The $400 price for your "distressed" look idea seems reasonable but I'm not sure this distressing would accomplish a cohesive look or accomplish "updating".

Consider this ... keep all the drawers on the night stand, chest and dresser as is (matching the sleigh bed but change the hardware pulls to stainless steel, brushed chrome, glass, etc). Paint the STRUCTURE of the night stand, chest and dresser in whatever color scheme you have in the room. This would not be expensive or hard to do on your own. You would need a Gallon of STAINKILLS and a Gallon of your selected color for the three pieces (Flat, Satin or even Semi-Gloss finish). I'd go with a color that compliments and blends with Golden Oak Tones.

Whomever you got the $400 quote from -- ask them how much it would cost to paint (with stain-blocking) the three pieces (minus the drawer faces) and also ask for a quote to scuff/blend/touch up the drawer faces -- when you remove the old hardware there will be an impression or varnish line where the old handles were -- you want a clean and continuous surface to start anew -- hardware dimensions/holes are pretty standard so you can shop and pick what you want. Personally,I think the hardware you have on these pieces dateS them. Once you get a revised quote you can determine if you should job it out or do it yourself.

Alternatively, and this is the cheapest approach ... remove that old hardware and just refinish the drawer faces themselves on the night stand/dresser/chest (paint them a color, distress them, re-stain them a little differently, or blend them as originally designed/stained) and JUST UPGRADE the hardware! Now that I've typed all this -- that is what I'd do -- the Sleigh bed frame and Oak Veneer would still dominate but your accents would be the drawers and hardware.

Sorry for the long suggestion.

Do it yourself! That way you can experiment with finishes and if one look doesn't work you can paint over it, no loss other than a quart of paint.

Remove the hardware & sand behind them with a light-ish grit, then lightly sand the rest. Scrub with a pre-paint cleaner to remove grime build up especially on top and areas surrounding drawer pulls. Prime & paint...I'd suggesr investing in a paint sprayer since you won't be paying a painter--I bought one so a broken arm & other injuries wouldn't completely impede work on the house, and really love the finish esp for furniture.

Talk to an experienced paint dealer about the primer and paint to use...formulations vary so much from brand to brand.

If the style fits your home, you could also try using chalk paint! People find old pieces on CL, paint them and sell for less than $400. I think that's a lot.

Search here or around the web for recipes and tutorials.

You will also find gel stain instructions that deepen the color. Very easy to do.

Not sure what you think of this look, but if you like it, you could also do the bed in the darker stain to match the top.

Here is a link that might be useful: Updating oak dresser

Wow thanks for the help guys! I never considered just doing the drawers or structure. I really like that idea! I definitely was planning on updating the hardware. I feel better about tackling it by myself now with y'all's suggestions! Thanks so much

I wonder if just changing the hardware might be enough - I would consider starting with that first just to see, before leaping into a lot of work, just in case....

I would give chalk paint a try, especially if you like a more distressed look. Google it. There are lots of pictures and directions. I find it very easy to work with.

I'm doing that very thing right now with oak guest room furniture and finding the Annie Sloan chalk paint to be wonderful to work with. It really doesn't need stripping or sanding before applying, it really does stick, cover, and dry fast. First coat will have you thinking "what have I done?" (not full coverage, brush strokes show at first, unattractive flat finish.) Second coat covers and smooths out great. I didn't want the on-purpose messy brush strokes as in many tutorials on using this paint so used a good Purdy brush and it smooths out beautifully with second coat. And then the wax makes it look rich and "finished.". You can play with lightly distressing parts, and if you don't like it you can throw on another coat of paint and go back to full coverage. I sound like an ad but am just someone who has been "over" my guest room furniture for a long time, but still liked the lines, and has had the AS paint for over a year and finally got around to using it. It's luverly.

brio,
what color are you using? And could you post pictures of the finished project? Thanks!

I would never choose this color as it makes me nervous. I think a light color would be good.

Gel stain is another option. I lightly sanded my furniture piece, applied 2 coats of a walnut colored gel stain and finished with a polyurethane. Tedious project but certainly not hard. The best thing about the gel stain is that it covers up the obvious grain of the oak.

I'm using Old White, will be glad to post pics when I get back in town and finish painting it! Did all the drawer fronts first and they look great.

I would go in another direction and use an espresso gel stain. There are several Gardenwebbers who have had great success with gel stain, and have some really good instructions. And change the hardware of course.

I like it just the way it is. Oak furniture is beautiful in my opinion. I love seeing the grain of the wood.

I tried refinishing our 30 year old and tired pecan bedroom furniture a dark espresso color since I liked the clean lines and didn't want to spend the $ on a new set since we had to get all new furniture for main floor. .bought and tried numerous brands including gel stain. It was a total bust and I gave up. I ended up just painting it white. I could not change the hardware as it is inlaid in the drawers, so I just primed them and spray painted them a matte silver. It came out great and looks fresh and bright in the room. Didn't know about chalk paint at the time or I would have tried it.