Would you help me determine the style of this dresser

15 years ago

I'm not sure if it's Shaker, Arts and Craft, Mission, etc. I've just replaced the mirror on it since the original one was cracked when we moved to this house, but I haven't reattached it since it's going to be moved again, and I don't want to risk breaking another mirror. I'm thinking of applying a MinWax gel in walnut so I can use it in the bedroom I'm redecorating in a more 'retro' style. I've never seen another dresser like it, and I don't know how old it is. Would darkening the finish diminish the value?

It has a desk in the top drawer...

A close up of the grain of wood. It may be a veneer.

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Comments (9)

declansmom
15 years ago
I don't know what style it is, but it sure is gorgeous!
User
15 years ago
It's an oak veneer - I'd say tiger oak. You can tell because the desk portion is a different wood. It's probably from the 1920's-1930s. It's a beauty!

I would not darken it - no way, no how! You'll lessen it's value.
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ladynimue
15 years ago
That's called a Butler's Desk, not a dresser, and it's probably circa1920. All the locking drawers were used to stash liquor and household accounting/financial papers.

Don't change the color permanently, or the value decreases significantly. Probably worth around $4 to $500. Such a shame that the original mirror broke.
bungalow_house
15 years ago
Wow, I've never seen a dresser with a desk in it. That is quite unusual. Do you suppose that cup-holder-looking thing is for an ink jar? That would put it before the days of fountain pens, which, I think is 1920s? The straight lines seem anti-Victorian frou-frou as well, so I'd guess 1910-ish. (Disclaimer: I am definitely an *amateur* antique fan.)

I would check with someone who knows about antiques before changing the finish. The non-original mirror might have an adverse effect on the value already. It looks to be in great shape. I wonder if it originally came with a matching chair.

You could post on the antique forum to get some more educated opinions and information.
mclarke
15 years ago
Tiger oak, certainly a veneer. Here's more about the term "Tiger Oak" --

Probably from the 1930's?

Don't refinish it. The oak is desirable just as it is.

Here is a link that might be useful: Tiger oak
lonestarlady
Original Author
15 years ago
Yes, that is an ink well.

The mirror setup was very unique. It was a plain mirror behind a beveled piece of clear glass! The mirror is what was broken...not the glass. I kept the glass; however, I had already purchased a beveled mirror to replace it.
sombreuil_mongrel
15 years ago
The difference between quartersawn oak and tiger oak
Quartersawn:

Tiger

The dresser/desk is quartersawn oak veneer.
Casey
lonestarlady
Original Author
15 years ago
Thank you!
magnaverde
15 years ago
Hi Lonestarlady.

That's a nice dresser & like everybody else has advised, you don't want to mess it up with a DIY finish, and I say that because it looks to me like this isn't a veneer at all but an old faux finish, which have been around for as long as there have been paint & glaze. The clue is the large pale areas on the middle drawer, which look like places where somebody, in an attempt not to make every drawer identical--which consistency of handsome grain is, after all, the main point in using veneers rather than solid wood--has gone the other way & removed way more of the top glaze than they should have. But those evidences of hand work--maybe amateur work--are part of what make this piece interesting. At any rate, it's cool. Don't mess with it.

Regards,
Magnaverde.

Would you help me determine the style of this dresser

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declansmom

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Would you help me determine the style of this dresser

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declansmom

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