And I didn't even need them!

Recently I did a photo shoot for an upcoming book on vintage decorating, taking some thrift store chairs and showing how to update them for a contemporary room. In order to do the project, I ended up having to buy a set of 6 dining chairs, even though I only needed two of them for the shoot. Salvation Army wouldn't break up the set, but I really liked their lines.

So I had to figure out what to do with the rest. And you know me: I can't resist free furniture—or a project, for that matter.

For the book I took two of the chairs, which have a kind of Georgian shape with a small wicker panel on the back, and painted them a deep orange-red with a glossy paint, making them look like Japanese lacquer. I painted the wicker panel in black, then recovered the seats in a modern fabric with a black and white diamond pattern. I gave these (plus a third) to my friend who lives upstairs.

But I still had three chairs. One of them had a big tear in the wicker that really couldn't be repaired, and I had started painting it as a prop for the shoot. Out on the street it went. But the other two I decided to keep for myself.

I didn't do anything to the wood, but I did change the fabric to the blue and brown you see here (and I added some cushioning to the seat to make them really comfy). Now I have these two great side chairs that I didn't even need. That don't fit in my apartment. Or a closet.

Okay, what is wrong with me?