Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Only the apps you allow.

Meet the Other Phone.
Only the apps you allow.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Property/DIY

Join our Property forum for renovation, DIY, and house selling advice.

Original poster

Painting this- scandalous?

60 replies

Christmascookiesmmmm · 27/10/2018 20:33

Sorry the photos are not great- it’s in a room that’s not been used for anything other than storage for three years and there’s lots of stuff in the way so I can’t actually get a full image of it, but basically it’s a big antique mirrored wardrobe made of solid mahogany with lots of carving and inlaid bits, it has two wardrobe sections either side, drawers on the bottom and drawers/cupboards in the middle.

I’m buying my first house and my mum has said I can have my grandad’s old wardrobe. I’m very grateful as it’s a beautiful piece of furniture, and I know my Grandad used to love it, and it will suit the house as it’s a period property, however i’d Really love to paint it. I would do it very sensitively and I’d do a lot of research to make sure I didn’t make a mess of it.. I’ve seen photos of Emma bridgewater’s house in magazines and she has loads of painted antique furniture and it looks beautiful. I’m thinking dove grey chalk Annie Sloan paint but again I’d need to do more research. but anyway my mum thinks this is absolutely scandalous and says I’m not allowed it if I plan to paint it.. but I feel like if I didn’t take it, they would just sell it at an auction as they’ve no use for it and need to get rid of it for space reasons and it wouldn’t be in the family anymore (my grandad was passed it down from his mother!). If I did take it and paint it it would absolutely be a new family heirloom and I’d never get rid of it. My grandad and I were extremely close and I know he’d have been super proud to see that I was buying a house after working so hard to save for deposit etc and I think he’d love to have given me something to go in the new house and in my head he wouldn’t mind what I did with it as long as I loved it and kept it forever!

Just want to know if I’m being unreasonable wanting to paint it.. Thanks!

Painting this- scandalous?
Painting this- scandalous?
Painting this- scandalous?
OP posts:
MyOtherProfile · 27/10/2018 23:27

I'd get it valued to make sure it isn't worth thousands then if not I would definitely paint it. It's lovely but too dark and heavy looking.

Agustarella · 27/10/2018 23:28

It's beautiful, please don't paint it! Dark wood is timeless and lovely, and if it's polished it will have a lovely shine. Plus the mirror reflects light, so I don't think it sucks the light out of the room. If you like grey, it would go very well with grey walls. My DP has some lovely pieces of antique furniture which look great with grey painted walls behind them.

Shockers · 27/10/2018 23:30

I quite like a lot of painted furniture, but I really don’t think that piece would suit it. I think the mirrors would stop it from sucking the light out of its surroundings.

I agree with the pp who suggested that you work the room around the wardrobe.

BrokenWing · 27/10/2018 23:38

I really can't image that painted and would be terrified it would look terrible after. agree with other buyers to get it valued. It is beautiful in mahogany.

missedith01 · 27/10/2018 23:41

I wouldn't, it's lovely as it is.

Bouledeneige · 28/10/2018 00:24

I actually don't think it's a very nice piece of furniture - it's rather dark and ugly, the carving doesn't look especially fine or high quality (sorry OP i knife ugly gas sentimental value). I think it would be much nicer painted.

I do have quite a few pieces of antique wooden furniture myself including a tall boy and a number of chest of drawers but they are older and more elegant and more finely turned. I think some Victorian pieces like this one are not hugely valuable or desirable in the current market.

But I can see your Mums feelings are very different - it might be more politic to sell it and buy something else that is nearer to your taste or which you can do up.

Agustarella · 28/10/2018 00:35

I agree with the pp who suggested that you work the room around the wardrobe.

DP designed a self-built house around his inherited furniture! This may be going a little far for most people.

Justbackfromnewwine · 28/10/2018 00:38

I’d think hard about it because painted grey furniture is very ‘of the moment’ and will date horribly, whereas wood is classic

Hazardswan · 28/10/2018 00:46

It's to dark for me and I find it a bit depressing. For it to work it needs to be in a MASSIVE room with TONS of light, sky light windows and light walls.

I think a compromise of getting it professionally painted is a good idea. You can assure your mum a novice won't touch it. Not 100% on the grey as I think its heading out personally but you can always get it painted again I think?

PickAChew · 28/10/2018 00:47

Don't touch it! It's fussy but lovely. Pale green, powder blue or cream walls, otherwise dark and opulent. Dark wood seems to be slowly seeping back in.

Hazardswan · 28/10/2018 00:48

Oh and a dusty chalk pain't would look lovely.

JeanPagett · 28/10/2018 00:55

I wouldn't paint it. I think the chalk paint "look" will date absolutely horribly and is impossible to undo. I would just make the wardrobe the centrepiece of the room and keep everything else light and bright.

More importantly, as I understand it, it's currently your mum's wardrobe - not yours. She's perfectly within her rights to do anything she wants with it, including not giving it to you. You're assuming she'll sell it at auction, but you don't actually know that?

ineedtostopbeingsolazy · 28/10/2018 00:56

It's actually quite nice and I don't like dark wood furniture. I think it will look awful painted in grey Annie Sloan. If you do decide to paint it get it done professionally and in a different colour.
Alternatively clean it up and decorate the room around it.

Sometimesitsmyownfault · 28/10/2018 01:07

That would look great in French Grey or even a cold white.

fiadhflower · 28/10/2018 04:30

Agree with others. It’s lovely as it is. Don’t paint it, work the room around it. But it’ll probably need to be a big room!

picklemepumpkin · 28/10/2018 07:05

Style the room around it. In the right place it would look stunning.

Consider using it as something other than a wardrobe, if necessary.

LIttleMissTickles · 28/10/2018 07:24

I really think you should paint it! It's a bit engrained in us by the older generation not to paint furniture like this, but in reality it's so dated now. You will get use out of it and it will look beautiful.

BentNeckLady · 28/10/2018 07:28

It would depend on the quality of it to me. We inherited a big wardrobe that looked similar to this with our house but it was in poor condition and a lot of the detail was damaged with the laminate peeling off. It looked dreadful. We thought about painting it but in the end we took it to bits and took it to the dump and use the drawers as under bed storage. It was a cheap peice if furniture when it was made. I felt no obligation to it.

Your wardrobe looks a nicer piece of furniture, I’m not sure I’d be able to bring myself to paint it but it’s your house and you’ve got to live in it so do what you like. It’s painting a wardrobe not having drastic plastic surgery!

If you do decide to paint it then don’t use chalk paint. It always looks cheap and badly done and always look filthy after a year or so. Maybe look into getting it property sprayed.

Bouchie · 28/10/2018 07:33

Don't do grey. Grey is goig to date very soon. Personally I wouldn't paint it. I love painted furniture and have painted lots of our stuff but think it would be a really shame.

silkpyjamasallday · 28/10/2018 07:48

I think due to all the mirrored panels that in a relatively light room it won't 'suck the light out'. It's such a shame when beautiful wood is covered up with crappy chalk paint, I can understand painting shitty orange pine but a beautiful piece of mahogany? We have a big mahogany wardrobe with no mirrors in our bedroom, and it certainly doesn't make the room dark, it's polished and opposite the window so reflects light rather than blocking it. We have grey walls and it is a beautiful contrast, when the light is a bit better today (and DP isn't asleep in our room) I'll take a photo if you like? Dark furniture may not be fashionable now, but its timeless imo and you don't get things like that being made anymore, adds a bit of individuality to a home unlike the current obsession with 'scandi' minimalist interiors.

If you are dead set on painting it don't use chalk paint just wood interior paint, and buy a paint spray gun thing, we have one and it's great for covering things evenly, and would be good at doing the carved bits without drips and gaps.

Original poster
Christmascookiesmmmm · 28/10/2018 08:13

Thanks everyone, I think I’ve been convinced to keep as is!

@silkpyjamasallday a photo of yours would be lovely thank you!

Pale grey walls is a great idea I think I’ll do that. I was thinking of that anyway actually! And yes I was never really sure it would work painted as it’s quite intricate but I was just sure I didn’t like the dark wood, however I’ve been convinced to embrace it! Then if I do ever decide to have it painted I’ll get some pros in!! I’ve always wanted a furniture project but I think people are right, this is not the right piece of furniture for my first project!!

The bedroom isn’t massive (about 5.10 x 3.8 but that includes bay window and alcoves) and is north facing so not much natural light.. currently has cream carpets, do you think that would look okay or maybe strip back to wooden floorboards? I’m not sure about cream and grey but worried it would look a bit cold without the carpets? Getting a little ahead of myself haha we haven’t even got the keys yet to new house!!

OP posts:
Original poster
Christmascookiesmmmm · 28/10/2018 08:14

But I could put it on the wall opposite the window so it would reflect any light!

OP posts:
Shockers · 28/10/2018 08:18

Yay! That wardrobe will look fabulous against a plain wall. I think if the carpet is a linen colour, in wool, with voluminous linen drapes at the window, it could work with soft grey walls. Lots of luxurious, but natural tones and textures to show that lovely wood off.

littledinaco · 28/10/2018 08:20

Glad you are keeping it as it is, it’s beautiful. I have lots of family furniture and although it’s not what I would necessarily have chosen myself, I love it and it gives me so much pleasure.

I have pictures of dark wood antique furniture on painted floorboards if you want to pm me and I can send pictures to give you an idea.

drspouse · 28/10/2018 08:25

Cream carpet and linen drapes, or stripped floorboards, both sound lovely.