apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

I'd paint it.
remove the hardware, lightly sand, then prime.
then paint a modern color, like charcoal gray or aqua or something else you like, and replace hardware with something from anthropologie, etc.

I'd hold off on doing any refinishing until you've determined the value of the piece.

would you be totally opposed to lacquering it? i would do a very glossy bright color like orange and change the hardware. i think the juxtaposition with the classic lines of it would be really cool.

It's a beautiful piece & it looks like it's in great condition, so it pains a part of me to think you would change it at all.
The other part of me says paint it & change the hardware and see it you can change the feet to something simpler.

renate, listen to mama now, cuz mama's been there and done that with inherited antiques.
don't be hasty, keep it around for at least a year before you decide what to do with it.
put a modern picture over it, keep some things you will use in the drawers. give it a chance to see if the memories are all good, and if it serves a purpose.
aside from that, it's a very pretty piece.
give it a chance.

i agree with the laquer idea (provided it has no great value as an antique) but i would keep the hardware and laquer the inside a contrasting color so when it is open it is even more interesting. good luck - nice problem to have!

The wood is too beautiful to paint! And it looks like a really nice piece.

I have the same problem. I've decided we'll just have a somewhat eclectic collection of furniture: mostly modern with a sprinkling of antiques. It seems to work.

Jeff

I'm with Clyde on this one. Find out how much it's worth, because if it's worth something, you shouldn't treat it like a street find. Especially since there isn't anything missing or broken.

Perhaps there's a different area in the apartment that it could live, where it doesn't have to interact as much with the other furniture? Like a foyer or something?

I think it looks like it should have some kind of mirror over it, which should look compatible, but not have to match; but which COULD at least be something that could bridge over to the modern stuff. Maybe something from Pier 1? Their stuff is pretty good these days.

I can also imagine sort of a traditional profile valance from Smith and Noble, in a color that semi-matches that piece, but have the actual wooden slats of the blinds match the wood of the headboard. That might reconcile pretty well.

I think the problem is juxtaposition. Next to your other wooden furniture in the bedroom it doesn't work, but in a room without wooden pieces of an entirely different style, it would look great. (IE, if you have a living area with an upholstered sofa and chair and a glass coffee table, and even a metal etagere bookcase.

If you had a plain upholstered headboard and lucite bedside tables, this piece would look fine in the bedroom, too.

It is a big dark monster, however, so I'd probably hang a large simple mirror or a big modern print above it. A fun thing to do would be a modern print in an ornate frame to match the lines of the desk.

It's lovely. I don't think making it white or aqua or orange will improve it. It takes a little effort to find a place for different things, but the effort makes your space more unique.

I would avoid repainting something like this, which seems to have a beautiful natural wood finish. Instead, I suggest changing the hardware to something with simple shapes in chrome, then refinish/repaint your bed and side table to match the darker finish of the desk.

Although that is sure to be a pain, those two pieces are clearly much lower in both sentimental and monetary value, so it makes more sense to change them to match rather than change an heirloom. I would add a patterned rug to this room as well, with additional color and softening texture your eye will be less drawn to the numerous different colors of wood and stark square shapes of the other pieces of furniture.

I agree with mama -- take some time to decide what to do.

Aside from that, I think the serpentine front will prevent it from ever fitting in with the clean lines of modern furniture, even if you lacquer it, change the hardware and the feet. It has old bones and will never look like something new.

Paint your other bedroom furniture instead. Glossy black for the bed, and maybe lacquer red or white for the bedside tables.

My vintage 50s home magazines are full of horror stories... people who hack off the legs of antiques, paint them in vulgar finishes and other tortures too awful to imagine.

Please remember that style and color are transitory and today's aqua is tomorrow's design "don't."

So don't change it, please!

If you insist on painting it in some kind of way to modernize it, I would suggest, perhaps, black, since that's a look that would be more compatible with the idea of the age of it, and help it fit in with more modern things, although it might not help it look that great with that bed. Although, if it were black, and you added some vaguely Beidermeier-ish items in there (light wood with black accents on them), that might help.

First, get the thing appraised by someone who specializes in antique furniture, if only for insurance purposes. Some of this will depend on whether the piece is of the style of its period or if its a reproduction/imitation of another period. (For example, a 1930s piece done in a Victorian style)

Second, if it is valuable, don't under any circumstances paint it or strip it or refinish it or re-lacquer it. Much of the value of antique furniture lies in whether the piece has its original finish or not - even if looks crackled and aged. You could easily lose 25%-50% of the value by refinishing it. Ditto for the hardware. Would you burn a pile of money? Of course not. Same thing here.

Third, traditional pieces CAN work with a modern style. The key is to be judicious in their use and to mix them will very modern looking pieces.

If anything, based on the photo, the problem isn't the antique sideboard - heck, I'd say its the best thing in that photo. Rather, the problem is the paint color and the bed. The bed has a sort of futon look that screams "dorm/college apartment furniture". (Ditto with that desk lamp you have on the nightstand). Also, the blue wall color is way too much for the room - it makes the room seem dark and cramped. You might want to lighten up the tone a bit.

And get some bigger picture frames - those tiny pictures are totally out of scale.

And get rid of those cardboard boxes next to the sideboard and get some curtains for the windows.

Someone mentioned the serpentine front -- there ARE interesting curvy modern things that could be brought in to relate to that, although I can't think of what they might be.

I'm with Mama -- live with it before you decide to irrevocably alter the governor winthrop. also determine if it is actually valuable, or a 40's reproduction. if by some chance it is a real antique, I would think long and hard before painting it.

despite it's sentimental value i would sell it to someone who does collect pieces of that sort and does decorate in that style. from the pictures it looks like a lovely piece and it would be a shame to tear it apart.

Well since it looks as if you live in a college dorm (mass produced bedroom furniture, outdated wall color etc.) I'd start over, that way it will be easier to work in Granny's desk.

I would suggest refinishing it in a different WOOD color. My Aunt inherited my grandmother's dining room set of a similar style to this one which was mahogany colored and refinished it in a lighter color to go with the finish of her midcentury modern stuff and it looked beautiful.

I would leave it alone until I know just what I was doing. I always refer to the cautionary tales one sees on Antiques Roadshow, regarding cleaning, painting or altering period pieces.

It might look nice if you could arrange it almost gallery-style, against a light coloured wall, (slightly raised on a platform, perhaps)with very little near it to compete with it's character.

I heartily agree with the leave it alone opinions voiced here. Having said that, look at the grange web site, grange.fr, on the left side of their home page is a similar traditional dark wood desk with the inside painted... hot pink!
love it. (but leave it alone).

"Your adult style"?? Where, pray tell, do you keep this "adult style"? Is it under that pathetic bed or in one of your lovely side tables? In one of your grown-up cardboard boxes? Perhaps you keep it buried deep up your behind with your head? This is not just a writing desk, sweetheart, it's what we call an "opportunity"-- your dear gran has given you a gift and if you listen to "mama" and her posse you may, someday, find that "adult style" is, in fact, watching over you as you sleep and patiently waiting for you to wake up and find it in one of those wonderful mahogany cubbies. (Change the brasses, indeed. If you are determined to commit "adult" vandalism take a can of spray-paint to the subway and give that slab of mahogany to someone who will CARE for it.)

I knew I shouldnt have clicked on this topic. I told myself not to do it. It will make your head explode, I told myself. And then I did it anyway.

and now I can't help saying: Please, do not paint a mahogany antique to match cheap, particle board furniture.

Decorate with the desk...it can be done very easily and effectively, and there have been good suggestions above.

I personally find eclectic rooms much more interesting than any single-style room.

her furniture isn't cheap particle board! that's a pine bed!
anyways, I agree she should have the piece appraised before doing anything, but if it isn't worth that much, then re-painting it won't do much damage, and since it IS solid wood, and not a veneer, she could easily have it refinished again later on if she wants to have it back to the way it looks now.

Mamas right Defnitely think about it for a very long time before making any changes. Since you'll never sell it (hopefully!) actual value doesnt matter. If other rooms in your apartment fit it better dont be afraid to move it around and try it out in unusual spots. Perhaps one day in another apartment/house you can theme a small space around it. Perhaps in a hallway with a nice mirror/picture/lamp/other accent piece over it. Till then if the contrast really bothers you could curtain off a small area and make it a working nook or similar....If you have old family b/w pictures you could hang some frames above it with perior type frames or use the 'droog do frame tape" thats been featured here before to do fun stuff around it.... (click my name for link). Either way its a beautiful piece and its nice to sense of continuity through the ages, so make decisions slowly...

or - you could sand it down and stain it/varnish it to match other stuff, and change the hardware - if you really want to keep the wood intact.

I agree with people who suggest putting it in another room or even finding a little nook for it.

How about putting a contrasting canvas or frame *behind* the bureau? Something to frame it in space and add a pop element. That would make the context of the piece very different, especially if you added something like a Ghost Chair or something like that.

I agree with people who say to hold off doing anything to it. I have a book of "home improvement" projects from the seventies. One of the projects involves a bureau very similar to that one and painting it avocado. Eeesh.

Hey check it out, I agree with the other Laura! I'd also paint it a bright color (probably orange, or an electric blue?) and gloss it up. All after checking up on it's current value, of course.

The girly part of me thinks it'd be a GREAT vanity where you could hide all your goodies inside. Perhaps not so helpful for boys :)

OK, I'm really not OCD, I just had a little spare time to make up a little mock up of how you could perhaps fit this beautiful desk into your bedroom design. This sketch may also appease some of the people who currently dislike this room decor. I happen to be not so crazy about it myself, but let's go for some constructive criticism on this one.

I'm going to be redundant, but I say: don't change it. I don't think it looks that bad--and if you wanted to change its placement and accessorization, it would fit in even better. Anything you do, unless it's really well done, you could regret. Plus, if you paint orange or something, it won't really invoke the memories that it does now. In which case, if it's valuable, sell it. Some people would be positively dizzy over it.

All that said, it's yours, so do what makes you happy!

Well, I think that it would be not such a terrible place to dock a tiny little laptop into a tiny little printer, so that could be in either its own little home-office-ish corner, or in a living room area.

Really hoping it gets incorporated as-is.

Unfortunately, Toughlove has got the right idea. The problem is not the mahogany piece, it's the rest of the room. Your particular floor to ceiling purple/blue clashes with the warmth of the redish mahogany.

Since you clearly have a lot of work to do on your room (who hasn't at some point?), maybe you should take some pictures and then sell the piece and use the money to buy a curtain and add some detail and trim to the room. You'll always have the photos!

In the worst case scenario, if you want to be really modern, you can try to isolate the desk visually by placing it on a solid (light, not blue) rug and putting something interesting and large behind it - like painting a large, slightly creamy box on the wall to act as a frame. A cream vase on top would pull it together and create a small shrine-like space devoted to your granni. You wouldn't want to do that in the corner, though. and no steel folding chair to sit at the desk either! It would go beautifully with any white Apple product - if you want to stay "modern."

Are those CLAW FEET? Awesome!

In our family, we have all pledged to think of family heirloom furniture as only temporarily ours. We're allowed to enjoy it in our homes, but must take good care of it, never drastically alter it and, if we decide it doesn't fit our decor, we have to give it away to another family member.

Not only does this save the furniture for another generation, but it gives us a nice sense of perspective: this mahogany desk will outlive us and all of our silly aesthetic fancies.

And, I should add, none of the "heirloom furniture" is particularly valuable to anyone outside of our family.

Yet another vote to live with it for a while, think about it, and see how you feel. Your "adult style" can change as you move around into different spaces. In the meantime, I would give the piece a nice polish. Then, I would stage the piece to emphasize the charm and nostalgia that it holds for you.

Put a quirky vase or bowl on top of it, or a wind-up toy. Add a shell or two, or maybe a few action figures, or a skull paperweight - something else that reminds you of the mystery and fun of exploring the nooks and crannies when you were a kid. Hang a print that you like in the vicinity in a modern frame.

Oh sorry, I forgot to mention the picture link is in my name, oops

Oh sorry, I forgot to mention the picture link is in my name in the previous post, oops

Dear, dear Angelune...You are blowing thick stinky smoke-- "...she could easily have it refinished again...to have it back to the way it looks now." WRONG. If you have absolutely no idea what you're talking about perhaps you just shouldn't talk.

I had a similar problem (mahogany and glass highboy family heirloon that clashed with my mid-century modern style).
What I did...
- segregated the piece from my other furniture (in a foyer) to be its own little vignette
- surrounded it with a bright, modern wall color (considered doing a wide wallpaper "feature wall" behind it as well)
- styled it with classic modern accessories in neutral colors (white Jonathan Adler vase, black and white photography, bold coffee table books)
- good luck!

I had the exact piece of furniture. Exact.

Mine was worthless due to a large crack down one side. I kept it for perhaps 8 years, moving it from NY to LA and back to NY. Finally, I stripped it, stained it bright red, put modern hardware on it, lined it with a girlie wallpaper and faux marbled a piece of pine for the top and then sold it for a nice little chunk of change.

Definitely have it appraised. Never paint wood that has value even be cautious cleaning it up. But if it is worthless, then I say go to town with it. It's a lovely piece and quite useful and definitely give it a chance.

I saw one of these painted a chalky white, with modern hardware and placed against a white wall. The only color was in the interior niche of the top and that was cobalt blue. The lamp that sat on it was the same blue. Very nice effect.

Have fun.

Now that I've read everyone's stuff, I want to repeat that you truly should have this appraised. You just never know about furniture. If it has value, be very careful and if you don't like it at all then hide it somewhere until you do. Mine had absolutely no value and I wasn't fond of the person who handed it down to me but that's not the norm.

When something is old and beautiful, then take care of it. But if its junk, have fun. One of the problems with this type of piece is that if it wasn't already taken care of, the wood is dry, the finishes are cracked, and getting it cleaned sometimes devalues it also, as what happens when people clean up old painted pieces. Sometimes the value is in the paint, not the piece, so you truly need to know what you're dealing with before you touch it or hide it.

My reason for wanting to keep mine was that it is a feminine nice small piece. Mine was just without value on anyone's scale, and frankly, I really made some money off the sale. Yours, however, well who knows. Please get your ducks in a row on this one before you do something to it or ditch it. Old furniture is wonderful and might even grow on you.

yes, I also have the same desk, from my gradparents as well, same sentimental attachment. My grandmother kept a motley assortment of crayons etc in the bottom drawer...

Mine sits on the landing just outside of my apartment, it just doesnt mix well with the rest of my stuff either, and has been delagated to a place where I see it every day... but alas is outside of my apartment.

I have seen this desk for sale in antique malls, it is mass produced in the 30's or 40's and has relative value in the $500+ range,(in good condition)

I am not wild about the finish on mine, it hasnt exactly "mellowed" with age and just looks scratched and worn. Also the pulls on mine are not solid brass.

If I were to gussy it up however I think I would have it professionally sprayed, maybe a primary color like kelly green, I would also replace the pulls with solid brass from a place like Ball and Ball,(on internet.)

Just put new way funky hardware on it and save the hardware you take off so it can be put back on if it becomes valuable. Then as other suggested put some fun modern stuff on top and a cool print over it.

This cherry stuff was happenin' 20 years ago when English Country was in style. It may come back but not in the same way or our lifetime. A lot of my friends have this stuff and it looks dated and ugly now -- like aqua was in the 80's and is now Heavenly but will be ugly again in 10 years.

Have it appraised -- it won't be worth much I bet.

I say sell it or give it to a family member with a more traditional aesthetic. You don't seem to like it much, and painting it won't make it better. You seem to be asking if you can change this into a completely different piece. You can't. Let it be.

Your memories of your grandmother are independent of this object. I'm afraid cramming this thing into your apartment will backfire, and you'll think of it as an imposition and not as a sweet reminder of your childhood visits to your grandmother's house.

I'd go back to the roots of apartment therapy-- don't use your space to simply stockpile stuff because you feel obligated to or because you're planning to reuse it/ repaint it/ deal with it "later". Set the desk free.

the problem with changing out hardware is that you usually will still see the outline on the wood from the existing pulls. The finish of the desk has been exposed to light and air for decades, while underneath the pulls, it's been protected.

I also agree with the person who mentioned if you are keeping this item for sentimental value, doesnt significantly altering it's appearance break that connection?

and just as an example of how your tastes and trends can change, I own a hand-me-down Heywood Wakefield dresser...that in the 70s looked "old fashioned" to my grandmother, and she painted it dark brown to make it "modern".

What you like today as far as your home furnishings is not necessarily what you will like 10 or 20 years from now. That's worth keeping in mind when discussing an inherited piece.

oh mama, you were always right, and had the best advice. dear modern brooklynite listen to mama and leave the piece alone. why not treat this as an unusual piece in your modern home. place it where there is plenty of space around it, hang modern art above it, use an architect's lamp with it, use an umbra chair or a saarinen chair at that desk, and will work as a modern mox in your home.

that's mix not mox, dear brooklynite

Mama's right. I would strongly suggest you vist Thomas O'Brien's site for his shop: Aero Design. He's great at mixing older and contemporary pieces together. I also would suggest shifting the desk next to the bed and opening it to use as a nightstand. A nice modern chrome lamp, maybe an architect's lamp, and a mug of sharpened pencils, and the desk will look spectacular. Pretty soon you're going to want to replace everything else in the room to look as good as the desk. Good luck.

I add my voice to the don't change it list.

What I will do is suggest a different approach: instead of looking at it as a piece of furniture, look at it as a sculptural element or a part of a trouve vignette that makes use of other odd, non-modernist bits and pieces you like.

I agree memories are independent of objects, but objects can stimulate memories, even if you're not Proust.

I say listen to Mama...leave it be.

If you find it just won't work for you in your current state, at the most, just change the hardware.

The truth is this looks like a beautiful, solid piece. I'm all for tarting up old pieces that need a LOT of work anyway with new coats of paint. And I think with new paint and finishes, the sentimentality for the piece may well wane.

If you can't live with just a hardware change and incorporate it into other changes you might make (I also think it's an opportunity), then pass it along to someone who will love the piece the way she is.

I have to say that Angie's 'mock up' is terrific! Take a look at it!

I feel for you here because I have inherited several very dark pieces (some of them veneer) from my dear grandmother and they aren't exactly my first choice.

If you are set on painting it you might want to go with either white or black since those colors endure styles....but I tend to agree with the others that the best thing to do is leave it alone for a while and see how your style changes before doing anything drastic.

Re: my last post... there was a similar idea in Country Living where they painted a sentimental piece, a 9 drawer dresser that was dark cherry. It was painted white and re-fitted with blue glass hardware (Restoration Hardware cobalt pulls).

The picture is linked in my name. The bureau is in the back on the right. Sorry the pic is so small..it's the only one I had.

I am not suggesting that you do this, I am just giving you ideas.

I was the one who had to strip all the old pieces my mother decided to "antique" back in the 70s with those awful paint kits. You always end up stripping the paint off wood furniture at some point.

Don't be so uptight about your "style", just put it in your apartment and in a year it will fit right in.

Leave the dresser be - either use it a much-needed opportunity to restyle the rest of the room (which does look like a dorm room) or sell it and keep granny's memory without the keepsake.

I like Angie's mock-up, too. I think something like that would be a great way to incorporate it. If not exactly that way, something very similar. But I really like it just like she shows; especially the wall color. The headboard she shows is very similar to this suede tufted one they sell at Pier 1 at the moment. In fact, it's just like the one that my New Jersey friend used, which is in my pictures when you click on my name.

I agree with earlier comments and find out if its truly an antique with significant value. Failing that I'd paint a high gloss black and change the hardware to a antiqued nickel, black, or glass - I'd go matte on the hardware to contrast with the glossy black.

I agree with gretchen.

First: are you happy with your space as is?
If yes, just give the piece to a family member that would like it more. You will remember your grandma regardless of a piece of furniture.

It seems like everyone thinks that you should change your apartment around this "piece"... But it is a slippery slope, you'll end up redecorating a lot in order to "fit" it in... it is a bit of a "Diderots gown" :)

I have inherited the EXACT same desk. I also have the same issue with incorporating it into my modern environment. I will be moving into a new condo next year with glass walls and cement floors. So I am torn about selling the desk when it is one of the few heirlooms I possess from my family. The desk has alot of sentimental value. My plan is to figure out how to make the room work with it.

I plan on putting the desk in a hallway near the front door to use as a mail catch all because of all the great cubbie holes inside. Don't you love the inside mini door cubby with the side column pull outs? I bought a small lamp for the top of the desk for reading mail. I am going to put a small modern mirror above it. A nice rug that is traditional, yet with a modern geometric pattern for the hall in front of the desk.

I have noticed that some of my favorite modern interior designs have a few traditional show pieces. Most of them are shown off as art pieces in sleek interiors. So I think lighting it up and making it a focal point would help. Also, just throw some dark and tan pillows on your bed to cover up the contrast of wood of your headboard.

Best of luck

Your desk is an unusually good Colonial Revival (an antique that began life as a reproduction of a period piece). The purple, almost opaque stain was popular at the turn of the century. Underneath it you are in for a life-changing surprise: beautiful, medium golden brown, fine grained probably Cuban mahogany. Find a great furniture restorer, and expect to pay a lot. This isn't a DIY, and there's no avoiding the cost, but you'll be glad you did. As for blending in with a more minimalist style: take another look at some of the most beautiful contemporary rooms. Many of them use one great antique as a way of giving the rest of the interior weight and context: the best of this era, the best of another era. This is the piece that will do that for you, but please don't paint it, or lacquer it, or do anything to make the character of the piece whimsical. Just replace the Victorian purple stain with a better, more transparent professional finish.

working for an antiques dealer for many years when I was younger, I can tell you that painting/stripping/changing hardware will decrease the value of your piece by prob. 50-75%. Rather than destroy it to try to make it fit into your contemporary home, ask someone in your family if they would store it for you or give it to one of them. Maybe your tastes will change down the road. It seems sad to change this beautiful piece of furniture when it could be enjoyed by someone else.

Stripping paint from a period painted piece does indeed destroy the value. This desk isn't a period piece, however, it's revival, and the actual value is not so high according to Millers. As half the posts here seem to indicate - everyone's grandparents had a desk like this. Restoration doesn't destroy the value of antiques; changing the hardware of period pieces does, but only if the hardware is original to the piece, and that's often not the case. In Europe hardware often disappeared during wars, and for that reason a lot of 18th century French furniture has old but not original hardware. In any case, Colonial Revival is a whole different proposition from Colonial period, and I think it is inaccurate to say that there is great intrinsic value to the piece as is. There could be great aesthetic value to it if you could get the character of the wood to show. I collect 18th century case furniture, and I inherited a couple of revival pieces. The revival pieces will never have the value of the period pieces, but they can look very good if you can bring yourself to abandon the purple finish.

Angies photoshop rocks!

Thanks to all of you who offered such creative and constructive ideas!

To those of you who were worried that I'd destroy it in some fever of DIY lacquering, fear not! I'll keep it as is for awhile and as things shift around in our apartment, consider moving it. I'll also keep an eye out for rugs, headboards, big pictures, etc. that will help connect the piece to whatever's near it.