San Francisco is the largest city I’ve ever lived in - so I don’t know if this is common in all major cities or if SF just happens to be a treasure chest for lovely discarded things. Around here, we have a group of selfless urban fairies better know as The sidewalk gods who go about leaving well loved furniture out on the streets for anyone who wishes to give them a home. We just so happen to love old, weathered things and have carried so many things inside to decorate our home that I’ve almost lost count. Many of them need a little attention - a coat of paint or stain, a good washing, or even a little attention with a power saw - but we love turning items that would have otherwise turned up in a landfill somewhere into beautiful pieces to add to our home. I thought I’d walk you through our latest adventure in sidewalk scavenging - the cane back barrel chair above.
1. Kate actually found this chair sitting on a curb during our walk back to the car from the Hardley Strictly Festival. She proceeded to hoist it over her head and carry it for many blocks, even though the boys asked multiple times if they could carry it for her. Her response “I’m getting this chair for baby Everly. Melissa, please tell her one day that Aunt Kate carried this chair for many miles through the Outer Richmond for her” (At one point an old russian grandma yelled at the guys “Can’t you carry that for her?”)
2. Next we stopped into Bill’s Burgers (ONLY THE BEST CHEESEBURGER YOU’VE EVER EATEN IN YOUR LIFE) for a little late night snack. We couldn’t leave the chair outside in case it was swiped by someone else, so we carried it in with us. After a few strange looks from our fellow diners, we made sure that Kate sat in it since she had carried it all that way.
3. Upon closer inspection during daylight hours, it was decided that yes, Kate had in fact found quite the chair and all it needed was a little TLC. After hunting around for a good 45 mins for my dark wood stain, I gave up and painted it white. I also unzipped the top cushion and washed it (there were a few suspicious stains on the seat that had to go!). The original color was a much more brilliant rust orange than I had anticipated and now I’ve got to find a way to wash the seat padding that is attached to the wood as they are now to distinctly different colors.
Regardless, the finished product is what you see above. 100% free and about an hours worth of combined effort. Every piece of furniture has a story to tell, and we’re just happy to add another chapter to the life of this little chair!
Love,
M
