On a main road, in waning peak hour traffic I saw this neon yellow 1960s Parker chair, thrown out for the council to pick up.
When you see something of interest in the throw outs, don't wait and think to come back later, because if its worth collecting. ( like this iconic 60s chair) you wont be the only one looking. Don't worry about how silly you look struggling to hoist a cumbersome find into the back of a little five door. If your lucky someone will come to help, if not you'll be forgotten by the next intersection.
When I got the chair home, I took stock of what I had and realized I would have to pull it apart to restore it, - which is often the way furniture was made after the 1950s, each piece made and upholstered and than assembled and detailed.
I didn't have a home for the chair immediately and I didn't know what I wanted to upholester it in, so the pieces sat around for awhile, while I thought about it. around that time I had a conversation with a friend about coming trends and I made a prediction, that with all the problems in the world today, fashion in furniture would turn to something more comforting , stronger, homely and safe. There would be a turn away from the flighty, frail and pale ...
With this in mind I chose strong, comforting, safe green check in a wool /linen mix for durability. This also helped it be useful in different decors. in a trendy retro apartment, an office or a place by the fire in a country style home.
While upholstering the chair I did change a few things. I gave the shoulders of the chair a more squared off tailored look and added an extra button for symmetry. Little things that do make a difference .
None of the work on this chair was difficult to do. By following the pattern of the original, matching the design of the fabric and making sure the fabric is stretched neatly over each piece it will come together. A few sewing skills are needed, but success will favour the brave, and remember nothing is ever lost to trying.
If you find your project in the street, it has little or no commercial value and if you don't spend hundreds of dollars on fabric, if it doesn't work all you have lost is time, but gained the knowledge, that some instruction is needed, and you can acquirer that at a local community collage.
If doing a chair first seems a bit ambiguous there are lots of smaller projects around the house that can add up to considerable savings over time.
You can read more about my projects on my blog at http://a-trip-to-the-tip.blogspot.com/2010/12/introduction-to-trip-to-ti...