Wednesday, June 9, 2010

Come and sit a spell

Some people bring home stray animals. We bring home stray chairs. Being as our house is not that large, we have to keep this weakness in check. So each chair has to meet certain criteria before entering our dulce domum: (1) must have some age; (2) must have character, i.e. Wow! that chair looks like it fell out of a Dickens' novel!; (3) must be inexpensive; (4) must be sturdy; (5) must be homey; (6) must be able to withstand sticky-fingered babies, kitty cat claws, and friendly folks of all shapes and sizes.

The other day I found an old windsor style chair with a rush seat at a thrift shop down the road. Usually when purchasing anything bigger than a bread box, I consult with my better half first. But the darned cell phone would not give me any service in that place, so I made an executive decision, and purchased it. Heck, it was only a few dollars over twenty, and for all I know, it could be the real McCoy, which may one day bless our children's children when they lug it to the Antiques Roadshow :)

I'm happy to report that when sweetie came home from work and saw it, he was pleased.

Pretty, no?

An old kitchen chair I brought home from my mom's. It belonged to my great-grandfather.

Old oak desk chair found at an open-air flea market near Denver, PA.

Ornately carved. Hand painted. Five dollars.

Found living at an apple orchard before we adopted it.

Hundred year old wicker rocker - comfortable to tall and short alike.

1920's piano stool

Found sticking out of a dirty snowbank on a trash-filled curb. What's wrong with people?

29 comments:

IslandHome said...

Love your new chair! I have a chair habit too! There's the Thonet chair from my great grandparents kitchen, the random cast-off from our family holiday cottage, the rocker rescued from the tip....what I love is that they all have a story, history and character that add so much to all the layers of our homes. What a fun habit we have!

monix said...

I love your chairs. You have such a good eye for things, I'd like to go shopping in thrift shops, house sales etc with you as my advisor.

Cheryl said...

I love old chairs. Well I love most things old, to be honest. I have to admit that I love finding the old chairs in other people's houses and trying them out. Some are definitely on show and are not for sitting, but others you could stay in for hours.

em said...

They're all beautiful!
Margaretha

Rattling On said...

They are just great. We also have mostly mix and match that we have acquired over the years. More interesting than buying a job lot.

Rosie said...

Love the piano stool! :^)

Jodi said...

Julia, you're right--it is a fun habit (heh, heh).

Maureen, all right, let's go shopping, girlfriend!

Jodi said...

Cheryl, I love those "sit for hours" chairs, too.

Margaretha, thank you.

Jodi said...

Rattling On, MUCH more interesting than job lots! Especially since you never know what's around the corner...

Rosie - why am I not surprised?

Niamh said...

Oh the tales that butts would tell of wicker and wood and thread..if only the butts would utter once, their tales of wicker and wood and thread.
Perhaps the tails that tell the tales wouldst but utter once,
But what a smell the butts' tales of wicker and wood and thread!
What would we do? but let out a few - tales of wicker and wood and thread.

Kerrie said...

Thank you so much for sharing these! I love mismatched chairs with stories and history. These are so special and well-loved. What a great idea for a post! :)

Melissa said...

I'm sharing in the chair love from here! I, too, have a soft spot for an eclectic mix of found and inexpensive 'characters' like this. Thanks for posting these pictures.:)

Amy Smith said...

Love the rocker. :)

alexis nicole said...

I love them all but my favoirite is the very first one. It is a very chic chair! I think you have a very lovely collection. :)

Joan said...

Niamh, where on earth didst you find such an appropriate diddy? I dare guess you created it?

Jodi, the chairs are gorgeous and each photo is, too! How well you beautify every corner of your house! Each chair whispers a secret of a specific time and a specific craftsman, and all reveal your own skill in composing a home!

Thickethouse.wordpress said...

How wonderful these chairs are, and how right they were to come home with you where they would be so well appreciated. We too picked up a wing back chair from someone's trash, and have had it in a corner of the dining room at our summer cottage for about 15 years now. What is wrong with people? If they didn't want it, there's always the Salvation Army or some similar group......I have a chair larger than a wing back in which I was sitting in 1946 and had my picture taken. I've also two old rocking chairs from my grandmother, and a small footstool, too....They make me happy every day. You are wise to have found your chairs and to have recognized their value.

Unknown said...

those chairs have so much character...like YOU!
HUGS!

Niamh said...

Joan, that is a Niamh original poem. I couldn't help myself. This post inspired the Shel Silverstein inside of me!

Jodi said...

Kristi, I should've taken a picture of the chair of someone in it. The back is very high; I've never seen a wing chair like it, and it makes me wonder about its age.

Jodi said...

Wow, I didn't know there were so many chairy lovers out there! Thanks, everyone!

Jodi said...

Niamh, classic.

Thickethouse.wordpress said...

Jodi, the wing chair I was photographed in is also very high and curves and the top. It's been through a number of upholstery jobs and I love it because my mother bought it, somewhere in the distant past, and it was always part of my home growing up.

Rosie said...

I love this blog! It's so peaceful ...

Jodi said...

Dear Rosie, aww shucks.

SmitoniusAndSonata said...

Lovely chairs , all of them . The wing back looks like Opa's chair did. Only he ever sat in it and it was upholstered in green striped velvet .If you were lucky , you got his cigar band for a ring .

Jodi said...

SmitoniusAndSonata, were you every lucky enough to get one of Opa's rings? :)

Kat said...

I just love your collection of chairs!

Jodi said...

Katya, thank you!

HIS Treasure A.M. said...

Lovely collection of chairs, Jodi....;o) U are correct though, I definately would have to 'limit' my collection....have a small home, but the older I get, the more I like it that way ;o)
Looking forward to your 'family/NewZealand photos' when U return !!!

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