Exactly the Chairs I Was Hoping For!

Sometimes Facebook is annoying and other times it's wonderful.  Today, I think it's wonderful.  It helped me get the word out to my friends so I could get exactly the chairs I was looking for in record time.  Let me explain...

I have been wanting two matching chairs for ages.  I actually started the hunt when we first moved into our current house in 2008.  I couldn't find the chairs and I gave up looking for a while and headed in another direction.  Then, a couple of years ago, I started looking again.

I wanted the chairs to be sturdy and comfy, but they also needed to be pet friendly.  I wanted two loose cushions in each chair and no fabric around the outside because that's way too attractive to my super destructive cat, Cindy Lou.  She has scratch pads of all sorts, but she prefers furniture.  I've tried (without success) every trick on the internet to keep her away.  I give up.  It's easier to decorate around her issues.  She likes to scratch fabric - upholstered chair backs and sides are her favorites.  So, I needed chairs without fabric on the sides on backs.

There were a number of styles that would work for me, but I never seemed to be able to find them.  I did not want to buy new.  I knew I'd eventually come across a used set at a decent price.  I've been pretty patient, but my patience finally wore thin and I decided to get more aggressive in my search.

Any of these styles would do.

Yesterday, I posted a collage on Facebook showing the various chair styles that would work.  Then, I tagged a number of my treasure hunting buddies and asked them to keep an eye out for me.  Within a few hours of that post, I had a message with a photo of just what I was looking for.

Spoon Sisters in Tyrone

Lynne, the wonderful owner of Spoon Sisters in Tyrone, saw my post and showed it to her vendors right away.  Betty, one of her vendors, had these chairs at her house.  She was planning to put them in her booth as soon as she had room.  No need for that!  I went to her house and picked them up.  By the way, Betty's house was fabulous - lots of incredible pieces of furniture - and she had the prettiest pond out back.  I wish I'd taken a photo, but it was hard to concentrate on anything but my new chairs.   I couldn't believe my search was finally over.

Love those details!

I love the details on the bamboo (or is it rattan?).  The chairs are sturdy and comfy - they definitely passed my test. They're roomy, too. I'm looking forward to having company, now that more people will be able to sit comfortably.

I didn't care what kind of shape the cushions were in.  I was pretty sure I'd be getting new cushions and having covers made for them.  As it turns out, I won't be in any rush to do that.  These cushions are in great shape and the black and white check fabric looks just fine in the room.

This is the second one on the opposite side of the sitting area.

As a bonus, these chairs will be super easy to slipcover.  I can change the look easily.  Each chair came with a small throw pillow, also in the black and white check.  I prefer to have a contrasting pattern, so I added yellow and white pillows there for now.  I will probably change those soon.  There are some other colors I want to bring out in the room.  One decorating change leads to another and I have a number of changes in mind for this room.

It's crazy how quickly I got exactly what I was looking for.  There's probably a lesson here. Good things happen fast when you ask for a little help from your friends!!!