The Extreme Bedroom Makeover Part 4: Super Sexy Shop Counter

We're at Part 4 of my summer bedroom transformation adventure, and by this point everything was coming together. I had successfully made a list of targets, renovated a plan chest and built a wardrobe from a fireplace surround. My room colour was also altered to the natural palette I desired. That was everything achieved on the tick list but one - the desk.

In Part 1 I described how my present Ikea Mikael desk was too small for my creative endeavours. I wanted something with a really large workspace, better storage, and preferably a piece of furniture with character. I searched eBay high and wide, pulling out every key word in the dictionary:

desk/table/workbench/counter/workspace/bureau/sideboard/cabinet

*Phew*

It took a bit of searching, but I finally came across a workspace built of rainbows and dreams :)

*Sorryyy for the bad image quality, it's the only one I have!*

 It was a mahogany victorian shop counter, with a lot of space, storage AND character. I snapped this baby up on buy it now for £100 pronto. I didn't take any pictures of it when it first arrived, but all it needed was a bit of a wash with some fairy liquid and water. P.S. I recall watching Johnny English 2 at the same time.

This is a picture I took of it in early September. The shelving unit was given to me by my Uncle (the one who also helped me to build my wardrobe, is he the best or what?!), which was originally tall rather than long:

Looking boot-i-ful in mouldy MDF blue.

I cut it into thirds, screwed (two of) the pieces together and then added a length of scrap wood along the top. I painted it in Clunch to conform with the rest of my furniture. It isn't very deep, so was the perfect fit along the back of my desk.

Half a year later and some minimal changes have taken place (although please everyone, note that I now have a Macbook Pro rather than a desktop, thank you thank you grandparents!) I thought it'd be nice to do a mini tour of my space and highlight some of my favourite desk-related possessions:

My Capri Sewing Machine. This thing is my absolute pride and joy, and one of my biggest bargains to date. It cost me £6 from a Guide Dog charity shop, complete with the case, foot pedal, instructions etc. It's an old model which I believe to be from the 70s, but it works beautifully (10x better than my modern machine), and aren't those retro colours just gorgeous?

Who remembers the One Two Three and Away books? I was given these wooden characters by my Dad's friend who knew I was into vintage collectables. I've never seen any like them before...aren't they charming? The wooden pigeon holes they're in were £2 from a jumble sale.

I love love love this spice chest I bought in a Dorothy House charity shop for £3. It's solid wood and has adorable brass fittings. The teeny drawers house my creative oddments. The three vintage tea tins on top of the chest were £1 for the lot from a jumble sale.

This interesting wooden box (£5, community charity shop) which once contained Cash's labels, now houses my large overlocker threads. The original tupperware cups were from a jumble sale for 50p. I love the bright, contrasting colours!

I bought this vintage 'Eagle' flask, made in Japan in the 70s, from a jumble sale for £1. Majorly digging the metal lid!

9 x retro shot glasses from a community charity shop for £2 (that's less than 20p a glass!) I use them for storing my quick unpicks, sewing scissors and other bits...most of the time ;)

This itty bitty bookshelf was £1 from a jumble sale. For now it only holds 1 book (The Tiger in the Smoke), alongside four matching pearlescent tea cups and a Fiona Hewitt tin. I think I may paint the shelf a bright colour in the future.

And finally, my anglepoise style lamp, which was £5 from Dorothy House. The metal is in a gold coloured finish and the neck is wooden. What a bargain!

Keep checking back for my next post in The Extreme Bedroom Makeover series - DVDs United.