Chloe – A Vintage Drexel Heritage Desk

95 Replies

My newest piece is a vintage Drexel Heritage desk. I had been looking for one of these for a while and just about flipped when I saw it at one of my local thrift stores. If you haven’t noticed already, I like to name my furniture pieces. I feel it helps bring out the personality of the piece and describes its styling in a very special way.

And yes, I do know how to paint other colors besides ones from the blue family…but this one just screamed “Duck Egg Blue,” so what else was I to do? No other color would do it justice with its brass hardware and contemporary styling.

So I started painting and then remembered that I needed to take a ‘before pic.’ The base was already started so I snapped a quick photo of the drawer. Use your imagination, if you will.

To my surprise, under the top middle drawer were markings that read “ET CETERA BY DREXEL 973”. Drexel Heritage is a high-end, very sought-after furniture company that makes some truly beautiful pieces. I looked it up online and found that they still carry their Et Cetera collection today. I wasn’t able to date the piece to any particular period, but I can tell that it’s an older piece. If you have any information regarding the period of this desk, I would be very interested to know.

The painting process was as follows: two coats of AS Chalk Paint in “Duck Egg Blue” – very, very lightly distressed with an ultra-fine sanding block. Then finished with a coat of AS Clear Wax. Two coats of wax on the top to protect from any future wear and tear.

The brass hardware and fixtures needed to be polished, so I used the following solution: 1/2 cup white vinegar, 1 tsp. salt, then enough flour to make a paste. Thickly brush the paste onto the hardware and let sit for 10 minutes. Then scrub with a toothbrush and rinse. You will be amazed how the build-up just melts off. Finally, polish with a dry rag. I have heard that others use ketchup to polish with a rag, but that didn’t work for me.

I LOVE how she turned out! This piece is the perfect blend of Vintage and Modern. I love her shape, I love the brass hardware, and I love the color that complements so well.

I have posted Chloe for sale on Craigslist here.
**Update: The desk is now SOLD!**

Lots of love,
Mary

I am linking up here:
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95 thoughts on “Chloe – A Vintage Drexel Heritage Desk”

  14. Mary - because i like to decorate

    Thanks for all the love! Such an encouragement to me and puts a smile on my face :)@Sara – I already have my other post linked up to your turquoise lovin party and didn't want to be too greedy. Was going to save this link for next week. Great idea by the way! I love that everything is turquoise.

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  19. Milla

    Found you on DIY by design. This is a beauty! Love that color. And the hardware is very similar to the one on a sideboard I just purchased. Great job!

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  26. Jamie

    BEAUTIFUL!!! I have been searching everywhere for a new desk for my office… I'm having a hard time finding one I love, in my price range- this desk is AMAZING!

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  27. Shelley

    Oh I love her!!! I've been trying to get my hands on a desk like this in the thrift stores and keep coming up empty handed :( Seeing yours makes me even more determined to find one though. Absolutely gorgeous!Thanks for sharing!Shelleywww.westermanfam.blogspot.com

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  41. A Mother and A Daughter

    That is such a beautiful piece of furniture! I love the vintage and the modern. The chevron stripes look great behind it. I think it's perfectly normal to name pieces of furniture. I name rooms of our house. One of the bedrooms in our house was painted blue but got painted over with tan. We still call it "the blue bedroom" even though there isn't any blue in it! I'm going to paint it gray soon but I still don't think the name will change! ~ Barbara

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  60. Kat

    Wow what a great job you did! This is great inspiration for me–I have a Drexel piece that I've been wanting to paint. Now I'm totally pumped to paint away! Thanks:)

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  67. Anonymous

    That's really pretty. Wish my junk stores carried good junk these days (it's just junky junk and the new guy wants way to much for stuff). I used to polish my brass as a child and finally my dad buffed it out for me and then shot it with some clear laquer so it wouldn't tarnish again!

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  72. Katie

    Just came over from the Whipperberry link party. WOW – I don't know why they didn't make it in duck egg blue to begin with! It looks so much better in that colour. LOVE the way you've accessorized it too. Gorgeous.www.katiescreative.blogspot.com

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  77. Cindy

    Love, Love, Love it! I love the color you used. I adore the hardware on her. You did an excellent job.Cindy @ changeofpacecreations.blogspot.com

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  92. Anonymous

    Beautiful color! I've been looking at a few DIY projects and would like to do something myself. I have a question, do you sand your furniture before you start painting? It would be great if some one can answer me please. Thanks

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  93. Mary - because i like to decorate

    Thanks for all the love! This is one of my favorite projects.@Anonymous #92 – Thanks so much! I did not sand this piece before painting. That's what I love about Annie Sloan chalk paint, no sanding or prep required! If you are using a standard latex paint, you will need to sand or in the very least rough the surface and use a primer. Perfectly Imperfect has a very good ebook with lots of furniture paiting tips that I would recomend! Feel free to email me at mary.a.spitzer@gmail.com if you have any other questions. I would love to answer your post directly, but it seems I am unable to email you in an anonymous post. :)

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  94. Jenny Scott

    Two years later and people are still finding your desk and loving it! I found it on Pintrest and am now hunting for a similar desk to do the same thing to! Bummed when I saw it was sold! Jenny – South Africa

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