These desk sets were made from scrap wood and left over finishes, and are the inspiration for the desk bling accessory set plan, the cedar 1-board desk accessory set plan, and the 1-board cedar 2 drawer desktop storage cube plan. I had a ball planning and building these 4 sets over the summer, and gave them to the girls at work today as Christmas gifts. They were a big hit!
The cube sides and drawer fronts are made from scraps of wainscoat paneling.
The gray set is a distressed finish (not shown - the matching cube storage included pulls painted in oil rubbed bronze). The Espresso painted set received pulls spray-painted in silver. The Onyx set was stained with Minwax Express color, with pulls spray-painted in silver. The blue set received 2 coats of paint, and a Walnut glaze. Those pulls were done with a gray paint wash, with sea glass pebbles glued on the fronts.
The pulls are all made from pieces of S4S moulding, sanded and then painted. These also received a poly topcoat before attaching with super glue.
Total time for each set is about an afternoon each. Each set received multiple coats for the finishes, but was well worth the effort.
For some added "bling," I raided my stash of sticky-back felt scraps and applied to the bottoms of each piece, along with the drawer bottoms.
Estimated Cost
all materials already on hand, except for the sea glass (purchased at Michael's)
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
Gray: 1 coat white, 1 coat gray (Ace, Greek Column), distressed with 100-grit sandpaper, 1 coat polycrylic satin.
Espresso: 3 coats Benjamin Moore aura paint in Wenge, 1 coat polycrylic satin.
Onyx: 2 coats Minwax Express Color in Onyx (brushed on), 2 coats polycrylic satin.
Blue: 2 coats Clark & Kensington tinted to Benjamin Moore's Blue Echo, glazed with Minwax Express Color in Walnut, top coated with Minwax Oil Modified water based poly in satin.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner
Comments
Guest (not verified)
Tue, 02/14/2012 - 12:54
Great job
I too modified this plan with a second rob of drawers and im in the finishing stages of it (hardware and paint). How tall is yours?
APagano
Wed, 02/22/2012 - 13:05
Height
Total height is 25 inches. I love how tall it is, because the dogs cannot jump on the bed! I wish we would have thought about the double drawer height before we started as it would have brought the cost and time down significantly. We live and we learn. Enjoy your new bed!
Marie421 (not verified)
Tue, 07/31/2012 - 19:48
Just wondering how you
Just wondering how you attached the double drawer layers together... Love the look of it...
APagano
Mon, 06/10/2013 - 17:41
Sorry for the delay in
Sorry for the delay in response. I haven't been on the site in awhile and I could not figure out my password! We used the Kreg Jig to attach the top level to the bottom. Looking back on it, we should have just built the walls as one piece, but since the top drawers were an addition, after the fact, we just had to deal. The 1x2 trim piece gave it a finished and less pieced together look. It has been so long since we built this, the details are fading!
In reply to Height by APagano
diy_lover
Sat, 08/06/2016 - 20:37
Size/Storage
I'm new to furniture making and was wondering if you had plans for your work since I like the height, queen and twin size? Also, I was wondering if any drawers are for storage purposes, as I would like them to be?
natasha
Mon, 10/08/2012 - 08:00
would love help...
Hi this is exactly what I need to do!
we just bought a new bed and I new I'd be making this not thinking I decided not to buy the box spring, now I realize my bed will be on the floor...
I would love it if you could share everything you learned in making it double decker! please
thanks
Natasha
APagano
Mon, 06/10/2013 - 17:48
Better late than never, I
Better late than never, I hope...
First thing we learned, the bed is a little too high, so we should have made slightly smaller drawers. Still happy our dogs can't get up there, but I have to actually hop up on the bed every night, and still have yet to get around to making my step stool.
Second, cut the side pieces for the height needed for two drawers, then you have a cleaner look with no middle trim piece. I don't mind it, but I would like it more without, I think.
That is really all I would change. The plans were easy to follow and made it easy to alter for our needs.
reneemwhiten
Tue, 05/07/2013 - 23:52
This lovely Stratton Bed
I am flabbergasted by this AMAZING bed you MADE over the WEEKEND! This is simply unbelievable! I absolutely could never do something like this. Are you willing to make a King size one exactly like this and sell it to me??
Oh please?!
Renee
APagano
Mon, 06/10/2013 - 17:53
Thank you for those kind
Thank you for those kind words! I was a little nervous about taking on such a big project, but we had a fun time building it { I can't say the same for sanding and painting :-) } and are very happy with the space it freed up in our very small bedroom! Just take your time, invest in a Kreg Jig, and you can do it too!