whitewashing furniture

I painted two bookcases in my tiny dining room dark green last year, and while I loved them at first I need a change. I was thinking of doing a whitewash over them to give a more country lighter look. My dining table needs striping but was thinking of painting it the same dark green and then whitewashing it too. But wouldn't I want a poly on top of it? I do a lot on that table and am thinking it wouldn't look very good in a very short time. But I don't want it shiny. do I use a matte finish poly on it? I want a distressed country look