Ode to the Chair

Rhoda over at Southern Hospitality (a fabulous blog by the way) is hosting a fun blog party. Basically, we all show off our Favorite Thrifty Find Ever and run around (a cyber-run, of course) checking out everyone else's finds, too. You know I ADORE garage sales, so this is right up my alley. The only hard part about this was choosing just one item! I was tempted to throw in a few other things too, but then...where to stop? So here, ladies and gents, is the one...the only...$15 Dollar Aqua Chair!!!

It's sturdy...it's comfy...it's fabulous...it was $15. What more can I say?

(It turns out, a lot more. The following is a blog post I wrote last November inspired by my Aqua Chair - back when the only people who read my blog were my mom, and maybe, oh, one friend. So, I figured I could get away with reproducing it here, just this once! )

Those who know me well know the love-hate relationship I have with chairs. Or should I say…the unadulterated love I have for chairs, and the subsequent hate my husband has for them? Not because of some strange jealousy of the objects, but rather an aversion to the sheer numbers of them I have brought home over the years. Nearly always from garage sales, mind you…I’m not exactly spending hundreds of dollars on these things (I say somewhat defensively). This addiction to The Chair led to my husband proclaiming a few years back, “No more chairs. If you buy another chair, you have to get rid of an old one.” Or this is what he claims to have said. What I HEARD him say was, “…buy another chair”. So the acquisition of chairs has continued.

Orange chair silhouette collage on canvas, by Anne Harwell (one of my favorite artists)

Last summer I bought a beautiful one from my next door neighbor for $15 and didn’t even have to try to cram it into the trunk of my Toyota Camry – I was able to just pick it up and lug it next door. The upholstery is uninspiring – yet inoffensive – beige, but the woodwork is a pale aqua. The chair has great form – which is what always sucks me in, regardless of the paint job or state of the upholstery – and the color is now trendy for the second time in the chair's history. It's actually super-sturdy and equally comfy...one day, my dream is to have it reupholstered.

Retro Gothic Iron Chair print by Anne Harwell

Ah, New Aqua Chair – I love you today, but let’s be realistic – today you’re my favorite treasure, tomorrow you’re in the basement. It’s where all my chairs inevitably end up. Some make it back into the furniture cycle at a later date…others just head straight for my next garage sale. So here’s to you, Aqua Chair – may your stay in the living room be long and your time in the basement short; and should you ever find yourself out of the house, may it be at the reupholsterer’s instead of out on the sidewalk with a “Free” sign!