Thursday, April 3, 2008
Rekindled Affair with a Rope Chair
About 12 years ago my sister found this folding rope chair at a tag sale. She paid like $2.00 for it. I was instantly smitten and offered her a LOT more. She could smell my desperation and so she became quite the negotiator—upping the ante with each new bid. Eventually we landed on a price, and I walked away with the chair and a husband that was rolling his eyes (or was he wincing?). Anyway, I’ve neglected the chair since we moved here 10 years ago. It never really fit anywhere in my small house. So down to the basement it went. Just yesterday I received my issue of Renovation Style (love that magazine), and there it was—my folding rope chair in pristine glory—on the cover. My heart started beating. I suddenly needed that chair to be front and center in my living room. I felt just like I had 12 years ago when I first saw it. Well the years of neglect have turned the rope lacing and the wood all gray and moldy. Why I stored it in our damp basement I’ll never know. When I showed my husband the magazine I was pleased to see that he seemed to have the same fond reaction, fraught with blame of course: “I loved that chair. You never should have put it in the basement.” I was going to take a picture to show you, but it’s too depressing. So, I’m going to look into restoring it. I’ll keep you posted as I discover how to bring this very expensive two dollar chair back to its full potential.