Wednesday, May 9, 2012

Craig is my friend

Our dining room is one of the few rooms in our house I haven't really touched since we moved in two-and-a-half years ago, so I've been working up a new plan in my head for a few months.  I even made a (pretty lame, but took me an embarrassingly long time to figure out) mood board for it.  Wanna see?


I've been hoping to find more bentwood chairs to go with the four I inherited from Papa, and I finally spotted some on Craigslist yesterday afternoon.  Four for only $10 each, but they were an hour away in Cullman.  So I decided to put it in the back of my mind, test fate, and see if they were still available this coming weekend when I might have time to go get them.  But then it rained this morning, which normally wouldn't have anything to do with anything, except that I'd cleared my schedule for the day to chaperone Owen's field trip to Oak Mountain.  The field trip got cancelled, I spent about 5 minutes wondering what to do with myself, and then I heard a teenaged voice in my head scream ROAD TRIP!

Side note to all the moms in my life:  I made sure Scott knew where I was going AND I checked in several times AND I promised to abort mission if the place looked sketchy when I got there.  But I knew it wouldn't because the Craigslist poster made generous use of exclamation marks and smiling emoticons in (her) communications with me.  Serial killers don't do that.  Don't even try to question my logic.

Long story shorter, I got there, met a nice lady, bought her chairs and got some leads on good thrift/junk stores in Cullman.  I only managed to check out one of the places before getting back on the road to Birmingham, but I scored some good stuff there too.  And the best part is that when I opened the back of the car to add my new loot to the chairs that were already back there, something caught my eye.


Closer...


Closer...


Turns out they're not just bentwood chairs, they're Thonet.  THE bentwood chair.  I almost turned into a woohoo girl right there in the parking lot.

I don't think these are really old or crazy valuable or anything, not to mention they've been given a bad refinish at some point, but they're definitely worth a good bit more than $10.  (Which Scott likes to point out is moot unless I actually resell them.)

Now I'll be working up the courage to paint them.  

Suzy Hoodless; via The Design Files

Color suggestions?  And if any of you wish to forfeit your grocery money for the next few months to buy me these to go at the ends of the table, I won't stop you!!!!!!!

 ;)  ;)  ;) 

Woohoo!!!!!

5 comments:

Coach said...

The chairs are a great start to fulfilling your dream. Wish we were closer so we could help you physically and financially, if needed. You just keep on doing what you do best: thinking and designing.

Anonymous said...

Love the chairs! You know you have a birthday coming up.

Shelley & Scott said...

Don't even think about buying those chairs! I shouldn't tease like that :)

Anonymous said...

So keeping in contact with Scott is great...but taking a friend with you is even better...next time call me to see if I can join you on your trip into the unknown! Can't wait to see what you create with your new find!
Christine

Shelley & Scott said...

It's a deal Christine!