Sunday, November 29, 2009

Shop-The Hunt

One of the four chairs I am redoing to resemble the Shabby Chic "Darcy" chair

It has been awhile since I have posted and that is of course because of the holidays and all the cooking, cleaning, decorating and shopping that go along with it. However, I couldn't resist posting my most recent treasures.
A quick background on the hunt that led to the purchase of my four new dining room chairs. I have long been a fan of Rachel Ashwell & Shabby Chic. In one of her earlier books, she had shown several fabulous chairs she had found and restored. Later, this chair would be recreated and named "Darcy". A beautiful French design, cane dining chair with simple cushions covered with a ruffled cushion cover. Available in either a oyster shell gray or oatmeal. The $400+ price tag was a hurdle I was determined to overcome, especially after seeing six chairs in a friends house recently *sigh*
Well, last week, after 8 hours of hunting and walking a local antique market, I came across my four chairs, that were in a similar style to the "Darcy". $125 dollars later, all four were squished into the back of my vehicle and on their way home with me. The cushions are a little worse for wear but the chairs are in solid, excellent condition. Nothing a good scrub and can of paint can't fix. I have since made plans to recover the cushions and have found a friend who can sew the ruffled cushion covers for me. For now, I glance lovingly at my new project and look forward to finishing them to resemble their not so distant cousin, "Darcy". My dream dining chairs, finally acquired and that much sweeter, knowing after a long hunt, I found them in true flea market fashion & price.
Don't give up my friends, there are still many treasures to find out there...

Quote for Today

"...the most dangerous tendency in the world is the desire to believe a rumor rather than to pin down a fact." -John Steinbeck