Artistic differences - advice for paint color?

Submitted to Community Chat

I bought two beautiful carved hand made nightstands at a garage sale this weekend for $75.  They're not antiques, just very pretty.  I posted photos on facebook saying how thrilled I was with the purchase and how I couldn't wait to paint them to make the carvings pop... Good grief!  Who knew this post would be so controversial!  I was hoping for some advice on what colors to use, but everyone is yelling at me pleading with me not to paint them.  I've had great successes with my paint transformations so far and can only imagine how much potential these pieces have and how much fun it would be to paint them.

I'm kind of afraid to post pictures here - afraid that I'll be yelled at more...  but look at those carvings!  Can anyone else see how amazing these could look with some chalk paint and wax?  I've seen some gorgeous pieces in grey and cream...