Vanity question

Hello,
I was wondering if anyone could help with identifying what period this vanity may have came from. My grandmother picked it up for $85 at a church sale and she wants it painted white. I've dabbled in fixing old furniture but this is a little more elaborate then I've done and I'm not sure if painting it would ruin is value. I like the grain of the wood in the doors too much to paint them. It looks like it's been refinished (poorly) at some point. It has no markings other then "no. 641" stamped on the back of the mirror. Thanks!
J

 

Id say 1930s. painting it white would be a crime !The veneer looks pretty good on this one.

 

With all the talk here about how brown furniture is not in demand at the present time.....I'd say Granny knows best.
I'd go for more of an eggshell tone.

 

20s-30s. Would say it is a shame to paint it but can't argue with Granny. Even in tip-top shape, this is not a high value piece. Maybe there would be a way to highlight some of the good wood details without painting the whole thing. This is on-trend right now so worth thinking about. Here are some examples.

 

Awesome! Thanks for the quick responses. I may convince her not to paint, although that dresser is perfect. And I was thinking white if it comes down to it.

 

Hi Brad,
Love the art deco men's chest.
greg

 

Paint. Please. There is something about white paint that gentles a design and upmarkets a middling piece. Those legs are...rather stubby. Reminds me of Michelangelo's "women;" the ones for which he used male models.

As long as Brad asserts that an item is not waiting to go in a museum, I fear not the paint brush.

 

Brad - Love the hat! My father would recognize it instantly.

 

I guess we can agree to disagree on painting it. if it was a run of the mill one Id say paint away,but this one has such lovely contrasting woods itd be a real shame.In the 50s,Dorothy Draper made painting wood popular,then in the 60s-70s it was all about natural finishes. Then the 80s- 90s was all about distressed/shabby chic . Currently, painted is all the rage, BUT,I feel like natural finishes will come around again. If you want to sell it painting would probably help,but if you want to keep it and enjoy it,polish it up and enjoy the contrasting woods ! Just my humble opinion.

 

I wholeheartedly vote with Johnnycb09 on this one.

My opinion -- it will look like a monstrosity if completely painted in any one color (including white which would probably be the most monstrous).

And don't even get me started on the two-tone scheme -- sheer schlock. It would do justice to none of the features of this piece of furniture which is already appealing.

 

Whoa !!
It's Granny's piece.
She wants it painted
She's not worried about it's resale value, & she only shelled out $85 for it !

Brad's dresser is stunning......I could live with that.

The green one....if I had to sit there everyday....I'd eat my gun !

& that's the point !!!
Granny wants to enjoy living with her new acquisition , not preserving it for a future antique shop !

One man's ceiling is another man's floor........paint away !

IMHO....

 

Painted furniture is a fad that will eventually pass.

I have my MIL's avocado painted 1930s cedar chest. During the 1970s painted furniture was the fad. Underneath would be a lovely veneered chest. I'm afraid the stripping will ruin the glue holding the veneer.

If you do decide to paint, I would do as Brad suggests, just paint the frame work, and leave the veneered drawers original.
Maybe not white, but a soft latte color.

 

Well, that escalated quickly. I'll let her make the final call. I think she was thinking more of a french white. I like it the way it is. Ultimately, it will probably stay in the family for quite a while either way.

 

Well...here's what I would do if 'twere mine:

I'd trim the bottom of that mirror neatly, and put it over the fireplace, or perhaps over a hall table on the way out the front door.

Then I'd paint the chest white, and pick out the trim on the panels in a color that complimented my bedroom -- in my case a pale aqua blue. And add a silver trimmed mirror -- large, but very plain.

OR:

I'd use the mirror over a very plain (Parsons ilk) table, trimmed with lovely bottles of perfume, and a lovely clutch of flowers in a vase.

The chest part would go in the dining room (assuming I do not have a sideboard...which, of course, I do). In that room, I would still paint it, but if you didn't, I would not mind the awkwardness so much in the dining room.

 

That would make a nice hall mirror ....unless it's actually a painting of a front yard & SUV !!!

 

In part because we have no dimensions on this piece (which would be most welcome ) . . .

If we agree that this is a "vanity" then the "sideboard" in the dining room suggestion may or may not be viable. The flat horizontal surfaces of a vanity are usually shorter in height than a sideboard/buffet because a woman would (usually) be seated at a vanity, and this piece of furniture appears to fit that scheme.

Of course, if it is going to be painted and someone wanted it in a dining room at a later date, just paint away a long slab of wood which could span the chair opening and turn it into a "sideboard." Even then it might be too lacking in height to make it convenient as a sideboard/buffet. Half the people seeking food from the sideboard/buffet would be bent over and bumping other guests with their behindies as they sought to put food on their plates.

It looks to me like it was depending "somewhat" on the over-powering (IMHO) mirror to give it "vertical presence" in a home (probably with high ceilings). And yes, I know that the mirror is that size so milady could stand back and see all (or most of) herself (including a large/tall chapeau) in the mirror.

I think one reason the legs look "stubby" is because they are and even more certainly would appear to be so were the tall mirror attached. It appears to me that the furniture designer/maker did not want to waste storage space in the drawers on either side of the center opening for the chair/vanity stool.

For some unknown reason, I am picturing this piece of furniture being in a quiet corner of a "parlor" or library or foyer with a chair pulled up to it and two large terrariums atop the drawer(s) (one on each side of the (chair) opening).

 

It's probably the poor refinishing job that was mentioned in the first post that is making me see this as a not very attractive piece. And I do like wood furniture, but am not an expert on furniture.

It seems that it will be difficult to do the paint job due to the ornately carved and decorated areas all over it. I do like Brad's suggestion about keeping some of the original wood showing. You may need to refinish that again, though.

And I also agree that the owner of the piece should make the final decision. This will not be a museum piece any time soon, if others' assessments of it are correct.

 

Just my opinion ....

If it will make your grandmother happy to have it painted, then paint it.

If my Granny were alive today, I would paint a Nakashima table avocado green with fuchsia accents if she bought the table and wanted it painted those colors. It would make such great after-dinner conversation too ....

You can always find another period-piece vanity to leave unpainted ... but your grandmother ... well, you know ....