FURNITURE FLIP CHALLENGE ✨ Old Secretary Desk gets completely transformed! | Love it Or Thrift It

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Do you have a furniture piece in your home that you've fallen out of love with but you can't decide if you should thrift it away or let it stay?! I'm here to help!
Welcome to my new series: LOVE IT OR THRIFT IT - Where my goal is to make you fall back in love with your furniture again using the power of DIY! At the end you get to decide: WILL YOU LOVE IT or will you thrift it away!
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✨ P R O D U C T S & M A T E R I A L S U S E D
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📖 C H A P T E R S
00:00 Intro
01:40 Meet Chrissy + Kyle!
03:37 Milanote The Plan
05:58 The Plan
09:00 The Current Condition
09:30 The Flip Begins
11:15 Sanding + Cleaning
12:13 The Paint Colours + Painting
15:10 Creating the Drop Leaf
18:36 Painting in Personality
20:35 Adding Finishing Details
22:45 Arriving at Spark Box Studio!
23:31 The Big Reveal!
25:05 Outro
📍 O T H E R P L A C E S T O F I N D M E
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📽 E D I T E D B Y
Dan White
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Music Provided by: Jingle Punks, Artlist.io + KZbin Music Library
💌 🫂 C O N N E C T W I T H M E
Email: [e-mail]
📬 S N A I L M A I L
Attn: Danie Berger
975A Elgin Street
PMB No.128
Cobourg, Ontario, K9A5J3
»»»» All opinions are my own. Thank you xoxox DIY Danie

[@MsFluffySama]

I'm one of those that doesn't like people painting old wood furniture but I don't think there was any saving that piece without painting. The veneer was just so bad. Amazing work on it, it's got new life again and the owners love it. It came out so unique and colorful.

[@ConservativeVeteran]

Yes, beautiful old furniture is lovely, but this piece was beyond hope....Danie did the right thing!

[@jemma50]

MsFluffySama, couldn't have said it better myself! Agree! ♥

[@bethmccall823]

I completely agree! I normally dislike painting furniture but this piece is now a work of art!

[@lifeisfull242]

yes I hate it when people paint old furniture it's no different to painting a brick wall yes the lovely red brown brick walls I have one as a feature in my house it just goes with the painted cement bricks I have I hate it when people take the heritage out of everything everything has a story to tell

[@kristinewells961]

The glow coming through that acrylic!! I’m now looking around for something in MY house I can rip the back off of!😁

[@donnabacon4681]

Same here! Amazing how the orange looked yellow as the light shines thru!! What a fun piece!!

[@trishpipkins]

Yep! I actually have some cubicals that f don't have backs but now I know what to do!!

[@sandieedward993]

actually would be great idea on bookcases too...such a Magnificent & modernized piece Now😍💯%✓

[@anaasensio7147]

I love when the editor adds ouch signs eveey time Danie hits something hahaha

[@ericastivison121]

This is my favorite too!!!

[@ArcaneGinger]

I was thinking that today while watching this video :D it is just so randomly cute!

[@salvagedbykscott]

Paint makes EVERYTHING HAPPY and that orange acrylic moment 🔥 Absolutely love, love, love your take on this Danie.

[@terrirouleau4758]

I love your stuff to Katie. Especially your MCM items👏🏼

[@karenj4794]

As Danie was working on this I thought- “I wonder if she follows Katie and if so, did she gets tips from her?” 😁😉🇨🇦⭐️

[@SameParadoxArt]

We are so happy you got our gifts, and so touched you shouted out Same Paradox out of your sheer kindness! We love your channel and see you as such an inspiration!

[@torysetliff]

"Oh no, don't move it to the window, what about seeing the cool acrylic back?!" Desk now glows. "Perfection."

[@dreadsndogs4406]

Exactly my thoughts🤣

[@trishpipkins]

Yes!!! Hahaha! What a twist ending! 🤣

[@shastabare6026]

Seconded

[@samawry6213]

Get out of my head 🤣

[@donnabacon4681]

I, too, am one of those who say nooo! to paint antiques, this is the exception!!! It looks like it is part of the wall, and placing the desk in front of the window - Genius! It looks like it is glowing! Hats off to another beautiful design piece of art - yes! It is now modern art. Thank you!!!

[@margie2092]

Ok I freaking LOVE the acrylic backing!!! That’s so next level creative. Oh and little tip I use an old plastic water pitcher upside down over my coffee mug to keep out the saw dust.

[@nicolio1313]

Not my personal style but that actually makes me more impressed! You really saw what would work for them, and the acrylic lit by the window is awesome!

[@Glim246]

Such a great comment. Just because you might not want it in your space doesn't mean it isn't amazing. I love to see all sorts of craft work even if it's not my thing.

[@jennifera9071]

The desk is stunning and I love how you based it off of their mural😃

[@sandieedward993]

also loved the mural

[@lechatbotte.]

Wow that took me by surprise. Turned out amazing, fun and chic. The acrylic back is genius and when you opened the back and it was backlit wow wow just wow.

[@julieforan3559]

It is so true that when you’ve been working on a project all day and you’re feeling tired - stop! Otherwise that’s when things can go really wrong and mess up all that hard work. Also, I love the way Dan hit those music beats with the nail gun!

[@luluplumb9644]

This was awesome Dani. I can't imagine anyone NOT keeping what you DIY for them but if they didn't, I could see you taking the pieces back to YOUR house because you always fall in love with what you make!

[@melissam8939]

The acrylic back was really inspired. Would never have thought of it in a million years!

[@dominicdelacruz4572]

I swear Danie is already so much fun but the editor is hilarious!!!! 🤣🤣🤣 That secretary table turned out so dope!!! ♥️

[@antiquesrestoration3874]

Danie ALWAYS surpasses expectations. That's her brand.

[@kathrynpedulla8952]

Oh my god; that’s so much fun! The acrylic is such a clever idea!

[@lizalector]

The orange acrylic is GENIUS. And it makes the desk glow!! 🔥

[@Shiriusa]

just wanna say that yt recommended me this channel (one of the can I make it for cheaper ep) and I 've been binge watching ever since, you are so fun! and have such bright energy, thank you for the inspiration and the work you have been putting out I'll definitely stick around!

[@ima40schic]

very cool with the acrylic and sunshine coming through it- great job!!

[@sheila95472]

Loved the acrylic back! The theme from 2001 Odyssey played in my head when you opened it and the light poured through!

[@jhutch1681]

Such a fun, playful piece! The only time I ever prime anything is - whenever I paint! Not priming leads to extra coats (time) and twice as much paint (money). A tip for getting really crisp lines when you use painter's tape for a 'stencil' effect. First paint over the taped edge with your base colour - in your case the white paint - that way any bleeding will match the original surface. Next, paint the taped off area with your new colour, and voila, no colour bleeding! It's definitely amazing, but I can't decide if it's too matchy against the wall. If it's going to stay there, I might have opted to colour block the front in the same colours, but with less pattern, or painted the base teal instead of white. What do they use for a chair?

[@CallMeHabi]

I really needed to go back to the beginning of the video to remember what the piece looked like before; the end result is so different and fits Chrissy & Kyle's space so much more! Love that for them ♥

[@deborahmatatall]

This is brilliant, Danie! What a great save! What I love about you is you constantly stretch your creativity. That poor ugly broken little desk is a functioning piece of art. And I got to watch this with my Saturday morning coffee! Perfect!🌸

[@JaQuiManitas]

That clear acrylic backing is everything! That glow… like in Pulp Fiction when they open the briefcase 😂❤ So awesome. I would love to see more pieces with that acrylic backing.

[@BUGt95.]

Loved how it looked already the old antique look is my thing 😭

[@marysue4729]

I would never have thought of adding the acrylic, but it added a literal glow-up! And painting the inside of the drawers was such a great detail.

[@ExpatNatt]

Love that you painted the inside of the drawers! Brilliant! 👏

[@pw4075]

This was epic!! Adding the plexi to the desk was such a stroke of genius and then placing it at the window ... WOWZA!! It looks positively like something from a future time.

[@LauraRobertsButtontapper]

Normally I wouldn't want to see such a nice, antique piece taken in such a modern direction, but I have to agree that this flip works great in their space and gives it a new lease on life. If the alternative was them tossing it out, I definitely prefer them to have such a unique piece that represents them in their space, so I think this was a win for Team Thrift Flip. Great work, Dani!

[@KimberlyInSoCal310]

This desk is an old piece and normally I am very pro preservation of old/antique/heirloom pieces, but it was so damaged that it likely didn't have any value as a heritage piece. Plus, it's their desk and it wasn't really working for them in their colorful and whimsical space, so I think your flip of this piece was exactly appropriate for its owners and their space. You gave it new life and kept it out of a landfill, plus elevated it to fit their space. The paintjob is perfection and that orange acrylic back is inspired, as is the new hardware. How could they not love it?! Fantastic job as always, Danie!

[@sophiarogers2233]

When you said orange acrylic.....YES YES YES!!!!! "knot" anything I would have thought of!

[@glendawidmer5167]

You nailed it Danie! Perfect for their space. I love the acrylic back,it let's so much light in to what was dark cubbies.

[@maryloumorrisey7406]

WOW! I say this every time I comment, but really WOW! You are SUCH an impressive artist/maker. Keep it up, Danie.

[@RachelShadoan]

That orange acrylic was an inspired choice, it’s so cool. Love how it glows against the window! It was also really neat to see the back side of drawers, that’s something I haven’t seen before

[@maryiorio426]

I am so glad you ended up placing the desk by the window so light could flow through the orange acrylic back! It glows! So happy they love it!

[@jacquelinecasey1361]

The grand reveal of opening the desk with light aging through has so much impact🎉🎉🎉🎉

[@dedhampster4730]

OMG! You nailed it! You brought back the vibe that early HGTV had in the 90s with fun, artistic, personal design shows. I really hope YT and your patreon are providing you a good income for your wonderful content!

[@ialim3797]

Mind blowing. From the very beginning I knew it was going to be amazing as much as I wanted to see the end piece I wanted to watch the whole process. My fav for sure

[@violethoffermobilehomemove9189]

The acrylic back takes it up a whole other dimension!!

[@lovingmayberry307]

I'm walking around my house looking at my furniture with acrylic on my mind!!! 😊👍

[@crystalcharee57]

I love secretary desks and I'm not really into modern stuff, but I love this transformation. I love that it glows in front of the window. I'm also a sucker for white and bright orange together, and I love the way the orange changes the pink interior. This is legitimately cool. The hesitation with modifying old furniture is that it can destroy the artistry of the original but you retained the charm and enhanced the design. You even restored it by re-adding the drop down panel. Been watching you for a few years and this may be my favorite project you've ever done.

[@barbaracallwood9220]

Keep the lip down. The light shining through that orange acrylic…truly a moment!

[@MollySato]

Oh, Danie… and with that orange seethrough vinyl back - a true supergenious masterpiece!!! ❤️💚💜💚❤️

[@marystombaugh2282]

that orange acrylic creates a literal glow - so cool!

[@ConservativeVeteran]

I knew without a doubt that they would LOVE it! You captured their spirit, Danie!

[@britzel71]

This isn't my style BUT how FANTASTIC did this turn out! It literally looks like it was curated at the time if the wall mural. Dani is just Gold!

[@WatchSAVANT]

The orange acrylic is genius! Just gorgeous!

[@lynwill65]

I LOVE those old writing desks and your transformation from the dowdy old look to this fab piece, is truly awesome.

[@sarahrudkin5031]

I love this as a series!!! It allows you to do things that aren't all similar styles for the same room/same people/same house. I am obsessed with the variety this will bring you as a DIYer! And also. Absolutely drooling over the acrylic OKAYYYY 🧡🧡🧡

[@aimsly86]

I love the concept - especially the acrylic backing! If it was me, I’d have just pulled colours from the room’s pattern but not replicated ON the piece itself (e.g. just use pops of colour in the drawers and cubbies but keep the piece either fully white or black).

[@vickysmit6782]

Same! I think the desk gets lost against the busy patterned wall, plain white would be perfect but that acrylic backing is GENIUS

[@mommajo]

1. I love your top in the opening sequence 😍 2. OMG that desk looks amazing!

[@mistyduke880]

Great decision to move it in front of the window. The sunlight makes the inside glow! I want to add colored acrylic to something!! ❤

[@marilynwoodard7961]

What would I have done differently? Pretty much everything because I just do not have your amazing, quirky, gorgeous ideas! When you said you were going to put an acrylic back on the piece, I thought it would be cool. But when you put it against the window!!!absolute magic! Keep on DIY'n Danie, cuz you are the best!

[@leadupont8588]

That is suuuuuch à CRAZY transformation with the acrylic in the back and the colourblock pattern, and it looks SO GOOD!

[@Shmeeeps]

I think this is one of my favorite flip projects you’ve ever done!!

[@TamarLitvot]

I find myself saying that so often. I’ll watch one of her videos, think it’s my favorite, then a couple of weeks later another of her projects becomes my favorite.

[@arandomwoman2310]

“Orange?” I thought. Not my favorite color but you NAILED this lil desk and it could not be more perfect 👍🏽!?!? As USUAL! Why would I ever doubt you?

[@fisherlady408]

Ohhhh ohhhh I absolutely love 💘 love this piece! You did an AWESOME job transforming this piece from drab to fab! 🤩😁🥰

[@Michelle-wd2oy]

It’s like a sunset when you open the top. I love that they love it again.

[@ticketyboo2456]

Now I want coloured acrylic backing on literally ALL my furniture. Danny you are ultra talented and inspiring.

[@vickinoeske1154]

It is groovy!🧡💕💙 The orange acrylic back is FANTASTIC, the way the light shines through it is amazing.

[@suehunter3672]

Love all your projects...have to say when you are painting, murals, a canvas, furniture pieces like this, you glow, Girl.

[@karenmcneill2602]

No way would I thrift this!!! It's soooooooo a keeper!!! Dani, the acrylic is the bomb!

[@jettabartholomew1118]

This was, in no uncertain terms, nothing short of - SPECTACULAR 🎉🎈🎊🍾

[@tonivalenzuela8274]

You're right, IT'S COOL. Made that piece definitely a keeper.

[@LaurieWinkless]

The orange acrylic is GENIUS! Amazing job, D!

[@angelabowman1614]

Love it! The Orange Acrylic back..... Glows with the light from the window! 😁👍

[@kathyusa-iowa5137]

Love the idea of the plexiglass on the back of the secretary! 👍

[@AnnaBell033]

I ABSOLUTELY LOVE THIS!!!! It is out of the box, but that is why we watch you (and others) to see items be re-done in ways that we might not have thought of. This was great!

[@lanapatton8803]

I have never seen a secretary desk look so bold & colorful. You nailed it. FYI mahogany wood is always a bleeder.

[@alexajones922]

It was probably already said but this piece works SO WELL for this client! Love the orange acrylic! Against the window it almost looks like the inside is illuminated! ❤️

[@McMurphyxxx]

The acrylic back is such a brilliant idea!

[@lisakaltenbach2768]

That was an amazing flip! You definitely captured them in this piece!

[@chelsoinked]

Any time you have tannins coming through (the wood color) always use a shellac as a base/primer and boom problem solved now it won’t bleed through your paint 😊 hope this help for next time!

[@PHcute]

Don’t really understand why she didn’t do that straight away. I’m no expert but watched enough videos to know that’s the way to go 🤷🏼‍♀️

[@mary78880]

Came looking in the comments to see if anyone had already said this!

[@TamarLitvot]

Thanks - I’ve heard another DIYer say they used a shellac primer because of the base item being glossy and the shellac primer will make everything adhere. Is that accurate? BTW, just read up on shellac. It’s amazing stuff, so versatile and even edible!!

[@chelsoinked]

@@TamarLitvot yes and no. Depends on what the glossy base is made of. I tried it on melamine and it did not work at all. Still easily scratched off. But other slick surfaces is can work on. If ever using melamine and you’re wanting to paint it Dixie belles slick stick is a GAME CHANGER for any slick surface.

[@jennytryansky347]

LOVE everything about this! The acrylic is ✨ Love this new series!

[@alisonnicholson8060]

Love the sunrise/sunset that glows through this piece.

[@insipidinsanity]

The acrylic back is inspired! Like straight up genius. 🙌

[@karyntruitt573]

Idk why u don’t hv a million subscribers!! U are so awesome in all u create❤️

[@joyceocampo9607]

Amazing!! Please keep this new "Love it Or Thrift it" section, it is great! Loved this Desk!

[@PolySammo]

I am so in love with this . Pink and orange together make me happy. I would love this covered in daisies

[@novingale]

Wow seeing you open it and the sun coming through? Wow wow wow!!! I may have gone with a frosted acrylic so that if it was messy and against the stairs still, you wouldn't see inside? But against the window? Perfect choice as you did it.

[@lydiacongdon8135]

Dani, I love your channel. The "love it or leave it" is a cool idea, but putting in so much hard work - no one in their right mind would say they wouldn't keep it - at least, not on camera. I think you could elevate this series/challenge by presenting a new idea for the furniture piece and then like a mystery piece or completely new/thrifted piece of furniture. So before you put in any physical labor, they get to pick if they want something completely different - a whole new item that you pick, or you transform their previously owned item. It makes for great trades and you can even use their furniture piece in future flips!

[@dawn5227]

This piece was literally made for that space. No other piece of furniture would look right. When the desk was first moved to the window I thought oh noe they won't see the acrylic back coming up the stairs but actually it's now 100 times better because the light from the window literally makes they whole thing glow. Obviously not what everyone else would want for furniture but in this case it's absolute perfection.

[@kaylathurmond955]

That acrylic is sunshine herself and I love it

[@marthamiller-plumb1059]

Over-the-top wonderful! 🎉 The orange acrylic make the desk look like a portal! 🪐 😍

[@Cyndis865]

Wow girl, that was a gorgeous desk. My favorite thing on that desk was you when you took the Orange plexiglass and used it as the back.

[@ericavirula995]

Saw this on my feed and got excited. My reason to wake up early in the morning California, LA time 😁, 5am.

[@LilacLees]

Me too! I’m in Oregon and this got me up early today

[@tealduckduckgoose]

I love what you did with this! It fits so much better in the space. I'm personally a big fan of natural wood texture, but that veneer was in really rough shape, and ultimately restoring a peice is about making it useful again, and I'd say you definitely did that for it's current owners. The only thing I might have done differently is go in even harder on those mural colours, and paint the inside of the cubbies different mural colours, and then keep the edge facing white. The pink is super cute though, and that acrylic was such a good idea!

[@maliedelgado2658]

SO colorful, SO unique. That acrylic?!?!?! Totally stealing that idea!!!

[@sarahswanson1106]

The idea to use orange acrylic on the back was impressive!!

[@renee9318]

I can’t!!! I just CAN’T!!! This is CRAAAZZZEEEE!!! Danie you never cease to amaze!!!

[@yunahkim4667]

you are a genius Danie, the acrylic back blows me away

[@sylvianblue]

The orange acrylic is inspired!🧡🧡🧡

[@wendyschlegel5031]

Dang! That secretary desk turned out so awesome. I would have never thought to do what you did to it, but I absolutely love it!!! DIY well done.

[@decemberplayground5403]

This was amazing!! Your skill to restore and give new life to old pieces is SO inspirational!

[@drei5573]

I LOVE secretary desks! Excited for this one!

[@kkatmom]

W O W! What a transformation! I would have purchased that in a heartbeat! The acrylic back is brilliant-literally brilliant! Your creative juices were flowing and you made that desk the center piece of the room! Great work Danie!

[@karenjohnson4433]

The desk is absolutely beautiful! It is truly one of a kind. I love that you put it against the window, this way it looks like the inside of the desk is illuminated! So much fun!!! Karen Florida

[@grammybear4226]

🐼 Big Bear Hugs from a 68 yr old grandma in Kirby, Texas, USA 🐼 ❤ 🎀 ❤ 🎀 ❤ 🎀

[@humeragondal2135]

the acrylic like 🌞 in a box! Aa-maz-ing