i like the idea of high gloss drawers and some new spiffy hardware. good luck!

The main factor for me would be how bad are those scratches/what is this made of? If they're deep gouges i'd paint, if they have thin veeneer and its damaged, i'd paint. I'd do the front faces white, because that's where the damage is... how does the top part open?

BUT if you can clean them up, that matched woodgrain is really pretty and whatever you do, save the knobs!

I wouldn't paint it.

I'd get some Howard's Restor-A-Finish from your local hardware store and just clean it up - this stuff works great on scratches and faded wood without sanding, etc.

http://www.howardproducts.com/restora.htm

This style of furniture is totally not my taste, but I see it in vintage furniture stores for big dollars. Make sure the piece isn't valuable to someone else in its current state. Paint turns any vintage or antique into a $50 Craigslist item.

If it's not too valuable as is and the drawer fronts are in good condition I'd paint everything but the drawers. Look at the beautiful woodgrain ~ how could you paint over that?

I'd paint the drawers. (Assuming it's not valuable or something.) The wood on top looks darker than on the bottom, so painting them will take care of that.

Plus, as someone who's painting a dresser herself, the drawers are easier and will go faster than the rest of the piece!

I don't know...painting it is going to make the item look really cheap in my opinion. Why not think about staining it instead and changing the hardware?

I am also considering painting a wooden dresser that I've inherited from my family. The wood just isn't my taste and I'd love to paint it, but I don't want to compromise the integrity of the piece if it might be valuable or a "proper" antique. Are there any good resources for determining a piece's worth? I don't want to spend a TON of money looking into this, though...

no paint!

I also had seen the post with a store in Chicago that painted the outside of modern/retro shapes white and was inspired. Check out www.bddw.com they have some interesting pieces that are similar. I finally found one with a shape I liked, rubbed it down with tsp cleaner and painted the outside case and legs with Rustoleum gloss white. The drawers on mine had a birch veneer and after a light sanding I rubbed on a gel glaze/stain/poly finish (wipe on and wipe off) to make the grain stand out. Total time 3 hours. Looks great.

As with so many design decisions, it depends on what else is going on in your room. Vintage furniture is great and with upholstered items you can always keep the original stained finish and update the fabric. With casegoods, it's a bit harder to get the piece up to snuff if the finish has suffered damage. Either way, I would put it in the hands of a professional refinisher. They will fix the scars and give you a nice even finish. Painting furniture yourself, you will never get the nice smooth sheen they get in a spray booth. It may cost more but it will be the difference between a piece that you keep for a few years and toss, or one you keep for a long while:-)

http://www.MyDesignSecrets.com

I would not paint it either.

I notice that the grain on all three drawers match beautifully however, if the drawers are a veneer, I would definitely paint if the gouges are deep and they can't be repaired, I' paint using a spray gun. First of course filling the gouges and smoothing and finishing the surface. Some times we think the piece of furniture isn't worth the work, however, once the project is done it is probably worth more.