It’s raining chairs, hallelujah, it’s raining chairs.
Just when I mentioned that I should be stocking up on more chairs to pair up with desks, sure enough I hit the mother lode of chairs. Well, perhaps it’s not as mystical as all that. My friend Sue happened to stop off at a garage sale that was only about 3 blocks from my house. When she noticed that they had a bunch of very reasonably priced chairs, she gave me a call.
I ran over there with my sister and niece last Friday evening while the Chinese takeout they brought over was getting cold. Then I had to call Mr. Q and have him come meet us with the truck. Then, I went back again the next morning and bought some more stuff. And here is only some of what I came home with.
The drawers and the cane back chair came home with me on the 2nd trip. The rest is from the first trip.
There are also two more chairs that I already stashed upstairs in the barn for next spring. They are chairs that once had cane seats, but now just have a hole where the cane was. They make perfect ‘planter’ chairs, so I’ll hang on to those until spring.
And then, just in case I hadn’t brought home enough chairs, my sister-in-law popped by shortly after the Chinese take out was consumed and she brought me this chair.
This chair is already paired up with a desk I plan to paint in the coming weeks.
I also grabbed a pile of old windows at the garage sale. I have a co-worker who makes really darling custom window signs for people, so one of these is for her (she only needs windows without muntins so only one will work for her).
The rest are for me, just in case I find the perfect spot for an old window.
I grabbed a few smalls at the sale too, including this fantastic cocktail shaker.
This cane back chair is one of the items I went back for on Saturday morning.
It had some lovely details. I’ve already got Ken working on a solution for the seat. Dare I even tell you how much this chair cost? I can’t resist, it was only $3!
This pair of yellow chairs has already been re-styled …
now they are white …
My favorite of the chairs though is the crusty blue and white farmhouse chair.
Just check out that original chippy paint!
This guy is going to hang out with me for a while. You’ll likely see him in a few furniture photo shoots.
And in case you are wondering about the drawers, yes I bought 3 drawers with no dresser.
People occasionally buy dressers that are missing drawers, but somehow these drawers were missing their dresser. They were also only $3 each though, and they were worth that for the hardware alone. I plan to use a couple of those key hole escutcheons on another dresser. I have some fun ‘pinterest’ ideas in mind for the drawers once they have been robbed of their escutcheons, so stay tuned!
q is for quandie 
Apparently there are many more garage sales up your way. Or perhaps the it is regularity of your visits that’s the ticket. My favorite chairs are those with the bamboo look spindles. Love the books and watering can you used to stage them too. What kind of hydrangea is that? Has the color of a limelight but not the cone shape. The drawers are making me scratch my head but not doubt you have something fab up your sleeve..
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Good eye Victoria! That is the Little Lime hydrangea. It’s smaller than a Limelight at 3′ to 5′ tall. The Limelights can get to 8′ tall and I’m pretty sure mine have. They are giant this year. The flowers on the Little Lime also start out a little more green than the Limelights, and they are definitely a bit more rounded rather than cone shaped.
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great haul Linda!
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Thanks Darrielle! It almost compares to your regular weekly hauls!
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Hi – that harp back chair is exactly the same as the ones that were all around our dining room table 60years ago. Like your Mom – I say thank God she will never see what you are probably going to do with it LOL – Oh but she may be looking down so watch out. I just knew you would love the etchy one. You have a great life my dear and have such joy in what you do. Betty from Ontario,Canada.
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Betty! I was hoping you were still sticking with me despite my chippy ways. I hadn’t had a comment from you in a while so I thought perhaps you had given up on me 😉 You know me so well, I do love the old crusty chippy things the best!
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What is a lunkin? The hardware at the top of the window? You are just a wealth of information…never ceases to amaze me. Love all the chairs…just in time for some desk makovers!
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LOL, you must be typing on your phone again T! I’m sure you meant what is a “muntin” and they are those grilles that separate the small panes of glass in a divided window. Does that make sense? It’s kind of hard to describe what I mean, which is why I looked up what they were called! “Lunkin” on the other hand is the meal you eat at noon when you are out junkin’ … bwa, ha, ha, ha!
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Hi Linda! I love, love, love your blog and furniture makeovers! I have a question for you! When it comes to finding old stuff, do you worry about lead paint? I recently found this cute secretary desk that I REALLY want to make over but it was previously painted and my lead test came back with inconclusive results! Just wondering “what Quandie would do?” To paint or let it go?? Thanks!
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Thanks so much Alaina! As for the lead paint, first off a disclaimer. I am not an expert in the field of hazardous materials, so take my advice with a grain of salt. That being said, I rarely buy pieces that were previously painted. Not because I’m worried about lead paint, but because I find it trickier to paint over old paint versus other finishes so I tend to avoid it. However, I have done a handful of previously painted pieces and I really didn’t worry about lead. First of all, lead is much more dangerous for children and pregnant women, and I am neither. Next, the real danger lies in ingesting flakes of paint or inhaling the lead dust caused by sanding or abrading it. So, my advice is to definitely avoid chewing on the cute secretary desk if you can 😉 If you need to sand it, be sure to wear a good quality air mask. 3M makes one specifically for working with lead paint and you can get it at Home Depot for about $25. Also be sure to use a HEPA filter vacuum to clean up the dust. A better option might be to not sand your piece at all. Instead wipe it down with TSP Substitute and just paint over the inconclusively-maybe-lead-maybe-not paint without doing any sanding or disturbing the pre-existing paint too much. If you are worried about adhesion, use a good primer like Fusion’s Ultra Grip. If you ultimately want to get a distressed look, then check out {this post} on layering colors over an old paint job by Melanie at Lost & Found Decor. A technique like this might be just the thing to give you a fresh look for the desk without exposing you to any dangers from lead paint. Best of luck Alaina!
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Awesome! Thanks for the advice!
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I had to look up what a muntin was too!
I have a few spare drawers in the basement so I’m looking forward to your ideas.
I recently sent a CL post to a friend for a table because ‘the legs alone are worth $20’…great minds!!
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Totally. I once thought about purchasing an old beat up doll buggy just for the wheels, but when I went back to grab it, it was gone. I still think someone must have heard me talking out loud about how popular those old wheels were at the time!
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The chair your sister-in-law brought you? I have the exact same chair by my front door! The seat is leather, but that is the only difference. I picked it up at a thrift store several years ago. I guess those chairs were pretty popular 50+ years ago, I bought it because it reminded me of my grandmother’s dining room chairs.
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I think you are right Barb, those Duncan Phyfe-ish chairs seem to be a dime a dozen. My grandmother had similar chairs around her dining table as well, but without the lyre shaped back. My grandma’s chairs had needlepoint seats that she made herself. How about yours?
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I remember a cream colored brocade fabric, how on earth did she keep them clean?
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Good question!
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Great fine! Love what you did to them
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Thanks Ivory!
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