vintage
And the search for the perfect desk continues. We both agree that we don’t want to spend a lot of money (read: less than $100) on a desk that will only be used for sewing and crafts and whatnot. We want something old, something with character. Wood would be nice. But what we really really really want is a vintage metal desk.
We love the look of these skinny legged ones:
(most of these… if not all, are from here)
But we also love love love the look of the all steel (as opposed to the fake wood top) tanker desks:
(from here)
Love the drawers (perfect for holding fabric scraps and craft tools and paper and who knows what else), love the vintage look, love it all… The sad thing is, they are impossible to find on the cheap. The few that I have seen on craigslist are going for upwards of $900! We don’t want to settle on a desk, but we also don’t want to go desk-less forever. Uugghhhh.
10 comments
Hi! You should grab the hubby and start looking at garage sales. I see those type of desks for sale all the time at garage sales and goodwill stores. Good place to start anyway!
You might try some of the universities and school districts near you. The university I work for holds an annual surplus sale.(it’s through our physical plant/facilities management department) People from the community can bid of lots of stuff, and I know I’ve seen desks like that in our surplus warehouse. They also might have lots of other stuff you might find useful.
http://knoxville.craigslist.org/fuo/1533004934.html
I found this for you, of course it is in TN, but maybe they will ship?
Liana! That one is beyond perfect… and what a steal! I may just have to see if he can ship it… although I am sure that thing would cost a whole lot to ship all the way out to california. SOmeone in TN better snatch that thing up!!
True I didn’t snap to think how much a METAL desk would cost to ship. Iw ould buy it if I had room, but unfortunately I don’t
Good luck in your search!
Hey! I live in Texas, and I don’t know that they have anything like this in CA, BUT I work for the state and we have a surplus shop that has tons of desks, file cabinets, etc and many of them look exactly like what you’re looking for and they’re super cheap. You should see if you can find something like that in your area.
We have a habitat for humanity store here (like a goodwill for house stuff – doors, sinks, and all sorts of misc. stuff!) and they had several similar desks last time we were there. Not sure if you have anything similar…ours even had a half-off day for office furniture.
Like others have said, check government surplus places if you can. That last picture is the EXACT desk I have in my office, and I work for the federal government. I kind of hate it, personally, but to each their own.
Love the metal desks! I know how hard it is to find one, because I’ve been looking for one for my apt. for a while.
Have you thought about looking for schools that are closing? They often sell off the stuff cheap (If you can haul it away). I would keep my eyes on the newspaper as well because older folks seem to use that more than the internet (penny saver perhaps?)
Good luck. I enjoy your blog.
I have almost that exact desk as in that last picture! It’s fantastic! It is actually an old army desk. My suggestion would be to find out where your local military reserve donates their old desks and office furniture…sometimes they have one or two places. Maybe you can find one for sale for cheap. Mine came from a local thrift place for non-profits (I happen to work for a non-profit) that you can take any of the old used office furniture for free if you pick it up. I know this is probably a huge exception…but you might get lucky if you dig around! Good luck!
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