Breathing New Life Into...

In the spirit of 'going green,' these days repurposing anything is a good thing. Most recently, I found myself looking for unique chairs for my library. While not wanting to pay 2k per chair for my favorite style of chair at Scully & Scully in NYC; I decided to reuse my 10 year-old cherry, Queen Anne dining chairs. The project took longer than expected and much more armwork than I thought possible (painting, stripping, and repainting my kitchen cabinets was easier), but, what a wonderful addition they are! And, quite the conversation pieces as well. I sanded all the lacquered stain down to bare wood, applied several coats of very thick (tar-like) black rustoleum paint - knowing that my children and friends would be using and abusing these chairs on a daily basis - and then turned them over to a friend's very talented mother for the final chinoiserie style artwork in gold to match the shades and colors throughout the library. I can't tell you how valuable local artists and talent in general are to the redecorating of any home. Our local artist Elsie, was able to make the transformation of these chairs to functional pieces of art. Love them!