My Dad's Desk

I finally got my Dad’s old desk back from my sister, who’s had it for 20+ years, even though it was left to me. (Long story which I won’t bore you with.) It’s a beautiful old roll-top desk, and my mother bought it for my father when he became the youngest school principal in the state. I was just a baby then. So there’s a lot of sentimental value in it. 

But though I was thrilled to get it back — finally — I was quite upset by the state it was in — the varnish worn and scraped off in places, and lots of scratches and marks.

When I lived at home it was always my job to polish it, so I knew what it had been like, and finding it in this condition was quite upsetting.

So now I’m investigating the possibility of having it restored or trying to do it myself. 

Professional restoration will be very expensive, I know. A friend who used to do it professionally said he ended up stopping it, as the cost of restoration was often more than the piece was worth.

“Nobody wants antiques anymore, Anne,” he told me, which I found very sad. I know it’s true. I have a lovely old wardrobe that doesn’t fit in this house, which has built-in cupboards everywhere, but I can’t even give it away — I’ve tried. Of course, I’ll keep trying, but it’s an indictment of the state of things where people prefer to buy cheap new furniture and replace it every few years instead of lovely hand-made old stuff.  

So I’ll just have to wait and see if I can afford professional renovation for the desk, or whether I’ll have to try to restore it myself.