ROUND UP: WHITE DESKS

On any given day I could be found working at my parents kitchen table, my brother's girlfriend's apartment, or any number of coffee shops around town. This is due in (large) part to still not having internet at Wrightwood - in order to get cable run to the house to even set up wi-fi we have to go through a whole process. Another reason is that I don't have a space to work there. The dining table is covered in construction documents, random bits of hardware, and dust. Now that the guest room is all sanded and painted and anxiously awaiting furniture, I can turn my attention to an office space all my own. All my dreams of perfectly placed witty coffee mugs and fresh flowers will finally come true. One of the first things that I'm thinking about for my office is a work surface - and I have my heart set on a white desk. I also learned from my last foray into desk buying that buying one without storage is a mistake. I own far too many pens and paintbrushes and paper goods and cute office supplies to have them all out on my desk. In my office specifically I need multiple work surfaces since I need space to layout drawings or samples, so I can see IKEA in my future. Their Linnmon tops are amazing, durable, and oh-so-cleanable (because somehow my work surfaces almost always end up looking like four sugar crazed 6 year olds had craftime at my desk). I would definitely place it on top of some serious storage but they have some cute leg options too. But because of my general messiness, I would really like my main desk to look grown up - to make it look at least a little bit like I'm a functioning adult. If you would like to pretend you've got adulthood on lock too, I've rounded up some of my favorite white desks from around the interwebs just for you!

ONE KINGS LANE - campaign desk | I've had this guy saved on my pinterest boards forever. Gold and white? Come on. Tons of storage, and pretty to boot. This desk would make a pretty awesome entry table or console in the future too when it had run it's course as a desk. Honestly I can think of like 20 places I could put this table right now.

IKEA - alex desk | Clean & simple. And the only non-x-base in this selection. This desk looks good and at $169 is totally affordable. It has those two big drawers (yay! storage!) but what you can't tell from this picture is that there is a little fold up flap on the backside for cord management that is genius. Honestly I didn't even know about that when I picked it, but I just found out and this desk may have just become my front-runner. *insert heart-eye emoji here*

TARGET - x-base desk | This is my #1 boo. Thanks Target for giving me more reasons to just throw money at you. I mean Target gets it. I love the integrated look of the drawer on the front and the proportions are just right. I even like how there is a base on the legs which I think would really help the desk stand out on the colorful vintage kilim rug of my dreams. At about $327 this is a pricier option that IKEA but it has a glass top and the legs are metal - so it's probably a more durable option too.

IKEA - skarsta desk | I lied. There are two non-x-base AND this one doesn't have storage. However this is a sitting/standing desk! I have done a lot of reading about the benefits of not sitting all day and I like the ease with which this desk could transform - this desk could save your life y'all. I had to include it. It's not the prettiest, and yet it's the prettiest convertible desk I've seen. For drafting and drawing - or just stretching your legs a little this is a pretty cool option. It comes in two size options now - including one that is 63" x 32" which is impressive!

WORLD MARKET - josphine desk | Another great budget option. I love World Market, don't you? I'll be honest, I don't love the proportions as much as some of the others and the legs being inset instead of on the edges of the desk is a little bit of a weird choice. I think I would have to see this one in person before really making a decision but for $199 this is an affordable choice. It also comes in kelly green - and studies have shown that the color green promotes creativity!

WAYFAIR - watkins desk | This desk is visually lighter than the others. I think this would look great as a stand alone or if you had to have a desk in room where other functions take place (like in your bedroom - which I don't advocate and I know from experience is sometimes unavoidable) and you just want the desk to go-away. I like the two drawers - deeper drawers allow for hiding of more things - important for sanity and in multi-functional rooms. Bye bye stapler and post its. (and what is this?? I found it for even less at Joss & Main... reason 9289345 to shop around y'all)

CRATE & BARREL - spotlight desk | At $599 this one is a splurge for sure. The spotlight desk is one of the larger options though, and you know it's quality and will last a while. I love the cross brace between the legs that you can rest your feet on and unlike the World Market desk I think this beauty gets her proportions just right. It also has three drawers for storage and the middle one flips down to become a work surface - perfect when your desk is covered with papers.

I hope this guide helps you on your quest for the perfect place to layout instragram flatlays...er, I mean, desk. I know I have my favorite picked out. I can't wait for my office to be ready so I can share it with you all (and so I can finally stop carting all my work all over town). So tell me, which desk is your favorite? 

BREATHING LIFE INTO OLD WOODWORK

Wrightwood has over forty original, wood, double-hung windows and over twenty doors. Preserving the original millwork and trim work in the house has been a priority from the very beginning of this project. With the guest room we got to test out all the little tricks we've learned along the way to revive the original paint-caked, but totally beautiful and just waiting to be revived. Through a little trial and error (and grilling craftsmen for their tips) I've compiled what we've learned if you decide to take on a similar task in your home! Public Service Announcement: Safety first y'all. Make sure to test for lead paint, take safety measures if it's found, and use proper eye and respiratory protection. 

TOOLS + MATERIALS
- Plastic Dropcloths
- Belt Sander
- Mouse Sander
- Sand Paper (ranging in grit from 50-120)
- Wood Filler
- Pre-mixed Bondo (make sure it is made for use on wood)
- Razor Blade
- Painter's Tape
- Tack Cloths
- Spray Primer
- Trim Paint
- Paint Brush

1. Prep Your Space
In a perfect, well planned, world you would remove the trim so you could take it outside for the majority of these steps. We unfortunately are unable to without damaging the drywall and so we've been doing all of these messy steps inside. If you're faced with a similar situation, properly prepping your space will save you 1000 headaches down the road. Clean up will be easier, sanding dust with be contained, and your floors will be spared from overspray and paint drips. We have wood floors, I think wall to wall carpet would be a whole different (nightmarish) story, so we started by placing painters tape directly on the floor anywhere any of the trim work meets the floor (this will keep the overspray from the primer from sneaking under the edges of your drop cloth - even when you tape that down too). Then carefully cover the entire floor with plastic drop cloths and tape them to each other and around the edges of the room.  Trust me, sawdust will get everywhere. Stuff a towel under the door to keep it from dusting up your hallway or other rooms too. 

2. Removing Old Paint + Fill Major Blemishes
A belt sander is your best bet. Someone in our house got a little overenthusiastic with a disc sander and gouged all these round little cuts into the trim. Carefully run the belt sander along the trim with the grain so you don't have to correct it later. Get as much of the paint off as you can with a rougher grit sandpaper (40-50 grit should do). Pro Tip: The lower the number on the sandpaper the rougher the texture, big numbers like 120-220 are super fine and great for finish sanding. If there are any bigger holes or gouges carefully fill them with wood filler, let it dry and hand sand down any roughness.

3. Clean Up and Spray Prime Round One
Before you paint, always and forever, wipe down your surface. You can use a clean rag, but a tack cloth makes things easier and their slight stickiness makes sure you get every last bit of dust. I say spray prime round one because we found that once you get a layer of primer on there you can see any last spots you need to even out to get a super smooth surface. 

From the Left: Trimwork after the first major sand and filling with wood filler, Post-first spray prime and evening out with bondo, post-second sand and second prime - all ready for paint!

4. The Awesomeness of Bondo
So this is a trick we learned from the man who painted our kitchen cabinets. Typically bondo is used on cars and is something you need to mix and then use up quickly. But then our cabinet painter showed us this. It's premixed and you can purchase it at Autozone or O'Reillys. Make sure the kind you get has wood listed as one of the surfaces you can use it on. Using a razor blade you can carefully skim it over rough patches to even out the wood and get a super smooth finish. Make sure you have adequate ventilation bc this stuff doesn't smell great, AND you'll need to let it dry for a bit. Pro Tip: Take a piece of painters tape and fold it around the end of the razor blade to give you a little more surface to hold onto.

5. Sand...Prime...Sand Again!
Take your mouse sander (or a square of sandpaper and your hand) and go over everything one last time. Use a 120 or 220 grit sandpaper for a really fine sand. Pro Tip: As you finish an area, close your eyes and run your hand over it to feel for roughness. Best way to feel if you missed a spot! Once you're happy with the level of smoothness (and trust me, it doesn't have to be perfect, if you've got old, original trim to work with it's probably an older home and character is something to embrace. That and you'll drive yourself crazy trying to get it perfectly smooth!), take your tack cloth and wipe any dust off of everything before your second round of priming. Make sure you cover all the red from the bondo; again, it doesn't have to her perfect, but at least a enough that the red won't show through when you paint!

6. The Final Paint
For Wrightwood I used the Benjamin Moore paint pictured above in Super White. It's a great "in between" of an acrylic and an oil based enamel. It cleans up with water (though the can does suggest once your paintbrush is all rinsed you do a final rinse with mineral spirits) but it's thick and self levels really beautifully - meaning that as you paint it on you may see a LOT of brushstrokes but as it sits the strokes seem to fade away like magic! That said though make sure you paint quickly because it does dry fast and if you find you missed a spot it's best to let it dry entirely before painting over it instead of risking it getting a little gummed up. Honestly ladies, it's a lot like nail polish. Have you ever tried to put on a second coat but then it's not quite dry and not wet enough and you end up with this weird gunked up gummy spot? It's kind of like that. Pro Tip: Start from the top. So on a door frame that means paint the top horizontal piece, then the two vertical sides. On a window do the same: Top horizontal, then vertical mullions, then horizontal sill - always painting in the direction of the wood - horizontal strokes on horizontal boards, vertical strokes on vertical boards.

Ta-da! All Done!

This is a couple-days-long project factoring in drying time for the wood filler, bondo, and primer, but I hope this tutorial gives you a comfort level with the process and that you'll feel confident enough to give this a shot! If you have any questions, I'd love to answer them in the comment section! Best of luck!

A GROVE INSPIRED PATIO

It's fall y'all! Nothing says fall like tailgating and no one does gracious, over-the-top, entertainer-of-the-year tailgating like Ole Miss. One time, at LSU, I saw an Ole Miss tailgate with a working ceiling fan hanging from a tree, and this was an away game! I thought nothing could better embrace that incredible attitude than an outdoor entertaining space inspired by those Rebs who are heading into a gameday feeling good after beating that team everyone loves to hate last weekend!

This is probably a little more traditional than I would usually go, but it's Ole Miss, they practically define traditional. I love this mix of indoor and outdoor furniture giving the space a really comfy feel, if not a little over the top. I see a group of friends gathered around a perfectly catered spread in Grove Attire. This is a fan base I imagine drinking champagne while watching football. Champagne or really, really nice bourbon. 

1. A warm, Dash & Albert rug grounds the space, maybe in front of a super classy outdoor fireplace. I'll be the first to admit that red isn't really my favorite color but a more fall inspired scarlet, softened with the jute is winning me over here. Red can go really "SPORTS TEAM!! AMERICAN FLAG!!" if you let it get too primary color feeling.

2. Ole Miss fans deserve a sophisticated place to sit, even outside, and these Johnathan Adler side chairs go perfectly with their bowtie and a glass of Pappy Van Winkle. 

3. As a contrast this stump table from West Elm keeps things playful and not too serious. I could see a few of these throughout the patio space for setting down drinks or little plates of food. On real plates because I'm sure thats how they roll.

4. All the pillows, for all the comfort! A mix of classic fall patterns and neutral colors would breakup the stark white of the couch and soften any seat. I like a lot of what Dash & Albert has in their outdoor selection right now.

5. A chandelier. Duh. Hanging from the inevitable and beautiful trellis. These people hang chandeliers in their tailgating tents, of course there would be one in their backyard. This particular chandelier is from Shades of Light. And I want it hanging under my carport. Stat.

6. I couldn't not include this vintage champagne bucket from One Kings Lane (that is unfortunately no longer available). It's gorgeous. Except someone who went to Ole Miss probably just has one lying around from their grandfather's grandfather. I personally feel there should be more champagne with football. I also feel that there should be more champagne always.

7. Finally a beautiful outdoor sectional for all their friends. Ole Miss fans are kings and queens of entertaining and they would need plenty of space for all their friends to sit. Sometimes outdoor sectionals can feel really heavy (you know what I'm talking about, that woven plastic stuff? Indestructible, yes, but not always the prettiest) and this piece from Pottery Barn takes the cake. Perfect in a southern backyard on a herringbone brick patio, covered with cozy plaid blankets around a fire pit.