How I Gave My Boring Ikea Desk A Makeover For Under 40 Bucks

I recently moved into a new place in Harlem, and I'm finally settled in. But the new year came, and I was living with my same old furniture.

As a writer, I spend the most time at my desk, and the desk I had — an Ikea unit in black-brown — wasn't working. It was drab, scuffed up, and tired-looking. I was ready to give it an upbeat new look that would energize me when I sat down to write.

I'd read other DIY guides on how to make over furniture, which including completely sanding down, priming, etc., the piece you want to redo, but living in a small New York apartment doesn't cater well to that kind of long, arduous process. So I took matters into my own hands, and came up with an easy way to give life back to your beloved furniture for less than $40.