Toning down orangey teak G Plan

[YippieKayakOtherBuckets]

I have scored a piece of vintage G Plan from their Fresco range on eBay. It’s the classic, slightly orangey and very warm teak of all similar pieces, but the room it’s going into is currently decorated in very cool colours - white walls, grey carpet, grey / blue furniture - and the teak looks a bit incongruous.

What can I do to tone it down a bit? There are lots of pieces which have been Annie Sloaned on Pinterest but I don’t want to paint it if I can possibly help it.

Essentially, it is a brassy blonde and I need the furniture equivalent of a violet toner to blend it in with my ashy blonde room. Any ideas?

Lime wax? Depends whether it's been varnished or not whether that will work.

Would you consider adding or swapping in a couple of darker, warm things elsewhere in the room? eg a darker bookcase, brown chair, biggish lamp, framed print. Might be enough to make it work without having the effort of stripping or painting.

I think it will be veneered chipboard, so you can't afford to sand it much, especially on edges or corners. I don't know what the factory lacquer will be but I think it was waterfall-applied.

If you don't mind losing the originality, you could use a tinted stain or varnish. You will have to apply a couple of thin coats, and you must brush it out very evenly. Any thick patches, where the brush was more generously loaded, will come out darker. Practice on the insides of the doors or some other unseen part. Buy a good-quality brush, wear it in, and never use it for paint or undercoat. Hamiltons bristle for oil, Purdey synthetic for water-based.

There are bound to be G-plan Enthusiasts Websites and Facebook groups who know more.

Chalk paint won't work on teak :/

Aren't they valued for just that colour? Flog on and buy one you prefer?

I love the piece. I just need to find a way to ease it into the current scheme before we redecorate.

I think you're right, EineKleine, and I think the answer is to incorporate some pink as a warmer colour to bridge the greys and the warmer wood.

Pinterest is full of gplan that's been upcycled with chalk paint or worse, 'distressed' (shudder). It's pretty criminal and I've decided to leave the finish alone (and not just because stripping, sanding and restaining would be a pig of a job).