The King of Wings

Might you happen to recall from a previous post the message I got from Diana the Lady D while I was out partying with Sharona and crew?  To refresh your memory:  while at a local hookah bar celebrating Sharona’s new job, I received an urgent text message from Lady D containing a photo of two ginormous wing chairs and matching ottoman.  She’d come across these lovely items while visiting one of our fave thrift stores in NoVA, and just knew I’d fall hard for them.  Well, that evening she purchased the ottoman on my behalf, but even after visiting the two delightful (and, did I mention, gi-NOR-mous) chairs, I somehow managed to forego them.  (Although, as I mentioned in my earlier post, I wasn’t able to get the attention of the…um… ‘ladies’ who worked there, so I couldn’t negotiate the price.  Details.)

As so often happens when I walk away from an undeniably special find, I was haunted for weeks by thoughts of possessing them.  Ah, those substantial ornately carved cabriole legs, the stately silhouette….Oh, I tried to overcome my hunger; I told myself repeatedly that the need was not there, tried to console myself with the ottoman that I possessed.  However, the ottoman was but a constant reminder of those left behind.  Even after I’d selected the fabric with which to restyle the ottoman, I obsessed (I know, hard to believe, isn’t it?!?) over the massive wing chairs.  After all, when would I ever again find a chair that would complement the ottoman as well as its matching counterparts? 

Then, when I was blessed with the discovery of the Harden  club chair , I knew, Dear Readers, that it was divine intervention!  After all, the wings and ottoman were also  Harden creations!  I knew then that at least one of the massive wing chairs was meant to be mine.  But, it was weeks before when Lady D had first seen them….Surely they were spoken for by now?!?  Ah, but Diana had been making daily pilgrimages to the thrift store to check on the chairs’ status.  Often she would arrive just as the doors had been locked for the evening, and she would be forced to peer thru the windows in search of the lovelies, all the while having to endure the proclamations by the ‘ladies’ inside, “We’re closed! Come back tomorrow!”.  But the Lady D is made of sterner stuff, and she continued her vigilance day in and day out.

Finally, when I could no longer control my craving, I left my office one evening fully intending to purchase one of the chairs.  But Diana had not laid eyes upon them for over twenty-four hours; would it not be fate’s cruelty to have finally accepted my need only to have the object of my desire snatched away before I could claim it?  (I should mentioned that I had already purchased a beautiful set of fabric with which to restyle this chair the day before….I was most definitely counting my chickens, was I not?)

Having called Lady D on my way to the thrift store, I had learned that she had not been by the store that afternoon on her way home, and therefore could not verify that the chairs were still there.  Nonetheless, I fought NoVA traffic in pursuit of my treasure, hoping beyond hope.  As I pulled into the store’s parking lot, who should be waiting for me but LADY D!  She just had to witness the impending procurement for herself!

As we both ran to the store in anticipation, we kept trying to see through the windows if the chairs were still there.  YES!  There they both were!  And they were both still available!  But, showing a modicum of restraint, I convinced myself that I had to acquire only one to satisfy my need.  Also, there was no way two could fit into the Passat.  In fact, I wasn’t convinced that one of these massive items could fit!  So, armed with my ever-present tape measure, I carefully measured one of the chairs from every angle, and checked the measurements against the Passat’s cargo hold.  Yes, it would fit, but only barely!

After overcoming the challenge of removing it from amidst all the other furniture on the selling floor (with the help of ‘Sean’, the store’s charming and able-bodied assistant), it was time to finally place the chair into its awaiting chariot.  My fears, previously calmed by the multitude of measurements, were once again raised:  IT.DID.NOT.FIT.  By mere centimeters!  As I was trying to determine what manner of clothing I could tear apart in order to tie down the Passat’s rear hatch, The able-bodied Sean proved that he was more than just a pretty face:  he ingeniously suggested turning the beast (the chair, that is, not moi) around and placing it legs-first.  And, lo ‘n behold, IT.FIT!!!

So, the most wonderfully huge wing chair (pictured here with the most elegant Lady D in repose) is now holding court in The Warehouse, awaiting its royal transition to total FABULOCITY.  Yes, look at all the glorious fabrics that are its destiny!  Teal and fuchsia and pewter OH MY!  It will be pure insanity, and I cannot wait!  But fear not – you, Dear Readers, will bear witness!

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!