It's a cedar chest, made from cedar. If it doesn't smell like cedar, sand the inside to renew the smell. That is a fairly standard design. I would guess it dates from about 1960 to 1980. Does it have the Lane stamp insde it anywhere? Linda C Here is a link that might be useful: Cedar chest

Not exactly about these gorgeous chests, but I just HAVE to pass this info along about LANE chests. Several years ago, there was a terrible tragedy in the Philly area when a child got inside one and couldn't get out... suffocated! If you (or anyone you know) has a LANE chest, you NEED to go to their site to see about getting a FREE replacement lock. The button on new lock has to be pressed (from outside) for it to lock. LANE changed this on their stuff sometime around mid-80's, so newer ones can't accidentally lock. I had one from 40's and another from 70's and got replacement in very little time. Only needed a screw driver and maybe 5 minutes time to replace them.

Yes, I agree that it might look odd during the day if it was sitting empty. The idea that it could hold folded throws then is a good one. I said we had a chest at the foot of ours. I should have said a trunk with a flat top. We keep our throw pillows on that at night, and it works fine. I just saw this cute idea and thought it might be a pretty and inexpensive solution for some people. Actually, if I didn't need the trunk's storage, I'd replace it with a totally padded bench, as DH walks into it at least once a month!

We apologize if there was a misunderstanding. There can be, of course, loss of value in the refinishing process. However, that doesn't apply equally to all antiques. Our original suggestion was to repair and/or refinish this piece if you found that to be an option, something that we miss-typed on the previous comment. We have now edited it to show this. User lindac92 is actually correct, once again: perhaps light cleaning and repair would be more feasible and valuable for this particular item, not necessarily refinishing. I'll leave you, Helen, another article from The Spruce on finding out which option is the best for you: https://www.thesprucecrafts.com/restore-or-not-antique-furniture-148809 With that in mind, we would still suggest you find somebody that can help you through the Houzz platform, as there are many talented Pros here that can provide you with sound and detailed advice. That was the original intent of our comment. Cheers, and good luck!