Before and After: Vintage School Desk

This circa 1964 NY Board of Education desk was found curbside in NYC's Upper West Side. My brother, twenty-some blocks from his apartment, lugged this treasure home on his back. It eventually made its way to Massachusetts where we have finally decided to use it as our entertainment perch. (It would also make a great coffee table....)
The original laminated plywood top was in need of TLC, being well-worn and bowing in the middle. We decided to simply replace the top and leave the metal base, as is, with the original green paint and all of its school-house patina!
And though the nearly 111 year old house we own is crying out for us to keep going with major renovations, we took a break last week-end to work on this desk. The decision was made to marry the vintage base with something that has a modern look but still retains some warmth. Concrete.

Pencil Trough

Using the same dimensions as the original, we created a form incorporating the detail of a pencil trough, tinted the cement with a touch of oxide black, and cast our form. Within a week, after multiple sandings, finishing and sealing it, we had our new top installed.