Today I want to share with you a little project that I recently finished for Ursula. Since I spend a lot of time in the office and we pull her in to hang out when we need to, it seemed important to not only give her a space of her own, but also to start modeling a desk that would be sort of a small version of a grownup desk. Ursula is very into being a "big girl", so we set out together one weekend to find her a desk. This is our little story that took place over about one month.
We started the day out at Atlantic Avenue, poking around all the antique shops, but finally ended up finding this little roll-top in the basement of Olde Good Things new location on 17th street. The chair came a bit later, ordered from the excellent wood furniture folks at Community Playthings.
Starting at the end: The final setup
Going over the bridge and back to Brooklyn. Atlantic Avenue is usually a goldmine of possibility, but we struck out on that day.
Shopping on Atlantic Ave.
This desk....?
This chair....?
These would make nice desks! (too expensive!)
Cleaning everything up!
At first, I was afraid to cut the legs and this Frosta stool seemed to work okay.
But after watching her not sit too comfortably for a few weeks, I decided to cut them. Note that by this time I had also installed all the Flor carpet tiles, so it looks a bit nicer as well.
Cutting down the legs 6" to fit Ursula. We kept the legs so that we have them for the future when it needs raising again.
When the chair finally arrived! It didn't come for another week after I cut the legs. Now Ursula sits really nicely at her desk and uses it more. This chair and desk height won't last long, however, so I'm already prepared to adjust the setup come September.
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Cute story. What a great project to work on with your kid.
So CUTE (both kid and desk)!!!
And glad you kept the the legs for the future!
Nice idea for a story, but the execution is a bit confusing. Can you put in a few more words or photos to make it clearer?
Thanks!
Sweet. Ursula is so adorable! Really like that you recycled an "adult" desk for her.
That is the cutest desk ever!
Good golly but that little imp is getting so BIG!!! The desk is adorable too. ;-)
Incredibly sweet! I love kids re-purposed kids toys and furniture. Imagine if you keep it long enough to pass onto your grandkids. An heirloom in the making. :)
where did you get the chair? so cute!
Not only did you make a darling child's desk, you did a great service for her. How empowering it must be, as she experiences the space you created for her.
The sky is the limit. ~
Thanks for sharing your outing with us too. ~ Gracie :)
lu-lu-luv it.
OMG, I had the exact same desk as a kid. It belonged to either my mother or uncle as a child in '50s. I loved it. Have to ask my mom whatever happened to it. Hope it's still in her attic for my kid to use some day!
I had a child's desk that looked exactly like that. The number of compartments, the drawer pulls, the cutout for the chair... It was painted yellow to match my headboard, then my dad sanded & refinished it to almost that exact color.
Love the desk and Miss Ursula is rather sweet too.
ummm...putting kids first. Yes you do! Excellent!
Lovely project and she looks content. I have a non-project question: Does anyone in the AT community know the name of the designer of that blond coffee table in the middle of the stack--the ones that were lovely but too expensive. Many thanks.
it's a Paul McCobb, from the Planner Group series, I believe.
I love the whole post and especially her little brief case sitting beside the desk. It's the sort of thing any child would love with all the little compartments and the roll top to hide everything! Has it got a secret compartment? Do ask her. It probably hasn't but she'll be intrigued as many desks had them in the past.
Maxwell, I'm beyond impressed. Ursula is one lucky little lass to have you and Sara Kate as parents.
I'll always remember my first desk. Gave me a sense of duty, or something. I started creating books like a real author/illustrator. BRAVO! for recognizing she deserved this.
btw, MarshallO, I think you've missed the point entirely.
I agree with MarshallO. I love the desk but you need a different chair.
I love the desk! I've always adored the name Ursula and the nickname Lulu had never occurred to me. I think it just shot to the top of my girl list again. Lovely! I just wish our surname didn't start with L :(
It's a lovely desk & Lulu seems very happy with it.
I love it all, but I also think it would be better if the chair slid into the knee hole.
Thanks for all your comments, big and small. I rearranged the photos and added some more captions, as I realize they were not really in order chronologically.
Also, on the chair @MarshallO - I'm a big fan of well made, solid wood school furniture for kids and there are not a lot of great choices. Community Playthings makes really nice chairs, they're really comfortable and the prices are good too. They are specifically designed to support a proper sitting position with young children. I also like supporting the company.
AND, in addition, though it's a bit wide, it DOES fit into the kneehole!
Please give me at least a B !!!
You made a great choice. I had this same desk as a child along with the matching "swivel" chair that adjusted for height. It was my pride and joy. Thankfully I kept them and my grandchildren are making good use of it. My son-in-law refinished it and it is now almost the same shade as yours. Saw a similar desk in a catalog recently for $100 plus dollars. We found the original price ...$29.00. Great job!