Being move managers, we have the advantage of hearing first hand histories from our clients about their vintage things. These two chairs have a sweet story to tell.
According to their 90-year-old former owner, she and her husband purchased these two chairs at a thrift store for their first apartment. They didn't have much cash, but they did know quality. The intention was to strip off the aqua paint, stain and then finish the chairs. They got started on the project, but life and babies interrupted and it was never finished.
They moved to a bigger home, bought new things and these sturdy oak chairs went off to live in the workshop, the creative space for her to paint and him to work with wood. After their retirement, they downsized to a condo and these hard working chairs went with them. As before, they went to work in the lower level creative space.
Our client moved to a smaller apartment and no longer needed these chairs, so they've made their way into our vintage shop. Both chairs have the kind of patina you can't fake, the kind acquired by everyday living. The aqua chair is perfect. That cheerful color is spot on trend. It looks like it may have been green before it was aqua, possibly. But the stripped chair is also perfect. There are small bits of aqua and green in some of the grooves, turnings, nooks and crannies. A nice coat of flat poly to add some protection for the wood or a good rubbed in wax would be a nice finish for this unfinished work-in-progress.
All of which leads to the question, which do you prefer? And would you work on both chairs to make them the same? Or would you use only one? Or would you use both exactly as they are? So many questions...