A Tale of Two Lawn Chairs
[Today I’m sharing a post that was first published here five years ago. The two lawn chairs of the title are probably nearing 90-100 years old, but they are still in almost perfect condition since we had them refurbished. And I’ve updated the post with several recent photos.]
Once upon a time…oh, the anticipation of those famous opening words! Well, this isn’t exactly an exciting or inspiring story, but it is kind of a fun one. Once upon a time, there were two lawn chairs. I really don’t know how their “lives” began, but I know a lot of their story and I’m thrilled that for now, at least, their story has ended at our house.
My husband’s grandparents, who both lived to be 101, had these lawn chairs on the porch of their farmhouse for as long as Ken can remember.
After Grandma and Grandpa passed away, the chairs were slated to be sold in their farm sale. We didn’t have room for the chairs at our house and none of the rest of the family wanted them. But one of my sisters was fixing up a little under-the-deck patio at her house, so I sent her the photo above, asking if she wanted them. I think she paid $10 each for them.
They were perfect for the little brick patio she and my dad made under the deck, and I was thrilled that they were still in the family, even if it was my side of the family.
After Ken and I moved to Missouri two years ago, my sister and her husband offered the chairs back to us. She had painted them at some point, but after nine years, they were definitely showing their age. I kind of liked the chippy look and we were thrilled to have them for our back patio. They came in handy during the pandemic last spring when we needed to social distance with our daughter’s family over some apple crisp and ice cream.
The chairs had really weathered to the point that they were pretty rough to sit on with all the peeling paint, so we checked into having them sand-blasted and powder-coated. We debated whether to paint them the original colors—the only ones Ken remembers them ever being—but in the end, he preferred painting them both red, and I am just thrilled with how pretty they turned out.
We already had the aqua patio set that echoes the original color of the other chair, and I think it’s fun how the red backside of my “fake” teal door leaning on the screened porch over the patio echoes the red.
It was a little pricey to have old chairs redone. In truth, we probably could have bought brand new chairs for half the price. But new chairs wouldn’t have nearly the sentimental value these do. They should last for many, many years to come and might even get passed down to our kids and grandkids. I think Grandma and Grandpa would be pleased.
What “heirloom” pieces do you have that may not have any monetary value to the world, but are priceless to you?
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Love those chairs! I agree, items with sentimental value are so much better than new. We do big on the old rigs. All the Chevy trucks from my husband’s dad. My dad even owned one of them at one point, so they come from both sides of the family. Our son is a big Chevy fan (and mechanic, so that helps with maintenance to keep them going), so “a fleet of Chevys” is parked in front of the shop. I have my mom and dad’s oak table and desk, plus several things made by both my parents and family members. Ahhh. They are sweeter for the memories.
I couldn’t agree more. I think our house feels more like a home because of all the items that belonged to our loved ones…some of them things we grew up with, so they speak of our childhood homes.
Love that you have a fleet of Chevy’s parked in front of your place!
Oh. I remember those chairs when we would visit my Aunt in Florida. They are long gone now. But I do have a chair that belonged to my hubby’s grandmother. A friend redid the upholstery for me. When she was stripping the old, we found the stuffing to be a hay like substance. She asked if I wanted to remove it, but I told her no, leave it. So the chair sits in our living room. Sometimes you can hear the crinkle of the “hay” when you sit in it 🙂
Oh, I wonder if that “hay” could be horse hair?? That was something they often used as stuffing! It’s a good sign of an antique nowadays!
A little initial ring, engraved LH. It was first given to my aunt, Lillian Herlich, then it passed to me as Laurie. The next time I venture to California, it will be given to my cousin’s daughter, Lauren, and hopefully continue to be passed along and treasured.
Oh, that’s beautiful! And how cool that several of your family have the initial “L.” So special!
I love that you refurbished them. They turned out beautifully!!
I LOVE things that come with a personal story like this. My two prized heirloom pieces are two typewriters. One from each side of my family. The first was my grandma’s (on my dad’s side) aunt’s typewriter. My grandma remembers getting to type on it whenever she went to her aunt’s house, and since her aunt had no children, my grandma received it upon her passing. Then my grandma gave it to me when she heard I love typewriters.
The other is my mom’s great uncle’s typewriter. He became like a grandpa to her when her own grandpa died when she was only 2. Both typewriters are so, so special to me!