Sunday, March 29, 2009

Something to Sit Upon

I found this chair and a matching Captain's version at a thrifty-vintage place in Hollywood. I was immediately smitten, but they were quite damaged.
I'm pretty confident with fabric and a stapler, and reupolstering was no problem, but the whole refinishing and painting thing was a little challenging, in that it requires some degree of attention to correct form. I'm going through a phase in which I'm experimenting with doing things the way you're supposed to--just to see if maybe there's something to it. In this case I primed the chairs and sealed them with miniwax. I wish I hadn't primed them because the color would have been nice with dark undertones, and a slightly more distressed look. The miniwax just seemed silly; I couldn't tell it was there except in the places it dripped. Now I know. I'm going back to doing things catch as catch can.
I decided to indulge my passion for turquoise and red, but the turquoise is much bluer and vivid than it appeared on the strip. Vivid is the best descriptor for these chairs, in fact. They would fit well into a children's book, maybe something illustrated by Hanako Wakiyama.
How they fit into our house is another matter. I always forget that our home is actually rather stately. It's got a lot of red, but not so much of this vivid blue. Time to introduce it, I guess.
Overall I'm very happy with the chairs, though they may not spend too many months in these colors. I like, also, that under that spiffy paint they retain a memory of their previous bumps and bruises. There's some long mystery life there that's come into our kitchen.

6 comments:

  1. Does Ezra Jack Keats have a book featuring chairs in this turquoise, maybe? The children's book they appear in really does exist, I think. Maybe it will come to me.

    Do you worry someday you will have too many nice things? No room left for anything but constant upgrading of already-lovely goods?

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  2. I am intrigued by the thought of a gypsy in a stately home. Congratulations on once again having dirt to till.
    Kathy

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  3. I love this blog already. I love that you are doing things by the book, just in case there's something to it. Let me know when you go back to the other side (intuition?) because I'm a firm believer in doing crafty things my own way.

    Sweet chairs. Get them on a David Lynch movie set.
    Jen Hirt

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  4. These look great. I'll tell you about our trauma with our attempt with painting Santa Fe style chairs--as soon as I actually do it!

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  5. I think they'll look great in your kitchen. An exciting reminder that you've entered a new room.

    I agree with Lisa's comment about too many nice things and the upgrading. Fortunately, I only live a few blocks away.

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  6. And I, wow!, love that you fabulous people are commenting on my chairs. It makes them so much more satisfying to have around. Don't worry Jen: I'm lodged pretty firmly in intuition as my rational brain appears to shut down when I'm faced with a set of directions. Patterns? Forget it!

    And as to the so flattering comment about too many lovely things, there is some amount of turnover. The pillow I embroidered when I was fifteen of my friend/hero Adrienne with green skin and hair morphing into butterflies is no longer actually on display. Though if I can find it, it'll totally turn up here!

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