A little Annie Sloan chalk paint in black, some wax, and then a bit of sanding and I'd say you're in business! Change the handles out and it will be a completely different piece of furniture!

It's Hepplewhite style which is pretty formal, I don't think it would translate into what you want.

I love it as is, and don't think I could bring myself to paint it, especially if I had to remove the Federal style hardware. If you have other stained pieces of furniture and your style is transitional/traditional it would make a lovely addition.

Be careful with that Annie Sloan paint and these old painted to look mahogany or real mahogany as they will bleed through the paint. I know they are telling everyone it does not need to be primed, but buyer beware.

I'd paint it black in a heartbeat, the lines are very nice.
I like gloss painted furniture best.

I'd be very surprised if those two parts were actually sold together. It looks like someone stuck a bookcase on top of a buffet and added a little trim. I can't imagine how it would look in black so I'm not help there.

I have my grandmother's Hepplewhite buffet in my BR which I use as a dresser (just because I love it). I had it professionally redone because it rather looked like yours after a few years of storage. I love it. I had a Thomasville BR suite (from the 1970s), but I gave it to one of the children and chose to use the Hepplewhite although it cost me an arm and part of a leg to have it done well.

I would do the black (or even another color) and keep the old hardware, polish it up or even paint them in another metallic finish, I bought a couple small pots of real copper, pewter and aged gold oil paint (sold in the gold leaf area of craft stores, I got mine at Garden Ridge Pottery but think I saw them at Michaels too) and used it on similar hardware as yours, looks great and has held up very well. I did give them a couple coats of oil based poly after the paint cured. You bought it as a refinishing project so have a ball with it. :)

It's beautiful! I think it would look great in black. I am not a huge fan of distressed so a nice smooth black finish with the existing hardware would look fabulous. For you, and your house, I don't think you will go wrong with distressed or flat black. I can't wait to see it.

What do you think of stenciling or papering the back of the open shelves? I have seen foam board wrapped in fabric to achieve this look also.

Interesting, I thought the top looked off too. The wood actually looks different also, doesn't it. Could it be an add on?

Love that stenciled piece. What a transformation!

I'm with CindyLoo and Snookums in thinking the top is not original. See link for Hepplewhite examples. Tops are more ornate usually: glass doors, broken pediments, etc.

Which is great because you are not 'ruining' something fabulous. Have at it! Paint away!

BTW, Annie Sloan doesn't make a black, darkest is a gray called 'graphite'. I could see a dark red also.

And here's a pic of one painted in a lighter shade. Painting really does make it more casual.

Go for it.

Here is a link that might be useful: Hepplewhite

I'm quite sure the top is original. It just appears that the glass doors have been removed. I have a similar 50s era Hepplewhite reproduction breakfront. I looked at lots and lots of them before I purchased mine. Some had broken pediment tops, others were simpler, like this one. If I removed the glass doors on mine, it would look just like this.

That said, I see these all over CL in my area now and unless they're from a high end furniture company, they're not selling very well or for very much. So I wouldn't hesitate to paint it. I'm not sure painting it black and retaining the original hardware would give you the farmhouse look you're seeking, though. It would still look pretty formal, as Pal said. If black, I'd change the hardware.
The buffet posted above is lovely with the original hardware, but I think it's the color and glaze that makes it. Have fun with it!

Do you have pictures of the rest of the room.

One of my favorite painted hutches is juddgirl's. Have you thought about something besides black? I know it is a completely different style of furniture, but I just love the total makeover that she did.

This post was edited by tuesday_2008 on Sat, Feb 9, 13 at 12:19

I've been shopping for a vintage china cabinet and seen many in that style. I pay attention to them even though that's not what I'm after because I have a buffet like that. I think that top is original (look how the footprint of the top is absolutely perfect for the base). They do usually have doors of course but I don't think this one did.

I wouldn't paint it but I have a lot of old furniture that probably should be painted. :) But I'm a pushover for bookmatched mahogany veneers.

I know "farmhouse" is a look and not reflective of how farmers actually live(d), but I always find it amusing that farmhouses shouldn't have nice formal things.

The top is a close enough match that I would think it had to be custom made to match the base. I also think it is made of different wood. And I'm no furniture expert, but the style of the hutch seems totally inconsistent with the base. to could be wrong but I don't believe anyone would have sold such a hutch during the period that base was sold.

But Sue, I don't mean to say that it isn't a wonderful piece for your house! If it is a repurposed buffet that meets your needs, then it's perfect for you. I like unique furniture.

I do think paint will unify the piece. With paint, the buffet will no longer look like a buffet. The whole thing will look like it is a wall unit, which is what you want it to be right?

I know this isn't the same style, but I was searching for something else on Houzz and this came up. I really like the contrast they used with the black exterior and the brown beadboard inside the cupboard. I don't think beadboard would work with your piece, but the wood look interior really keeps this from looking like a too overwhelming big, dark unit. If you happen to think beadboard could work to look more farmhouse, perhaps that paintable beadboard wallpaper in a woodtone finish?

[Traditional Living Room design[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/traditional-living-room-ideas-phbr1-bp~t_718~s_2107) by Other Metro Kitchen And Bath Fixtures Kirkland Custom Cabinets Inc

This post was edited by olychick on Sat, Feb 9, 13 at 16:01

Thanks so much for all the great ideas and opinions. Here is a little more info. It's actually all one piece and not a top and bottom and there were never doors on it. There is a label somewhere that says "True Grand Rapids-Cabinet Making Certified" although they advertised it as being in excellent condition it's definitely not. I like the examples that were posted and my family room has a side table and coffee table that are distressed off white (Broyhill Attic Heirloom series) but the wall behind it will be a tan color when the drywall is finished in a week or two, the floor it will sit on will be honey oak and the chairs around the table are black. My table actually matches the color of the piece now but I always have a table cloth on it these days (I've got 4 kids). I've kicked around the idea of going barn red but either black, off white, or red, I'm just not sure the formal piece will look right going rustic although some of the examples above have that same formal look and they painted up very nice. I'll try to post pictures of the surroundings tomorrow. Thanks again for the ideas and opinions.

My $.01 1/2 is that your piece will look great in your room w/o being painted as the veneer is nice, especially since you have a companion toned table already. Your children will one day graduate to placemats, and then you might appreciate the original finish a bit more. You can easily emphasize the look you want with your accessories and not mar the finish in case you ever want to sell in in the future. Some will never buy a mucked up piece, so your market might be larger as those who don't care will want to paint in in their style and those who appreciate wood will just shop elsewhere.

Thanks for clarifying Sue. I have never seen a piece like that. Odd that such an item would be made in one piece when there are obviously two different section that could be easily separated for moving.

I think it will be prettier painted. I don't envy you trying to decide what color. Good luck!

A piece almost exactly like the OP's subject was painted a Swedish blue. I saw it in a furniture re-finisher's shop and was struck by how obvious it was that it was originally Hepplewhite, and by how inappropriate it looked painted. I would not do it.

I like the gray aged posted. One thing different from the other pics is the arched doors below. If you could cut the a square inside and add glass or wood, the overall look would change. Also, changing hardware. Something in a bin pull or old name plate.

Yes, I would personally paint it, but not black.

I have just finished painting a small vintage Hepplewhite sideboard and a tall china cabinet in Paris Grey. I do think your hutch would look good painted a soft black.
I personally really prefer many vintage pieces painted rather than the original wood, unless they are high end pieces in wonderful condition. disclaimer: I don't paint antiques! I will try to post pics later.

This post was edited by cooperbailey on Sun, Feb 10, 13 at 8:52

Any updates on painting by both cooperbailey and the OP?

I too think that it would be lovely painted a darker color (grey or black) and distressed. If you like that country distressed, casual look I would keep certain portions of it the stained veneer as in the example posted above.

I would not polish up the hardware though. If the paint is to look aged so should the hardware.