Today I’m back with another Thrift It post. This time I’m chatting up vintage chairs, more specifically, what I refer to as lonely chairs.
What is a lonely chair you ask?
Very simply, a lonely chair is one that is being sold alone. Single chairs are often the best deals in the second-hand furniture business because most shoppers are looking for pairs or sets. So those odd ball chairs are often priced to sell.
(an old blog pic circa 2012)
I believe these special unicorns in the thrifted world offer all kinds of design magic. And I personally believe that if you happen upon one under $20, don’t even bother to think about whether you have a place for it or not. Do not worry if it “fits your style”. If the price is right, grab that chair and run. You will not regret it. Here’s why.
With little money invested you’ll feel more free to play, more design freedom to unleash your creativity. You’ll be less likely to overthink things and more apt to just go for it! And in that fearless decorating zone, you’ll find your true design style.
When you feel free to play with design, you give yourself permission to make a mistake. And that is truly the beauty of a lonely chair. As compared to a desk, dresser or table, a chair is relatively easy to makeover. A can of spray paint, and maybe a little upholstery fabric and boom. In about an hour or so you can give your thrifted chair a whole new look. And hey, if you hate the look, no harm, no foul. Because you don’t have much invested. While you might feel bummed out if the makeover doesn’t go the way you hoped it would or if the chair just doesn’t look right in the space you had planned to use it, the design lessons you’ll learn will far outweigh your frustration in the long run. Because you’ll be honing your style and possibly even your furniture makeover skills. And that is truly priceless!
- Here’s another old blog photo, and a great example of design courage at play. It’s easier to take design risks when there’s little to lose. This gold chair currently lives in my closet.
The value is in the lessons learned.
It’s been my design experience that more is learned when you don’t get it right than when everything comes together the way you hoped it would.
That old chair pictured up above has been made over quite a few times.
Take One:
A white shabby chic look with a bright green seat? If you’ve been around here for a while I think it’s clear that this is not really me, but back then I was experimenting and still trying to figure out my style.
Take Two:
I kept the white, but I replaced the green with leopard. And just like that this thrifted chair became the perfect desk chair in the master bedroom of our Kentucky home. Through the process I learned something about what truly speaks to me.
Take Three?
As much as I loved the scuffed-up white and leopard mix, this chair has unfortunately not found a home in our current house. We’ve been here for three years now, and this chair has just been sitting in a storage closet. I love it too much to let it go, but I don’t really have a place to use it right now.
So enter stage left – a color I rarely, if ever, use – plum. I figured with the kids back in school it was time to get my creative mojo back, and what’s better than a little spray painting fun? I’ve always loved the look of purple-y plums mixed with leopard, or so I thought. But I was one coat of spray paint away from being done with this chair makeover when I stood back and thought ~ Nope, I’m just not loving this. I wanted to dig this, but I don’t.
Another lesson learned. I do still like plum with leopard. But I prefer my plum in smaller doses. This is just too much of this color for me. It just doesn’t speak to me or make me feel excited. It makes me wrinkle my nose, shake my head and say nope. This is not for me. And better to learn this lesson on a thrifted chair, than in painting or wallpapering a whole room. 😉
Maybe this plum and leopard speaks to you or maybe you liked the bright green upholstery in the first take. The point is that a thrifted chair provides the perfect opportunity for you to figure yourself out or just take a chance and see what happens. It’s a rare design occasion where you can run wild, and just go for the gold or the plum and see what happens…without having to worry about a huge time commitment or monetary investment.
You raise an excellent point. I’m always grabbing chairs. My husband put a really yucky one in our closet. I painted it white and covered the chair in an aqua silk and it looks so glam. For no money and little time you can make something very useful! I love your Blog.