Please Meet My Green Chairs {Before & After}

Back in this post, I introduced you to a pair of chairs that hold a very special place in my heart.  But really, they deserve a post all their own.  (After all, they occupied quite a bit of my mental energy for an embarrassingly long time.)  So, if you'll humor me by reading along, I would like to tell their story.  (Because the best furniture has a story, I'm convinced :)

Back in November of 2011, we lived in Richmond, and I found myself perusing Craigslist for chairs.  (I'm not really sure why exactly, as we didn't have any room for more chairs, but whatever.  I have a thing for chairs, so what do you expect?)  I recall that it was late in the evening when I saw a post asking $50 OBO for this pair of chairs.

I loved the fact that the picture wasn't the best.  Diamonds in the rough are my favorite!!

I felt my heart go aflutter, and I got that excited feeling of butterflies in my stomach as my mind raced over how amazing these chairs were.  They were everything I'd been looking for in a pair of chairs that I didn't need!  All signs pointed to them being vintage--their smaller size with the straight arms, even that orange fabric, and I simply loved them from the first moment I saw them.

Of course, I emailed the seller right away, and when I didn't hear back I made an appointment with my primary care doctor for some anti-anxiety medication (KIDDING!)  In all seriousness, I grew very concerned when my inbox continued to go without a reply.  Over the course of the next couple of days, I tried to make sense of the silence.  Judging by the picture in the listing, I figured the seller was a dude, and he probably wasn't all that in to Craigslist, right?  Maybe he hadn't checked his email?  Perhaps I should just send another quick email and ask if the chairs had been sold? (At least this way I could move on with my life)  Well, a week went by and I heard nothing.  I was beginning to come to terms with the fact that these chairs were just not meant to be mine.  My husband and I talked about how my feelings over losing the chairs were similar to his when his Cavaliers lose a game.  Our marriage was enriched by this mutual understanding we now had for one another, so all was not lost.

Fast forward about one week, and I'm sure you can imagine my sheer delight when I opened my inbox and saw this:

Let's just say there was much shrieking accompanied by children with confused looks on their faces.  (Also, this email confirmed that the squeaky wheel does in fact get the grease, thankyouverymuch.)

I made arrangements to pick up the chairs right away!  No matter that Philip was out of town! (which meant I'd have to take both of my kids with me to retrieve the chairs)  Fortunately, the seller lived nearby, so it wasn't as big of a deal as it could have been that I had to make two trips in order to get both chairs home with me...

Once I got back home, I recruited one of my neighbors to help me unload them into our garage, where they would remain for the next seven months (until we moved at the end of July).  Most of my friends can attest to my love for these chairs, as I would insist on bringing them back to the garage to see them.  I would go and check on them from time to time and dream of the day when I could have them made over and give them the new life they deserved.

Shortly before we moved, I knew the time had come.  I had contacts for getting reupholstering done for much cheaper than typical rates, and who knew if I'd be able to find that in Illinois?  (In case you are wondering why I would want to deal with all of this before a move, let me remind you that the military takes care of all the moving details!)

One last look at them before, on my parent's porch, before they were picked up by my upholsterer.  

Now, choosing fabrics is no decision to be taken lightly.  Especially when you are talking about reupholstery--these are not mere pillows that can be changed up when your mood strikes.  I was also going to need twelve yards of fabric, so I wanted to be really confident with what I chose.  To make matters even more complicated, please recall that I had no idea what the room these chairs would live in would even look like!

{Here is where I need to thank the many friends who helped walk me through this very difficult decision-making process.  You know who you are :) }

As you can see, I ended up choosing a solid green indoor/outdoor fabric that I purchased from Lewis & Sheron in Atlanta.  And I am so pleased to report that I am very happy with the chairs.  It is so great to be able to enjoy them after all those months of waiting :)  When it came down to it, I basically chose this fabric because I liked it.  I love green, and while I didn't know what my living room would look like, I figured these could work somehow.  As divine intervention luck would have it, I ended up finding this rug I mentioned in this post right before we left as well.  I was pretty excited when I got it home and realized the green in it would tie in perfectly with my chair fabric.  LOVE.

I told you my rug was beat up!  Do you think spills or crumbs concern me?  Nope.  Also, please try not to be jealous of my stylish footwear!

At this point, you are possibly regretting that you just spent several minutes of your life that you cannot get back reading a story that basically confirms what many already know:  I am obsessed with chairs.  Nevertheless, I thank you for reading.  And if you happen across any chairs you think I might like, please do share.  I'd love to dream up a new life for them with you :)


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