I like it. I think it's a charming piece. I can envision it with a traditional or country style dining set. Maybe something like the style of this PB Harvest Dining Table:

Here is a link that might be useful: PB Harvest Dining Table

I would gladly have it in my house if it were painted.

After you paint it, you could send it over....

It is too country looking for my personal tastes, but it is a nice piece.

I'm a big painted furniture lover, but I even like it unpainted! It's charming, especially with your autumn decor. I especially like how you've used fairly bold, chunky items that echo the shape & scale of the piece. Looks good!

It's not the best place for the delicate, little hand-painted tea cups! If that's the sort of thing you want to display in it, then yes, I'd paint it white & put glass knobs on it.

As is, I see it as an ideal setting for bolder, earthier, even slightly rustic displays.

My mom has a very similar piece. Its one of the few pieces of furniture that she owns that I hope I'll inherit. It is traditional slash country, but that works for me. Painted or not, I think its classic enough for my tastes. Her chairs are also heavy. I can't find pics now, but you might like these:

http://furniturefromhome.com/images/store/782/760x600/image.jpg

http://www.zastavki.com/pictures/1024x768/2008/Interior_Small_dining_room_Interior_009453_.jpg

It's a little too 1980 chunky for me. But it could work in the right setting. I think painting it would be a great idea, and would give it a nice consistency where it's a bit lacking now (the tones and finish on the panelled back piece don't match the wood on the piece itself)..

This piece is a Kling Colonial, which was bought out by Ethan Allen in the late 60s, early 70s, and it is solid wood with dovetailed drawers. I can't decide whether to keep it or sell it. This was purchased in the 70s, not 80s. It was in my basement and I just brought it up to my kitchen.

I have a cabinet similiar to yours...it belonged to my husbands' great grandmother who received it as a wedding present back in the late 1800's. It's sitting in my DR along with my older Ethan Allen French Country set.

I like it, and now that I know the quality of it, I like it even more.

It is too country for my formal DR, but it would look fabulous in my kitchen which has knotty pine cabs and a brick wall and woodstove (used brick).

It's a lot of look.

If you really like it, and you have a big dining room, I think you could make it work very well with an old maple table and black painted Windsor chairs.
I think, however, that it is a little stylistically confused, combining a rustic style with applied distressing, rather heavy side walls. and a varnished finish.

In a typically sized dining room, I think it could be overwhelming, and I think if you are on the fence, you should live with it as it is for a while, and decide. It's the sort of thing that you need to love, since it has so much presence.

I would mitigate the dark mass by standing ironstone or pewter plates or platters on edge along the open back wall of the hutch, and by using more large ironstone or other white pitchers and bowls in the open shelves. Your fall things are great, but I am not sure we see them well enough there.

colorblind: thanks for the pics; yours is gorgeous.

brownysmom: yes it is a very large piece. At one time it was in my DR, till I changed styles. I looked it up online and there is a Kling website. They are paying $5 each for their formerly used knobs.

Colorblind: Could you move the cabinet to the right so its centered with your ceiling light? I like the dark chairs with your furniture.

...Pam

I like it, I vote classic.

Although it's certainly not to my taste, I don't think "dated" when I see it. I don't necessarily think "classic" but definitely not dated. It seems like something I'd imagine in a traditional center hall colonial.

Why do so many people like to paint beautiful furniture like this? That's stain quality wood there that is beautiful as it is and will stay beautiful for decades.

Normally, I am opposed to painting wood pieces. However, in the case of this beautiful piece, I can see it painted an luscious off-white.

Also neither classic (not) nor dated (totally out of style too long for that). How about future sought-after collectible, though?

Try to find an inspiration picture with a similar piece. That will help you have direction.

It's a beautiful piece and I'd definitely keep it. Whether to paint it or not, I'm torn. The stain looks good to me, even if there are a couple of blemishes. It gives it character.

It is more "country" though. Is that your decorating style?

Leaving it unpainted would showcase anything in a lighter color.

Also, you could pull an "old lady" thing I do, and that's put a white or cream lace table runner on it so it won't make it so dark and help highlight pieces. Even a pretty teapot and teacups. LOL.

I'm looking for something very similar to paint white and then use in my sewing room to hold books and supplies. Books would fill the top.

Thanks Gracie and Pam for your nice comments...and unfortunately, I cannot move the cabinet over due to an awkwardly placed HVAC vent in the floor just to the right of the piece.

I like it very much and think it is Classic. I do think to you could change the knobs to give it an updated look. They have so many wonderful knobs available. I updated my husbands computer armoire and my DS's armoire with knobs. It really makes a difference.

I like it - it has a lot of weight and fills that wall nicely! I had a similar piece that was not as nice as yours (from my mother in law) - I painted it the same chocolate brown as my DR walls (SW Portabella) which helped it disappear a bit, the room was on the smaller side. I put brown and cream zebra patterned wrapping paper from Hallmark on the inside of the cabinets, filled all the shelves up with stacks of old white and cream dishes from thrift stores (helped it look more casual and not so "displayish"), and put a collection of white enamelware pitchers along the top. I kept the old hardware bc I was too cheap to replace it and it blended in with the darker paint. Making it more monochromatic (brown, cream, white) definitely gave it a lot more style and I was really happy with it. I think you could have a lot of fun making it reflect your own taste. Have fun with it -

I think it's nice and I don't think dated when I see it. I would sit on it awhile and see. Finding an inspiration pic is a great idea. I could see it painted black and distressed/stained but I'm one of those people that's hesitant to paint wood.

Oakley - I'm hoping I didn't offend you with my response about doilies yesterday in my thread. I know lots of people who use them and they're not old ladies. I know you're not an old lady either.

I would pair it with a trestle table, and black rush seat chairs like in the link below. Some black toile plates in your hutch, with some white pitchers...will look gorgeous!
Dee

Here is a link that might be useful: Chairs

The only thing I don't like about it is the curvy applied moldings--which scream country to me and limits the style of the other pieces in the room. If you could remove those, perhaps paint it, I'd like it lots more. Another thought is to remove the top and just use the base with a mirror above.

I have a similar but longer hutch top with no bottom. bought it off CL for $25 a few years ago. My DH is going to build a shallow bottom for it and then we will paint the whole thing. I stripped it, sanded it and now I am priming it. My spine stuff has stopped progress as of a year ago.
The glass will be replaced with seeded glass to match my kitchen cabinet, and the backing has already been removed and we will replace it with narrow beadboard. I have beadboard in the kitchen already so it should look ok.
Thats the plan anyway- it may be awful or amazing, but I am set on trying it.

You can try placing a piece of mirror in the middle section behind the shelves to give it a little "pow" and dress it up if you are not into country.
I like it and think it is a classic.
I agree about trying out hardware if you are looking for a change. I think clear glass knobs would be lovely. The current ones work fine though...

From the photos, this looks like a beautiful piece. The woodwork on the top of the bottom piece is lovely, and I would hate to see it painted over. I do think that it is a bit heavy-looking, which is not necessarily a bad thing if the scale of the room can handle it. I think that the curved sides and top moldings limit its appeal to those who like country, but, if those elements of the hutch could be reworked, it would be more classic than country. My guess is that a good carpenter could achieve that, but I don't really know. It definitely offers excellent storage and display opportunities, and looks great with your pumpkin ceramics.

I will be the lone dissenting opinion (ducking). I don't care for the 1970s neo-colonial stuff. I only see that kind of furniture in houses with a shot-glass collection, a brass eagle, and some old yankee candles on it.

Creeps quietly away....

Do the two pieces separate? If so, I would like the base piece alone, with a mirror or piece of art over it, and a lamp on it.

Then I would take the hutch, turn it upside down, add a piece of granite to the top and make a console cabinet.

I love the pretty warm finish, I love re-cycling the old and just despair wasting a quality piece...and I'm sure it is that....but it does look dated to me. It's much like a 60's Ethan Allen dresser I once had. I hated giving it up, but the style was just too heavy and cumbersome and, well, dated. I have looked and looked trying to see a way to make it work(yours), but it's so busy with all the drawers,shelves, etc. I liken it to finding a designer suit in your grandmother's closet that cannot be altered. Wonderful fabric but unusable due to the dated style. At least there one could cut up the lovely fabric for a quilt or whatever.

How about just painting the back parts? Or adding painted beadboard? Maybe a tin tile back in the lower part would jazz it up?

Looking at it a 2nd time, I think the hardware might be holding it back. Go with something simple and lighter in tone and the piece will seem less "heavy".

Wow...great ideas~ I like it too.
What are you thinking about doing?

Sorry, I'm kind of feeling like lightlystarched, but that could be due to my age.

Someone on this forum painted a similar old cabinet like this a beautiful pale gray and put white marble on the top of the base cabinet, set the top back on, and the thing looked like a million dollars. I think if you updated it with paint, new knobs, wall paper on the back walls of the upper cabinet, and new knobs, it would be gorgeous. Right now it's a bit heavy and dated looking, but no way would I part with it. It has another life waiting to happen with some paint and marble.