Ikea pine furniture finish

[Berit Batterton]

I recently bought some bedroom furniture from Ikea. It is all made of untreated pine (see below). In my current room, this color looks super washed out and has no contrast with the walls (renting my apartment so can't really repaint the walls or anything). I would really love to stain or finish this furniture to achieve a warmer brown color (like in the second photo). Any recommendations??

[Gary Beasley]

A coat of wipe on polyurethane would probably do just that.  Test first on a hidden part of the chest.

[JohnG]

A “cherry” stain might get you in the ballpark. Test on the sides of the drawers or underside of the drawer bottom if it’s the same material. 
Remember that unless you go with something that is very opaque, the grain will stand out a lot more than in the 2nd pic. 

 

[wtnhighlander]

Gary is right, on both counts. Polyurathane imparts a warm amber color to pine, but don't expect it to look exactly like the  example. You pine piece has some distinctive grain, that will probably be accentuated by the finish. Testing on an unseen area first is very good advice.

[Wimayo]

A long time ago (maybe 20 years) I finished a similar piece with oil based poly on the top and drawer fronts and white enamel on the rest. I like the combination, but the important part is that the oil poly gives the pine a beautiful golden color and has proven to be very durable (still in use). I would test it on some similar wood and see if you like it. If you don't you can always add some color tint to the poly until you find what you like. I would avoid stain if possible. Pine is just too difficult to keep from blotching.