A Forgotten Beauty
A favorite forgotten beauty.
Have you ever come across something that just grabbed at you, and you know you had to have it?
Like maybe an old forgotten rocking chair quietly sitting, waiting for someone to see it’s potential… and appreciate its simple beauty?
It was partially hidden among some other old chairs. A press back rocker.
With the back top detailed in open carvings of floral scrolls.
It was dirty and grungy with a very worn and tattered seat.
The finish had been stripped off here and there from being weathered, sitting on a front porch…partially protected from the elements.
Even though it was just a forgotten frame there was something about it that I just fell in love with. So when this shabby beauty of a rocker was offered as a freebie, I said “Yes,” and it came home with me.
The Restoration of a Forgotten Beauty
I began the process of restoration by removing the tacks just to remove the tattered, torn, worn-out seat.
I sanded the rocker down with 60 grit sandpaper and my orbital sander in places that I could get the sander to. In places that the sander did not fit…I used good old fashioned elbow grease with sandpaper to remove dirt, grime and the remaining stain. I sanded it down to bare wood, to my liking.
Some spots may still seem darker, but I like that it gives the chair age and depth…
keeping the natural warmth of the wood.
How I Treat the Carved Back
Using the corner of my orbital sander and a point on a piece of folded sandpaper I gently sanded the carvings to clean out the stain, arriving at the patina I love.
Originally, I thought I would reupholster it and repair it to bring it back to what it once may have looked like. But the more that the naked chair frame has sat… the more I appreciated its rustic elegance and decided to leave it to maybe simply wearing its elegant carvings and nothing else.
Simple and beautiful!
I love this chair with all it’s rustic goodness and beautiful imperfections.
It evokes beauty and curiosity.
It has inspired me to play…
Adding folded burlap & dried florals to the seat, I snapped some photos of its reclaimed raw and natural beauty.
As my friend from Burlapluxe would say…
“Decayed raw beauty, not for sitting & rocking, but just for looking at.”
~ Dore Callaway https://www.instagram.com/burlapluxe/
A non-practical piece.
They say that if you love it, you will find a place for it.
For now, it is front & center sitting in the foyer of my house.
Maybe tucked a little out-of-the way…;)
I would like to think that as it holds those sprinkles of dried floral beauty it creates a little romance.
Tack holes & all!
The burlap looks quite good…I may have just found the covering for a new cushion. But, rest assured, it won’t be covering the tack holes or marks of love & use.
It’s not complete…it still missing a cushion for its seat.
It is not for rocking…
It is just for looking soft-n-pretty.
I hope you enjoyed “My wild west stylin’ for my wild west livin.’” If you stopped by the blog, thanks for stopping! I would love to hear from you, so please drop me a little note.
