The Sport of Queens

Listen chiclets, R Man and I continue our home improvement spree. Last weekend, we tapped our friend the Urban Street Pirate to paint our dining room. You may remember, when this color was applied to our entryway, I was not enthused. I believe I may have used the word "Cheeto" to describe this particular orange. But now that I see it in the dining room in all its glory, I am entranced. I am willing to admit I was wrong. It's difficult for me to do so, but only because I have to so rarely, I'm unaccustomed to it. In fact, I typed it wrong twice just now. Nevertheless, I'm in love with it, brilliant, velvety; the closest description would be butternut squash. We have plenty of mahogany in there and it goes fabulously. Urban Street Pirate just has to finish some touch-ups tomorrow and I'll put the room back together. Expect photographic proof soon. In the meantime, here's the work in progress to show before and after colors:

Before

Sort of After, sort of during

While we had the dining room torn up. we had to move dinners into the living room and discovered we quite like it. The room is long and narrow, and the far end where we have a wall of bookcases had inherited a couple of ugly arm chairs that served their purpose, but never did much for the looks:It was all rather Barbara Pym's Home for Unwanted Furniture. Once we shoved a charming black game table that's been floating around looking for a place to settle down there and starting have meals off it, we realized it would be a wonderful alternative to the dining room.

We agreed some traditional Louis XVI dining chairs with arms would be just the thing. We could pull them away from the table for casual seats and use them at table for chow time. I decided to hit the thrift stores on Saturday on the hunt, knowing that you never, NEVER find what you're looking for when you have something specific in mind, but figured I needed to start someplace.

The first store I sailed into, a consignment store on Polk St. had these dazzling contemporary white leather chairs, bam, right in the front.
The first things I saw. Totally not what I was looking for, totally irresistible. Demonstrating how very meant-to-be it was, R Man was across the street; I called him, he loved them, we sprang $300 for the pair (a steal) they fit in the car (with Urban Street Pirate, R Man and Me squashed in the front) and suddenly we have a new dining experience. It had to be the only shopping experience I've ever had that was easier than Costco.

Saki digs them.