A Labor of Love

Another project has come and gone. This time, a fancy lattice-back came through my hands. Although it sure wasn't fancy at the time...

It was sitting by itself when I first stumbled across it, lonely and pathetic with missing chunks and the frame itself falling apart. It was coated in filth at the time; sticky who-knows-what and dirty who-knows-why up and down it's disappointing exterior.


It sported no price tag, so I wandered off to find a DI employee. It must have been one of those days. He barked at me that I must be blind, that of course there was a price tag. But when he could not find one himself, he declared the chair a heighty $20. However, upon remembering its' much lovelier sister sold a week ago, he demanded $25. Was a falling-apart piece of junk worth $25 to me?


I carried the chair up to the front of the store, where I got a second opinion on the price. The middle-aged woman working the register said the sister chair was sold in mint condition and that this one had been passed by due to its' poor condition. After checking with a manager, she blurted, "4 dollars!" I whipped my card out before she could change her mind.

"Call it a labor of love," she said.

And indeed, it was. With each and every refurbishing project I complete, I am reminded just how important it is not to judge exteriors. Beneath the aged and filthy appearance is a beauty that simply needs to be uncovered.

With a little bit of help, dents were filled and edges and corners were smoothed. Then fresh color and beautiful new fabric was applied to the once-broken lattice-back.

I was obsessed with these screws. Found holding the cushion into the frame, these old screws reminded me of little keys. Unique little beauties.

The espresso shade I originally painted it lended a sparkle to the already elegant chair, but I eventually settled with this shade. We'll see if I still like it in a week. Maybe black instead?

What was once ugly and alone is now gleaming with pride. It now sits among my museum of also-furbished chairs with plenty of company, just waiting to be adored and appreciated.

It always is, a labor of love.