
Greetings all! Back in 1998 I "inherited" a junked-out partners desk from a classmate at college. He had actually pulled the desk out of the attic at school . . . and I suspect that it had been placed in the attic by previous students who, in all likelihood, got the thing for…
I think the restoration went really well and I really like the desk. I don't know that I've seen an 8-legger either.
Makes you want to have more restored, doesn't it - except for the price tag...
Makes you want to have more restored, doesn't it - except for the price tag...
Nice desk, i love restoration stories as it gives the piece a whole new life back in the house, as opposed to out on the porch, in the attic, garage, etc. 2k seems very reasonable to me in looking at the before & after pics.