How I Refinished My New Desk With Mora by Miss Mustard Seed’s Milk Paint
Mora is one of my absolute favorite colors in the Miss Mustard Seed’s Milk Paint collection.
This color is a pale blue/green named after the town in Sweden that’s famous for its curvy clocks.
Mora is one of those shades that draws me in. It instantly makes me feel relaxed and at ease when I look at it. When it came time to refinish an antique table that would serve as my new desk, Mora was the perfect color for the job!
Working From Home With Style
Since COVID-19 started, Marc and I are now both working from home. He has a desk set up in our bedroom, and I quickly realized I needed a place to work as well. Having my laptop on the coffee table just wan’t cutting it anymore. Between shipping online orders, printing labels, writing thank you notes and doing social media for Miss Mustard Seed’s Milk Paint, I needed room to spread out and work. The trouble is that our current apartment is actually an in-law suite on the back of my Mom and Dad’s home. It’s about 600-ish square feet in size, so space is at a premium.
To tide me over and do the job immediately, I was using this baker’s table.
It was one of my pieces that didn’t sell, so I took out the bottom possum-bellied drawers (as they didn’t really function well anyway) and I used it as my desk. There isn’t much clearance for your legs though when you sit at it, so it was always uncomfortable.
When I saw this antique table at Morgantown Market, I knew it would function better than the no-longer-possum-bellied baker’s table!
An Authentically Aged Finish
This piece received its makeover during my latest free Miss Mustard Seed’s Milk Paint demonstration at Morgantown Market. If you’re local to me in Southeastern Pennsylvania, I host these roughly every 3 weeks or so. You should pop by and join me for one!
Because the table is an antique, I thought it would only be appropriate to refinish it with the only paint that will give you an authentically aged finish – MMS Milk Paint!
It took about 4 hours (including dry time and talking time) to freshen it up. I applied 2 coats of Mora to the base and gently distressed the edges. There were lovely patches of chipping that showed up on the legs.
Miss Mustard Seed’s Milk Paint has a tendency to craze and crackle when it’s applied over a shellac-based finish or exposed to heat. I was pleasantly surprised to see this effect scattered along the surface of my new desk!
Miss Mustard Seed’s Milk Paint will do this all on its own every now and then. I literally didn’t do one thing to make that happen. That’s what I love about this paint product – it does its own thing and provides you with the most gorgeous and authentically aged finishes!
A White Waxed Top
Because I’ll be using this little table as my desk, I needed a topcoat that was going to be durable. I’ll be leaning on it just about every day, typing at my laptop. It will have boxes and notepads placed on and off of it daily.
To compliment the Mora Milk Paint, I used White Wax by Miss Mustard Seed.
Nothing was done to the top of my desk aside for applying 2 thin layers of White Wax with a Wax Brush. I didn’t sand it, strip it or stain it.
There are lots of nicks, dings, cuts and worm holes dotted across the surface of this table. The White Wax got stuck in all of those recessed areas, resulting in the most beautiful effect!
It feels soft to the touch and is not waxy or tacky whatsoever. That’s because of 2 things – I applied THIN layers of the White Wax, and I allowed it to dry for about a week before I started using it. Being patient pays off!
The White Wax won’t be cured until about mid-September (3 to 4 weeks from now), but I can use my desk now. I have coasters under my cups and felt feet under the alabaster lamp. My laptop comes with little protective feet in each corner, so I’m safe there too.
The best part about using Miss Mustard Seed’s Waxes is that they’re LIVEABLE and FIXABLE! If and when Nelson or Jake (our cats) jump up and knock one of my drinks over, I can repair the damage easily. A quick dry-off, some Mineral Spirits and a re-application of White Wax is all it will take. Easy peasy, lemon squeezey!
My Style Is Coming Together
With all of the furniture that I have refinished in the last 6-7 years, you would think that I have my own personal style sorted out.
Turns out, I haven’t given myself time to consider what I would have in a house of my own. I shop and buy for my business, but I don’t do it often for myself. Our in-law suite is too small to house a lot of furniture, so we don’t have much going on in our current living situation.
I’ve been trolling Pinterest, gathering images of things that I like these last few weeks. I’m being careful not to pin images that are trendy or what I think will sell. Instead, my focus is on elements that make my heart jump a little bit. If there’s a picture that I slow down to examine, what about it drew me in? Was it the color on the wall? The shape of the bed? The cozy feeling of the room?
As I give myself time to learn what I like, I know I’ll be enjoying the process from my sweet antique desk in Mora Milk Paint!
