I love to paint and I love painted furniture, I don't think that is a surprise to any of my readers or friends.
But I have struggled with the idea of painting this piece.....
There are a few pieces that I am reluctant to paint, and most of them come from my maternal Grandmother. One of them is her hope chest (even if the top veneer is peeling) and the other is her sewing cabinet.
My mother handed it down to me while I was in college, and it has traveled all across the country with me to my many, many apartments and homes as my trusty nightstand. I don't really know much about the piece, except that it was used to hold sewing paraphernalia. The top opens up to reveal some wonderful little cubbys for things. It will make a great jewelry box someday.
I am ashamed to say that this little gem has had a very rough life in my possession. As much as I treasure it, it has gotten banged up and has lost a few of its details. Below is a picture of the scrolls, unfortunately there are only 3 left on the rear legs.
I have not done a lot of research on this, and there are no labels to go off of, but from what I am seeing I wonder if it is a Caswell Runyan "Perfect Sewing Cabinet". Here are some images I have found leading me to think it may be.
source
So, what do you think? Is it a Caswell Runyan?
And should I paint it?
-Laurie
Don't paint it! It's beautiful! Looking at your handles and the last pic of the brand you found, I would venture to say that it was made by that company. Those handles look identical.
ReplyDeleteI am leaning to not painting it. I am glad I took the time to so a bit of research, because I was so close to just doing it. I have not painted it for the 20 years I have had it, so why now???
ReplyDeleteI would like to know more about it though.
Has it been refinished down to bare wood? Maybe spiff up the hardware too. I used to enjoy refinishing furniture, such as that 2-drawer dresser that you and D have now.
ReplyDeleteIt would never mean the same to you after you painted it. Trish
ReplyDeleteThat's a beautiful one you have. It just appears to be missing the part on the inside cover where the hooks and wooden dowels were for holding threads. IMHO, you should not paint it, but restore it. There is a refinisher available that would reliquify the finish so it can be redistributed evenly, without actually stripping and refinishing the whole thing. And if there is any possible way, it would be nice if you could have the little scrolly things copied and replace how ever many are missing. It's a beautiful piece and you are so lucky to have it.
ReplyDeleteThat's a beautiful one you have. It just appears to be missing the part on the inside cover where the hooks and wooden dowels were for holding threads. IMHO, you should not paint it, but restore it. There is a refinisher available that would reliquify the finish so it can be redistributed evenly, without actually stripping and refinishing the whole thing. And if there is any possible way, it would be nice if you could have the little scrolly things copied and replace how ever many are missing. It's a beautiful piece and you are so lucky to have it.
ReplyDelete