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sand it well and then restain it. It's not brain surgery but it's time consuming and it stinks (and potentially harmful to your health) if you have to do it indoors during the winter.

Minwax stains will work fine, BUT: if you want a really Craftsman/Stickley style stain, with that classic dark grain that makes quarterawn oak look wonderful, do NOT just stain it. They used a method of "fuming" the wood with ammonia, which gets the grain very dark. It's not an easy process, and it's best left up to professional finishers. (http://www.rockler.com/blog/index.cfm?commentID=210)

Woodworking magazines and websites have lots of information on getting that look without fuming. You may want to consult the works of Michael Dresdner on the subject.
http://books.google.com/books?id=hzBxAOfIzosC&pg=PA99&lpg=PA99&dq=oak fuming dresdner&source=web&ots=nJU-HQK4M1&sig=69qT6KUfxCIXz4HXGIB22M1hFWs

Good luck!

Heaven forfend! It's lovely the way it is!

I would add that if you do sand, only do so lightly. Whatever you do, don't strip the desk first. These pieces always look like Pottery Barn repros once they've been stripped.

I stained some vintage oak chairs with a "Dark Walnut" stain, and they came out great. You just have to make sure the surface is spotlessly clean and that you apply the stain in thin, even coats.

You definately want to get a professional to either advise you or better refinish it. I'm a stager and organizer and have had to have several pieces refinished. I have also finished some pieces myself. Most recently I had the company that refinishes Ethan Allen's furniture put a "French" finish on a colonial dresser. It looks fantastic. Not cheap, but worth the money. You may not want to go to dark because you will probably lose some of your wonderful graining. Nice desk, good luck.

If this is it's original finish, don't do anything to it. It will be worth less if you do. Also, if you actually want to stain a piece, it HAS to be stripped. The stain will soak into the grain, like it's supposed to. If you don't get the original finish all the way off, the stain can't get to the wood.

Why anyone want to alter such a beautiful piece of furniture?

Leave it as it is and enjoy it or sell it to someone who appreciates it more and get something else.

As a professional furniture maker, I'd say the easiest and safest -- less toxic -- way to darken the desk is using a tinted paste wax. Doesn't matter what type of finish is currently on the desk (could be wax, oil, lacquer, or water based, it will still work), the paste wax will easily coat the surface, and can be reapplied a couple of times to darken it. You don't have to strip or sand off the finish, wax goes right on top.

It's super easy to use, and doesn't require any special equipment. All you need are some cotton cloths (old t-shirts work perfectly).

A wax finish is very strong, low maintenance, and naturally anti-static -- which means less dusting!!

There are tons of options as far a brands go, just look for one that is carnauba or beeswax based. Your local hardware store will have several varieties in several color options.

I second kennjamin's advice. I just read about tinted paste wax this past weekend in a woodworking magazine as a method to tint wood furniture to more closely match finishes. Plus wax is way less work than the sand/stain solution.

Wow, kennjamin, that's great to know about. Thanks!

To everyone contributing:

Thank you for your help.
I should have added that I just got my desk back from "the wood guy" that did a lot of work on it: he sanded it, stained, waxed, and "sealed"/polished it. I love it, but he didn't get it as dark as I had requested (with a photo example I gave him).

I reached him and he said that it was the darkest he could get it; he tells me it won't take on any darker stain. So I don't know if it's possible to change any of it as is. He really did a beautiful job inside and out.

I am not an expert on restoring wood, but i assumed from his "sealed" off meaning that I can't really do much with it unless i start over.

And to JENNY IN DC and BEPSF, please don't get me wrong: I love, love, love this desk. It's only that i have so many wood furnitures and they're all different shades that the room makes it a bit difficult for me to focus when I'm in the room...I'm so easily distracted from the different wood pieces being all different color. That's all. I wouldn't want to replace it with anything else for several reasons, one being that it would be just about impossible to find something like this...I got close...there is one on ebay smaller than mine going for $700! There is so much to this desk: I even found a photo of a woman who originally owned it, in one of the drawers! The company (Phoenix Desk & Chair Co.) that makes this is no longer around, "the wood guy" tells me.

But I am going to keep in mind all suggestions, and thanks again everyone!

your wood guy could add tint to the varnish or urathane...

To my knowledge, it is not possible to get oak to take a stain or tint the way most woods do. The beautiful dark look you are looking for is the result of time. I read once about a complex chemical treatment that could simulate the effect of aging, but it is beyond the cost and ability of your average person. That is why it is almost impossible to find dark, refinished oak furniture. Consequently, you have to think really hard before refinishing oak. The cost of an even finish will be the patina of the piece.Once gone it can't be recreated.

i have the same exact desk!

>>> eddieb <<< REALLY?!?!

wow, the world is small afterall.
thank you for sharing that.

It is gorgeous. Your post that it is newly refinished makes a big difference in what you should do...I would bet that it will darken naturally with time. I think you have two choices, really. Polish it with tinted wax as above or let it darken and develop its own natural patina with age.

Love the piece! You're lucky!

Thanks CLARAE