The best bit.....6 days and counting

Often, by far the best bit of any project, are the halcyon hours spent planning.  The options seem endless and the hours spend on Pinterest and watching You Tube how-to videos are all time well spent.

With a view to upcycling my shabby chic work station I've been making lists, setting out a plan of attack, saving links to potential candidates for new drawer handles, papers for decoupage, paint for the exterior etc, right down to the minutiae of finding a small old key to use with a flamboyant key tassel in the bookcase doors.  Needless to say the original key is long gone, but since I don't need to lock the doors I'm sure I can find a pretty, purely decorative key. 

Actually,  thinking about it, I'm going to need two, one for the door and one for the bureau lid. *carefully adds to list*

Hmmm...having looked again at the photos (bearing in mind I haven't actually seen it in the flesh yet!!!) I can see that there is another keyhole in the top drawer of the base.
*amends list*

I've set up a Pinterest board onto which I can pin inspirational upcycled bookcase bureau ideas and I have a file on my laptop devoted to hints and tips I've gleaned from trawling the internet.  

In addition, I've started sorting through and consolidating my storage boxes in the big wall unit, which will have to go in order to make room for the bureau.

Here it is a few days ago before I got stuck in....

There are already several gaps but I need to lose quite a few more in the coming week then pile all the remaining boxes on the worktop at the end of the room so that I can sell the display unit *fingers crossed*   

I'll be trying to do as much of the work on the bureau as possible in the space left by the display unit.... apart from the messy sanding, which I'll do outside so as to avoid clouds of dust in my workroom.  However, the painting, decorating etc will be done in situ, on plastic sheeting.  It's quite a big project so I'm anticipating it will take several weeks, especially as I also have to work in the meantime.  However I'll be itching to get it finished, so that I can restore a sense of normality, and relocate all the boxes etc.

I'm in two minds about what to do with the surface of the drop down writing surface.  The leather insert is quite badly scratched and damaged and needs to be replaced.  But with what.....?

I could replace it with a new leather insert, but all the places who make them to size only seem to have very dark shades of leather in rather dull and uninspiring colours, suitable for antique reproduction desks etc.  Ideally I'd like a cornflower blue.... not really pale, but not too dark either.

Alternatively, I could completely replace the leather with a large pale blue cutting mat, fixed in place on the surface with little clips, so that I could easily remove it to clean it.  This would be much cheaper than a leather insert, and much more practical.  However, until I get the bureau back here and measure it accurately I can't make any irrevocable decisions just yet.

Right, back to it then... those Pinterest pins won't pin themselves.