You'll definitely want to strip the old paint off first and depending how thick the old coat is and how intricate the design is would depend on what you would use. Sand paper and a paint scraper would definitely come in hand. I would look for a multipurpose scraper that has 3-5 different edges on it to get in both wide and narrow spots. Every local hardware store, Lowe's & Home Depot has them and a wide selection. You'll also want one with a secure handle like rubber or a material that won't slip in your hand. If you're using sandpaper you might want to get an inexpensive sand paper holder to do flat areas more evenly. The kind of look like the letter D with the flat side facing down, the curved part would be where your hand would rest making it a little ergonomic.

You'll also want protective glasses, their plastic and inexpensive but as with toys safety first is paramount even when scraping paint.

There are also liquid/semi-liquid paint removers, ones that you can brush on, leave for a while and then easily scrape the paint off. Check this out at your local hardware store too! We bought such a solution to remove paint off of one of our houses and found it worked wonderfully. I have something similar for a bookshelf I'm pulling the stain off to re-varnish.

You will also want to check with you local hardware store about the paint you want to apply and tell them the type of wood if you know it, this certainly would make a difference if you were to brush, roll or spray it on. Wicker for example you would spray on. Do you want your paint finish to be flat, semi-gloss or gloss? Keep those factors in mind and if you want it to match something in the room its going to be in, bring a sample of something in that color with you to the store. You'd be surprised how many white, blue's, green's and reds there are at any store.

I've always found the hardware store personnel only too glad to help out you complete your project to achieve the look and quality you want. It also helps as your doing here to ask for others suggestions and ideas. On some projects around the house I do a little research first, and have a couple of local TV shows that also have websites so you can get add'l details for How-To's around the home, inside and out. I like to be somewhat informed when asking for help at a store so I at least understand what their talking about and so I don't purchase more than I need or want.

Hope this helps.