apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

eh... I want to like it, but it's not quite there for me. I think it could use a bit more distressing (but maybe it's more apparent in person). it looks very controlled and selectively distressed (unnatural); I'd personall throw some gravel at it. I like the color of the red knobs (though how they're attached appears a bit messy), but the white knobs are don't work for me. I think, since the red ones command more attention, they pull your eyes out to them which makes it a little awkward to look at.

This makes me really sad. She took a beautiful piece of antique furniture and killed it. I don't understand this.

In the before photo it looks like the piece originally had some sort of deep cherry stain, and it seems almost sad to cover that up. (Don't get me wrong, I like painted wood, but I prefer to paint over pieces that aren't valuable and have damaged finishes.) But from the description, it sounds like the original is actually a red paint. In that case, painting over an already painted piece to suit your taste is brilliant and lovely.

Nooo take it back!

I would really like it with wood finish, and if not maybe something like an antique white?

Though the green is cute, I would replace the handles with either white ceramic or metal.

Pepperjo, how about you look at it like this instead:

She took a piece of antique furniture and turned it into something she loves and will get use out of.

Isn't that the reason we put things in our home?

Regardless, I'm pretty sure the desk was ALREADY painted red with gold trim. That's what it looks like to me, and if you read the post, she does mention the red paint.

How to paint antique furniture? NOT! If you guys really need to paint something, get some IKEA junk. What this ill-advised person did really is a crime. They don't make beautiful things like this any more, so please leave them to those who can appreciate them for what they are.

woulda looked better in a high-gloss color (black, white, maybe even a deep poppy). that green is so weird, especially with those knobs.

I'm afraid I'm with the others on this. The green is really not working. It's drab and goes poorly with the knobs. I liked the original better, which is not to say that I liked it all that much.

Lindsay, I think your desk looks fantastic. Thanks for posting your project, I paint pieces too and it's nice to see how others go about it. You enjoy it!

What is with Anthropologie and their knobs? Is it really the only source for "interesting" knobs? I've looked again and again at them, thinking I will find something to love about them that would work with a piece of furniture, and they seem cheap, but they're not cheap $ (except on clearance, which by my observations are the crap nobody would even think is a little cute). I see the owner of this project got hers on clearance, and for what they are, aren't as bad as what I usually find there.

Maybe I am spoiled for having worked in a salvage/vintage hardware and restoration store a few years ago, but they really don't cut it for me, maybe from afar, but not on the close inspection or the tactile. The way they fasten to a drawer is annoying too, with the nut on the machine screw, so the screw sticks into the drawer or cabinet. Why don't they at least make them like a normal knob and fasten with the screw facing outward, connecting to the knob, so it's flush inside the drawer? Again, as it seems to apply to Lindsay, the support knobs would actually need to be applied this way. I've actually overheard someone in Anthropologie wondering to her friend why they sell so many DOORknobs. Common for older types of closet doors, it didn't seem to occur to the woman at all that people would use them to freshen up a dresser drawer or use them for kitchen cabinets.

Does anyone else get this or am I all alone here?

I did not like this desk in red. The new color is ok, I don't care for the knobs actually, mostly for the weird contrast, not for pure aversion to what I've seen in the store. I would have painted the original wooden knobs a darker shade of the desk or white (boring), or something, very glossy, but coordinated.

"Our goal here is to accent the positive and remove the negative from what we see as a great opportunity to share knowledge."

lots of negativity in the posts.

Thanks for your contribution to the discussion about decorating.

And your rant about Anthropologie knobs helped us all how, exactly?

You know, seeing someone source knobs from Anthropologie again and again makes me think there's no other place for cool knobs. I don't particularly like their quality, does it bother you this article reminded me of something about decorating that I wonder? What have you added to the discussion? I wonder why you're obsessed with me.

Spouting off ad nauseum that you hate Anthropologie's knobs is different than oh, I don't know CONTRIBUTING AN ALTERNATE SOURCE so we can all gain from your infinite wisdom.

Do you see the difference??

Most "antique" furniture has little value. The only reason not to change the finish on a piece of furniture is if doing so will lessen the value. This piece is not valuable (excepting sentiment) and there is no reason to not paint it. It can always be stripped and refinished - there is absolutely no loss her. In fact, I think the green paint is preferable to the dated red paint with gold trim.

Nice job Lindsay, enjoy!

How can I contribute an alternate source? You just calm. Actually, you're the expert, how come you're not sharing your alternate source so people don't have to be drawn in by shoddy junk that looks like a quaint old thing (to most people)?

As for the antique or old furniture having value only on being old, you may be right, it's junk, it doesn't have a name. But old wood and nice old things are nice. Mucking it up just because nobody would bid it up at auction - I think it just makes people cringe because it's like throwing it away. People like beat up old things because they're beat up and old and cute and worn and loved. In 2009, they look at something you thought would be fun to paint magenta 4 years ago, lost the original knobs because you thought they were too granny, and now that you have money, you're not thrifting anymore, so you put it on craigslist. NOW, it looks like garbage. Or a project, the wood doesn't come back the same. I guess it could be warm and comfortable again, but it's going to have to be able to show its potential under that magenta, and from what I understand, it's been kind of hard to find appropriate drawer hardware.

I mean, that's one way to look at it. You want that authentic furniture, from the day it was built, not a reproduction. Cheap. Which means furniture that was built at the same time as iconics or heirlooms that actually are worth a penny. Some people want that in one whole piece, left alone, to treat as a worthwhile part of their home, without some yucky color slopped on it. If you think it's worthless enough to paint, you would probably rather toss it out your window than think anyone was crazy enough to give you $50 for it. There is, this was junk from the day it was built, and then there's the so what, it's beautiful!

I mean, can you see that point of view?

I don't think that's a real "antique." It looks like a 20th century reproduction, so no harm done.

Thanks, Lindsay. I have a couple of (non-antique) wooden trunks in my bedroom (stained dark, not painted) and they're the only items I own that have that look going on. I've been wanting to refinish them with a beachy, washed-out kind of look but didn't quite know how. This is a big help to me.