apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

I like it just the way it is.

Agreed. It would be a shame to paint it.

i'd leave it as is. it's gorgeous!

maybe just a good rub with lemon oil to bring out some shine? but other than that, leave it as is.

agree...live with it a while before doing ANYTHING to it

I have to say, from what I can see here, this piece looks great the way it is. If you want to put a TV on it, maybe have a piece of glass cut to fit the top, to protect the surface. Just be sure to have the glass raised a bit so as to let the wood breathe. Sandwich a funky fabric in there for a cheap hit of colour that you can change out with the seasons and/or trends,

Yes leave it its a beauty. I highly recommend Howard Pure Orange Oil Furniture polish its non toxic and works miracles.

Since I have been using it on my vintage pieces they look like new.

I see a few scratches around the bottom, but I think your best bet is to apply a little furniture polish and enjoy!

Leave it alone - It's gorgous the way it is.
Just use some furniture polish on it such as Howards Feed-N-Wax.

Don't do anything.

Gasp. It's beautiful. I wouldn't do anything.

Super fine steel wool, grade 0000 and some furniture restorer and you'll be good to go. Try Briwax, Scott's Liquid Gold or Howard Restor-A-Finish. Remember to always follow the grain of the wood. Good luck.
http://stylenorth.ca/blog/2009/08/steel-wool-sexier-than-you-think/

It's a beautiful piece, but if you're looking to update it, maybe see if you can switch out the knobs. It might give it a fresher look.

It's lovely as is!

Lovely!! I have been looking for something like this for a while (small city in Norway - far between treasures like this).
Don't do anything! Just a little bit of love, water and soap, and some oil or clear polish.

I think we're all a little unclear about what is meant by "restore." That implies that there's something lacking here, but the picture sure doesn't show it!

I imagine that Rebecca is really asking what she can do to rework the piece to her own tastes- like many of the furniture make-overs that are posted here. She mentions that this is going to be her first DIY, and polishing it up certainly wouldn't count! :)

Regardless: AT readers still need more information about the current condition of the piece and perhaps some images of where Rebecca intends for it to go. Otherwise we can't give very helpful advice...

Fair warning to Rebecca though: if you start talking about painting this thing, you may start a bare wood uprising!

Please don't change a thing on it, esp. the cabinet pulls. It's lovely as is. If you want to get your hands dirty, maybe just sell it and use the cash to buy a fixer upper you want to play with more.

hey I sooooo envy u right now!!!

As others have said...it would be a pain to see it change....it is wonderful as is!!

Also Rebecca, if this is your first DIY maybe you should start with something less precious/pretty. That way if it doesn't come out perfectly, you don't have the added pressure of having destroyed something beautiful. If you really feel like hacking, I'd start with Ikea.

Sell it. It's awful.

I am up for restoring it, but I am not sure what to do.

To "restore" something means to bring it back to an original condition. As this buffet looks to be more or less in original condition already, we're a little confused as to what you're actually asking.

Furniture polish does wonders with light scratches. If there is deeper damage, you could strip the varnish, sand the surface back and re-varnish. This is risky with veneered furniture, which I suspect this may be, and it's unlikely to look good enough to make it worth the many, many hours of hard work. Better to get a professional to do it, if you can't stand the scratches. Or, better still, give it a clean and a polish and allow it to wear its scratches and imperfections with pride.

It looks great unless there's something we can't see. But it's really gorgeous wood. If you don't like it, I'll take it! Those drawers look like they'd be great for holding dvds.

don't touch it!!

i agree with countless others - if it's not your taste sell or give it to someone who will appreciate it's beauty and do your DIYing on some thrift store trash/treasure.