Finds of the Fab Kind

Recently, I took a step back and re-read all my previous Furniture Addict entries.  It occurred to me that my writings truly illustrate the anatomy of an addict:  the dizzying highs, the plummeting lows, and (oh so rarely) enlightening philosophical musings.  And I must apologize, Dear Readers:  my last entry was, oh, a bit dark, was it not?  Insightful, yes.  Perhaps even rather engrossing (humor me, please).  But where was the gayety, the giddiness, the joy of discovery??  Most certainly, not in that last entry.  Well, let’s change that direction, shall we?  (Yes, I know I promised you a tale of “Foraging for Storage”, but you’ll just have to wait for that one.  Honestly, that whole episode is rather bland.  A necessary segment of my addiction story, yes, but I’d prefer to play on the manic side of the street tonight!)

Although I’ve been delinquent in my postings lately, have no fear – the Fabulocity continues!  Dear Readers, there has been a plethora of incredible furniture and décor finds this past week!  They’ve fallen into my lap (or, more accurately, I’ve almost literally fallen over them!)  Indeed, there’s been some kind of cosmic alignment:  I seem to have become a magnet for wayward furnishings.  Let us start this chapter with a most fortuitous exit from my office parking garage….

Over the past couple of weeks, Arlington Virginia has been vying with Seattle in the rainy-and-chilly category.  One thing we have most definitely not suffered is a drought.    Just when we seemed to be on brink of respite, the drizzle recommenced.  Such was the case late one afternoon as I was leaving The-Job-That-Finances-My-Furniture-Addiction.  When departing our parking garage, I must travel behind a hi-rise condo building.  It just so happens that one area I pass by is the spot where the occupants deposit their outcasts for ‘bulk trash pick-up’ (you know how distasteful I find that term!).   Let me tell you, more than once my daily scouting of that location has yielded great treasure.  And on this day, I was rewarded once again!  There, barely protected from the elements by an overhang, sat a tufted club chair of substantial size, upholstered in a slightly tattered floral fabric.  Of course, I immediately swerved the Passat into the adjacent parking area (I am blessed with remarkably quick reflexes in such instances) and jumped out to assess my find. 

Well, in a temporary lapse of judgment that I can only blame on (a) the weather, and (b) caffeine crash, I just could not get very excited about the piece.  Besides, the Passat already was carrying the amazing extendable dining table described in my previous post; this time, the poor table was on its way from my house to an “undisclosed location”  (you’ll have to wait for the “Foraging” posting for more details on that!).  So, I left the poor club chair behind and proceeded to deposit the table in its new (and hopefully temporary) home. 

Having emptied the Passat of its cargo, I proceeded to run a few mundane errands.  But fate intervened; I received a text from Diana, containing a picture of a club chair!  No, no, not the one I’d left behind; the Lady D had come upon a lovely upholstered piece on display at one of our fave fabric stores.  Having recently foraged there myself, I instantly recognized the piece and quickly called her to see if she’d found any particularly fabulous fabrics. 

Naturally, as I was driving home I had to relate to Diana the story of the discarded chair.   As I’m describing the piece, the fog that had clouded my judgment suddenly lifted, and I knew I had to have it!!  As I raced back to its location, I made sure Diana stayed on the phone; I intended to text her a pic of the chair, so she could validate my desire to claim it.

Fortunately, the chair was still sitting where I’d left it.  However, the Seattle-like rains had started in earnest, and I feared that the chair was getting drenched.  Although it was a bit damp, it remained relatively unscathed.  Upon further inspection, I determined that not only was the chair in quite decent shape, it also just happened to be of the same brand (Harden ) as the two chairs Diana had texted me about the week prior.  (As you may recall, Diana had come upon two gargantuan wing chairs and a matching ottoman in our fave thrift store, and alerted me of them while I was partying with Sharona at the hookah bar.)  We found this coincidence incredibly humorous, prompting Diana to research the Harden Furniture Company in great detail.

So, with Diana’s blessing, I lugged my latest discovery into the now empty Passat, and immediately transported it to reside alongside the amazing expandable table in the “undisclosed location”.   It will need a facelift to make it presentable to polite society, but the Lady D and I have already found an amazing retro-inspired flamestitch-patterned fabric remnant that will immediately elevate the chair from frumpy to fabulous!

And rest assured, Dear Readers, that I will soon regale you with more stories of recent Fab Finds….Good Lord, I’m stumbling upon them faster than I can write!