We all know how easy it can be to feel stressed, and burnout is all too common these days. But that doesn’t mean that you can’t do something creative or take steps to combat it. Take YouTube creator Christina Muscari for example. She made a fun video showing how she transformed a free piece of World Market furniture and turned it into a cheerful piece that would help with her feelings of burnout.
You can watch the whole transformation on YouTube right here:
Christina said she got a World Market desk for free, and it’s definitely nice, but also out of style and way too dark for someone who’s struggling with burnout, that’s for sure! While World Market makes a wide range of fun and funky pieces, this desk doesn’t seem to fit the bill. So, she decided that she wanted to give it a total transformation to make it a little bit more pleasing to the eye.
She started out by cleaning the desk thoroughly and you can see how the legs have a unique shape that could easily get covered in grime and dust. Once the desk was cleaned, she decided to seal it with a primer. Using a primer is the best way to ensure that anything you paint looks smooth, beautiful, and evenly applied.
After the primer was dry she used a really bold green color from a brand called Terra Clay Paint. I assume the word clay is either referring to the finish (kind of like chalk paint) or the paint is technically formulated for clay.
Not sure, but either way, she mentioned that the color was totally “unlike her” but she went for it anyway. She said that the bright green was really bold so she also added a nice textured finish which was also by the Terra brand. The whole thing was then covered in a matte sealer.
Next, she said she originally wanted to add floral transfers with tropical leaves to the desk, but in the end, she said she “chickened out” and ended up adding the transfers just to the inside of the drawers on the sides.
I have to say I am not a huge fan of the tropical look, but I really did like the way the transfers added some depth and variety to the desk, even though she only put them on the inside drawer side sections. Once that step was done, she added something called gold gilding wax to the hardware.
This product took boring metal drawer pulls and turned them into something much more modern, shiny, and metallic. I would have personally just switched out the hardware, but this is a great way to repurpose it if you’re not a fan of the original finish.
When the video panned out, you can see the desk in all its glory and, wow, is that green with gold beautiful! She also opened a drawer so you could see the floral transfer and I really do love the way it turned out.
In the end, she asked her audience what they think she should list it for, so I assume she is a furniture flipper who sells her projects when she’s done. Christina said that doing this project helped her get her joy back. I think it’s a great way to blow off some steam, add something beautiful to your home, and yes maybe even fight the notorious burnout we all feel from time to time.
Viewer Valerie Abramat said, “Burnout stinks! Sending good vibes! I love the color choice and the decision to do the transfers on the side of the drawers. Beautiful, as usual!”
Deborah Dupre added her opinion on the project, saying, “I see commenters’ suggested price ranging around $300. to $600. If it is solid walnut and if you refurbished the walnut (without painting it) what would its value have been? What price would you have put on it? Would it have sold faster?”
I am not sure how much she should sell the desk for but I do think anywhere from $300 to $350 is a reasonable price, especially since it was hand-painted. Overall, it’s a gorgeous piece!
