I have been looking for a vanity desk for months, and finally found this on Craigslist. It was $65 but needed a little attention. I thought a good cleaning would be enough, but I found some imperfections that would benefit from a paint job.
I actually started with the knobs I found at Anthropologie (on sale for $2.95 each!). I picked out a neutral Annie Sloan Chalk Paint in Paris Grey, and chose a medium blue under coat (Behr Warm Spring). I also used some leftover yellow paint I had on the inside of the drawers to brighten them up and add a splash of color.
The chalk paint uses a different technique, but I really love how it turned out. I sanded the edges to expose some of the blue and sealed the whole thing with Annie Sloan Soft Wax in clear. It took a few coats of paint, chalk paint, and wax, but overall I think it was a successful experiment!