Up until a few days ago, the dresser in our master bedroom was looking a little haphazard and cluttered. Since we’ve been fostering kitties, several of them have had to stay in our bedroom at various times to avoid any major cat fights. The top our dresser became a dumping ground for not only cat food and cat treats, but also anything that we were too lazy to bring back downstairs. I was ready to clear it off and bring back some serenity to the surface.
But where would I put all the stuff on it? Enter a new furniture piece.
Last week, on my birthday, I happened to spy something on Facebook Marketplace that I have long coveted – a secretary desk! I messaged the seller in hopes that no one else had contacted her yet, but she replied back promptly telling me someone was already coming to take a look at it. There were also five other people ahead of me who had shown interest. I took it as a sign that it wasn’t meant to be mine and went about my day. Then, later in the afternoon, she messaged me and said that the first person never showed and none of the others had replied to her.
SO, I guess it WAS supposed to mine!
There is something so alluring to me about a roll-top secretary desk – all the little cubbies and drawers, the way the roll-top can easily hide the clutter underneath. That and library card catalog cabinets! I’ve always wanted to own one of these desks but they are usually more than I care to spend. When I saw this on Marketplace for only $125 I was thrilled! This one is mostly solid oak, still in really great condition (with the exception of sagging in the shelving noticeable in the photo below) and fit the criteria of what I was looking for.
This one without a roll-top has been on my wishlist for a while, but I was unwilling to shell out that much for something that wasn’t even solid wood.
Before bringing a new piece of furniture into our home, I also like to make sure it can serve more than one purpose. Although this is a desk, I thought it could also function as a sort of vanity for me and house my jewellery. A rather large jewellery box, you could say. It fits pretty perfectly in the space beside our bed and solves some of the clutter issues plaguing our dresser.
The stain colour is not my first choice, but Matt says it would probably ruin the roll-top mechanism if we tried to refinish it. So, it is staying the way it is for now. If I’m feeling ambitious and want to tackle that project down the road, I will be sure to share about the process here. My preference is for a white oak shade.
I am just happy that we’ve reclaimed some breathing space on the top of our dresser. It always feels so good to see the “after” decluttered space. These items still need a bit of restyling as the triad of photos need a proper frame and it’s a little early for pumpkins. Admittedly, I’ve had the gourds out since last fall, but I thought they were too pretty to store away.
What’s currently on top of your dresser?
