Wood Chest | To Paint or Not to Paint

I posted a little vignette from my living room the other day on instagram with a question about chalk paint. I assumed I'd get a few color suggestions that would help give me the motivation to pick up a paint brush. Boy did I underestimate things. I did get lots of great suggestions and two or three different paint choices. But I was blown away by just how many of y'all told me to quit being crazy and put the paint brush down.

I have several really nice family pieces in our home that are still in their original wood condition that I would never dream of painting. I like both the look of dark wood mixed in with our light and airy aesthetic and I love preserving the heritage of those pieces that will one day belong to my children. But this piece is different, right? It was a $20 craigslist find, doesn't that mean it's probably crap? On the other hand, the origin of how this piece of furniture came to live in our house seems to be a silly reason to either paint it or not.

The thing is, everybody is right here so I'm not pulling favorites. In fact, one of my absolute favortie thing about blogging is that I get access to a roundtable discussion to bounce my ideas off of. I'm going to pause and really think this through. Big surprise there, right. Both sides of the argument are so right! It is a lovely piece just the way it is now. It's has a fine rich wood tone and pretty detailing. But I can also picture it being beautiful painted in a soft greige color reminiscent of my favorite french Louis style.

If I paint, it wouldn't be in a distressed style. I'm not after a shabby chic farmhouse look but rather something a little bit more formal. But it wouldn't be a modern high gloss finish either. This painted four drawer dresser is exactly what I'm thinking.

It's not like this is going to come down to a vote because ultimately this is our home and we'll do what we want in the end. But I really do love hearing your opinions on this matter. I'd like your thoughts on this piece specifically as well as painted furniture in general. Do you like it? Have you tried it yourself or bought a professionally painted piece? Overall I love it, in small doses. I personally wouldn't want a house where all of the furniture is painted but rather a piece or two mixed in for some flavor.

Pawleys Island Posh