Here is a chest I am redoing. Planning on the bottom being a dark red or black and the top where the hide doesn't cover being pecan or dark walnut stain. The hide edges will be lined with upholstery tacks.

Any input on colors/ideas before I commit?

I do a lot of furniture, I think it will look great.  Be warned nailing those studs isn't easy.  I did a foot stool that looks like a third grader did it.  On a sofa table I used the strips, it looks great but it's all straight lines.

I love to redo my stuff.  I used to hate painted wood, now I'm tired of brown.

Nothing in life is easy is it! LOL

Post some pictures of your stuff. I would love to see! Im new at this but it is super fun!

What kind of wood is the chest?

I bumped up a thread for you.. 

thejerseylilly2000 is great to learn from, I just wish she was still around, maybe she will check in too.. 

wood. LOL.. the inside is cedar lined. It is a Lane brand chest.

I think your colors, idea is great.  I like the dark red especially. 

I just refinished a Lane hope chest almost identical.  I painted it colonial red and got so many compliments on it. I got some flashing on the top, which an antique quilt is currently covering and need to strip/sand it again then repaint.  

Awesome! Thanks! you have pictures of yours?

Have you tryed Pinterest? theres always a ton of ideals on there.. 

Yep and there is a girl on Instagram that is amazing with hides. She uses sparklies and fringe and conchos!! If I do that it will end up a HOT MESS! but I might anyway LOL

Mine seems so plain against yours. I had to paint it because a puppy chewed off the corners of the chest.  I fixed the corners with wood putty.  I didn't bother to put the hardware back on and puttied those holes since the chest was factory done in spanish colonial.

I'm sorry not only do I not have any pictures on my computer unless things have changed I always found resizing hard.  If you want to pm me a phone number I can send some, but I understand if you don't want to.  My husband is the one with real talent, he has done a few things with the epoxy pour on and is fantastic with a wood burner.  I just refinish and paint stuff because I'm cheap, bored and would rather spend money on other stuff.

Right now I'm working on one of those fancy floral arrangements in a cow horn.  I have no floral talent at all.

I do love that red!

I have a piece that my dog chewed the corners on. I was wondering about shaping a new corner with wood putty!

Wood putty works really well for that.  I had to build my corners back in layers they were so bad, sanding in between to shape.  

Will you paint the body red, and the legs dark to match the top?  I think that would look nice!

It would look cool to stain  it a dark walnut then dry brush with white paint to make it look like old barn wood. As for the tacks on the hide you will have to drill with a very small drill to make a pilot hole. In hard wood the tack tend to bend easily.