My Dad's Desk is Back

You might remember that when I finally got my desk back from my sister and B-I-L, it was all battered and scratched. And I was really upset about it because the last time I’d seen it — at Mum and Dad’s — it was in good order. This photo might remind you of the state it came back in.

I couldn’t bear to leave it like that, and I didn’t think I could restore it properly, so I hired a man to restore it. I got a couple of quotes, and neither were cheap, but I settled on one who came recommended, and he took the desk away.

Turned out he was a meticulous restorer, and he took it completely apart and put it back together again. The broken bits have been repaired or replaced and little fiddly things (like the holder of the little glass inkwells) have been fixed. Everything gleams. As he said, “It’ll last you another hundred years.” And here it is:

The original varnish was darker than this, but the restorer said he’d prefer to use a lighter varnish than what he called the “mission brown” one.  Now the desk is back, and it looks beautiful. The inside surface in particular is glorious with the woodgrain just glowing. It’s a bit hard to photograph, but this gives you an idea. Even though it was always my job as a child to polish the desk, I had no idea the woodgrain was so lovely — it was always just dark brown wood to me. But now its beauty shines.

So now the desk is back in a place where it will be cared for and loved, as it deserves. And I’m very, very happy with it.