Have a solid wood dresser would look great in l.r. needs help

Would you be wiling to go the 'shabby chic" route. These are just suggestions. Research other ideas on the net. Take dresser outside and lightly sand it with a palm sander, if possible, or by hand. Use medium grit. Then take chain, rocks, ball peen hammer, etc. and lightly distress it. Sand the areas with the water marks a bit more than the rest in order to blend them in. After 'distressing' it, paint it whatever color you would like. One look I like is to use a solid color first, then do streaks of a contrasting color, kind of like streaking your hair. Then lightly sand, but sanding a bit more on the edges, or whereever you think a dresser would show use. finish with a coat of clear polyurethane. Good luck. There are ways to just get rid of watermarks without sanding, You'll need to do your own research.

strip and re finish- do take a sander to the scratches after the finish is removed. use a tack cloth to remove all sander dust. if its pine it will suck up stain and may turn blotchy...but there is a pre treatment for it. its been a while but it comes under a wood conditioner watco i think..is the brand

They sell two items you my want to try before getting in too deep. First, is a furniture oil polish called Old English that has a stain in it so as you polish your furniture, small scratches and chips and maybe even the watermarks may get stained and "disappear." It sells for $ 4.82 on Amazon for an 8ounce bottle (see attached pic). The second option is a a small set of markers that match common wood tones and you use to cover up scratches, chips and water marks on wood. A three pack(light, med and dark) is sold for $1. at the Dollar Tree store. (see attached pic).

How about sanding it back/giving it a buff?

the markers and old english I find do not work. try this.https://www.hometalk.com/diy/repair/furniture/getting-scratches-out-of-wood-cabinets-and-furniture-27852174

https://www.hometalk.com/diy/clean/furniture/how-to-remove-a-water-stain-from-wood-19711720