Use An Antique Desk As A Vanity For Easy Organizing Solutions

Finding an easy way to make your home more organized can be a very daunting task, especially if you tend to have a lot of clutter or small items lying around. Take your makeup products, for instance. There must be hundreds of organization products out there just for makeup, but sometimes we're looking for a little style as well as substance. Well, a great way to find something to help organize your various blushes, eyeliners, and everything else is to take a trip down to the thrift store. Adrienne Reau, also known as @ageorama on Instagram, did just that and found a unique tool for keeping all her makeup in order — an antique writing desk.

A writing desk is pretty much how it sounds: a desk primarily for sitting and writing with storage for stationary and other office supplies. Some writing desks are also called bureaus or secretary desks and they look a bit more like a kitchen hutch or a dresser with a piece that folds out to create a desk. The desk in Reau's video is more like a standard desk with small drawers on top for storage. Reau also used some plastic drawer organizers, including one that rotates on a lazy susan, for even more organization possibilities. 

There are many ways to repurpose a worn-out desk from the thrift store but Reau's find was particularly rare since all it really needed was a good cleaning. Reau kept the distressed white paint intact so all she had to do was get to organizing her impressive cosmetics collection. If you manage to spot a similar piece at a yard sale or flea market, there are many tutorials online that show you how to refurbish old wooden furniture so it also fits your home's aesthetic. Using a medium grit sandpaper or a chemical stripper, you can easily remove the old paint and varnish so the surface is ready for new stain or paint. Then, to complete your upcycled vanity, you can also buy a lighted vanity mirror, like this $149 one from Pottery Barn Teen. Or, DIY one with an inexpensive mirror and a string of USB vanity lights like these from Amazon for less than $12.

Of course, a writing desk can be perfect for stationary and pens, makeup, or craft supplies. But, you can do so much more if you want to keep it in different parts of your home. For instance, some DIYers have used writing desks and bureaus to create coffee nooks or bar cabinets for their kitchens or dining rooms. Others have upcycled their writing desks as sideboards for their entryway or as potting benches in their garden. Anywhere you need a little extra storage, a writing desk can be a stylish, yet functional, option.