How to upgrade a Marketplace desk

Once we decided to do a full renovation on our shared office space we knew the desk was going to be really important. It needed to be large and have good storage. I loved the look of this one from Pottery Barn but couldn’t justify the cost when we had so much to spend money on in this room.

So the search began for alternatives that had a similar look to the one we really liked.

I spent a few weeks scrolling through Facebook Marketplace and eventually found the perfect piece. It didn’t look anything like the Pottery Barn one – yet!!!! So here is our how to upgrade a Marketplace desk tutorial.

Transforming our Marketplace Desk

Tony removed all handles and drawer rails so that we could fill any holes and dents. We then had to give it a really good sand. To upgrade the desk we made the following changes:-

• Plywood was added to enclose the end of the desk that was left open to hold a computer tower.
• Timber trim was added to each end and the back of the desk.
• A decorative piece of timber was added at the back between the two drawer units just to close the space in. It’s actually a piece of skirting we found in the garage!!!
• Purchased new handles

Adding the finishing touches for the Marketplace desk upgrade

Paint is the big change for the desk. Going from the orange pine to a beautiful fresh white. I used an undercoat first to ensure that there was no bleed through. The final addition to add some glamour to the desk was the beautiful marble and brass handles from Temple and Webster. They finished it off perfectly.

The finished desk looks amazing in the new office and works just as we hoped it would. We added some acrylic and gold organisational items from Organised Style Living to the pullout keyboard drawer so that we could utilise all available storage.

Head on over to my post to see the full office renovation.