It’s a fact, I truly love chairs. Not sure where or when this adoration began, but recently I blurted out how I loved chairs on a car ride with my daughters. They had that “there she goes again” side-eyed look and chuckled. Maybe it’s the symbolization of comfort, rest, waiting, and a time to visit an old friend or family member and reminisce that makes me so fond of chairs. As I write this piece I am sitting in Starbucks enveloped in a butterscotch tufted leather chair. The room is full of people talking, reading, studying, and listening to music while sipping on an over-priced foamy drink in all kinds of different chairs throughout the shop.
Rocking chairs are a sentimental favorite of mine. On the Christmas Eve before my daughter Alexa was born I received a rocker as a gift. She was rocked many days and late evenings in that chair. As she grew older she loved to stand and hold on to the arm of the rocker for support. She would gnaw on the arm while she was teething. Her tiny teeth marks are still there. And now that chair is in my grandson’s room where his mom and dad rock him.
When you think about it young children have many special chairs at different stages of their development. Highchairs contain the young diners to practice their pincer skills with cheerios and other finger foods, until they graduate to learning how to use eating utensils. It’s contained and messy, but many spaghetti eating and first- birthday- cake- smashing milestones are captured in that special chair.
Don’t forget car seats. There are more belts, buckles, and snapping mechanisms to keep our precious little cargo safe. How the heck did we ever survive without car seats when we were little is still a mystery!
Remember Archie Bunker had his favorite chair? That iconic chair is in the Smithsonian in Washington, DC!
Little Miss Muffet- she had a tuffet. And Humpty Dumpty, well he should have been sitting on a chair and not teetering on a wall. (We all know how that one ended…)
Dentist chairs are definitely NOT a chair I love. But beach chairs that are set up near the water’s edge to invite the waves to lap up on your feet and allow you to drift off to faraway daydreams are priceless.
Movie directors have special chairs too, and it sits high on a movie set. Those that work around that chair have a special respect and reverence for the directives given, ” ACTION!!”
Let us not forget the man in the red suit. Children young and old wait in long lines during the Christmas season to sit on Santa’s lap in that large gilded thrown of a chair and share their wishes and hopes for that special gift from him. Speaking of thrones, kings and queens have ornately adorned gold seats they sit upon that symbolizes power and authority.
My friend Stephanie and I love to peruse barn sales and antique shops. I always gravitate towards the chairs that are wooden with chippy paint, and endless stories to tell I bet. Those well-loved chairs are soulful and a part of someone’s history. They are nothing like the chairs found in big box stores that are mass produced. Those old weathered chairs were made by skilled craftsmen with calloused hands that took great pride in their work. I have purchased some of those chairs, and they now continue their history in my home. Empty chairs look lonely to me; but I can’t rescue them all. I need to leave some for others to cherish as much as I do.
Now, TAKE A SEAT~
I would be remiss if I didn’t share some interesting facts I learned about chairs when preparing this blog!
*The first chair dates back around 5000 years, to the times of Ancient Egypt. They were used for the leader or chief of a group.
*The word chair comes from the Latin “chathedra” which means to sit.
*Chairs did not become popular until the 16th century. Before that people would sit on the floor.
Friends give us support and always have our back when situations may not be comfortable. Did you know the most important feature of any chair is the level of back support? Everyone has a different shape back and each person will need support in different areas. When we find that “just right” chair we have found an old friend that makes us feel comfortable, safe, and protected. (See how I was able to weave our girl Goldilocks in here?)
Fall and winter are right around the corner and it’s the perfect time to wrap yourself in a blanket, read, write, or call someone you need to reconnect with while being hugged by an old faithful furniture friend~ your favorite chair.
Always…Amy
Always...Amy 