I once heard
a story about a traveler who often visited his family in a small remote
village. There happened to be a young
woman who lived there, known for her homeliness. She was likely to never have a husband, she was so ugly. One day she met a man who seemed to show an
interest in her. Of course, she was
skeptical and so were the other villagers, but it didn't thwart the gentleman’s
attempts to court her. Eventually, the
gentleman asked for her hand in marriage and the pair was wed. While the traveler visited his family from
time to time, he was made aware of the very deep and abiding love the gentleman
showed his bride. He lavished her with
praise and love and took very good care of her.
Years passed
and the traveler made his way back to the village. Much to his surprise, he was shocked when he
saw the young woman. He had hardly
recognized her. She was now a very
beautiful woman. The traveler, in his amazement
and curiosity, began asking the other villagers what had happened to the young
woman…….Overwhelmingly, the villagers confirmed that the admiration and love
that her husband poured over her and into her soul had begun to change her and
through the years, her inner beauty began transform her outer countenance. She was now truly beautiful!
Sometimes, we
all just need a little tender love & care, don’t we?! I really think that’s where transformations begin.
(I just read
that story to my husband he’s not quite sure I can bridge the gap here, so bear
with me.)
Now, where
was I……….oh yes, transformations!!
Remember this
photo from one of my blog posts several weeks ago?
The antique
white French sheet Beth found has beautiful cut work and embroidery. It’s stunning!
The antique French grain sack has a pair of beautiful cobalt blue stripes but the background is woven in white and oatmeal, an incredible coarse textured linen.
The antique French grain sack has a pair of beautiful cobalt blue stripes but the background is woven in white and oatmeal, an incredible coarse textured linen.
Back then, this
“transformation” was merely a glimmer of a project plan, tucked away back in
the little “studio” in my mind. With everything else I had to do and with all
that Beth and I have been working on to get our full blog site up and finished,
continued progress and planning were S-L-O-W in coming. I found myself downright anxious to keep it
moving forward!
Then I found this
worn wing back chair at a sale one day. I
think my husband, Mike, may have thought I was crazy for even wanting it, but
he obliged and it went home with us in the back of his truck. (Good thing he has a truck! I seem to ask him to use it quite often these
days.)
If you
read the “About Us” page here on our blog, we talk about the criteria that Beth
and I use when we are considering a purchase for our FMF Compagnie collection,
“Would I want to use that in my home?” In this case, not quite the state
it was at the moment. However…..I knew this worn out wing back chair was
something very special. It just needed a “transformation” and a little TLC, and I
felt up for the task!
It took
me a few weeks to settle on the entire plan for the chair. (Could one liken
that to an egg in a chicken coop......incubating for a while? I’m
teasing, but you get the idea! Oh, and Beth and I really do love chicken coops
by the way.)
One of
the elements I love about this design is that only a single side of the chair's cushion
was covered with the grain sack, so when you turn the cushion over, the entire
chair appears to have been covered in the exquisite French antique linen.
This
allows the chair to be used in a very formal, pristine setting with the white,
but if you have a casual, airy, seaside or feminine casual design, the blue in
the grain sack gives a light, comfortable feel. We can't wait for you to
see it in person at our booth at the Santa Monica Airport Art & Collectible Market on July
28th!
Maybe
Mike was right……the story about the young woman’s transformation could have
been a bit of a stretch. I still think it is a good story……..just
like the saga of our newly “transformed” 19th Century French
Wing Back Chair, I think that's a great story! It's all about the "Ugly Duckling becoming a Beautiful Swan!"
Both Beth and I have been inspired through the years by a few favorite people..............one of the local Scottsdale Arizona Arcadia Neighborhood gals, Caroline Van Slyke, is one of them! Our mutual love for farms (and chickens) and everything pure and lovely, causes us to often peruse Caroline's sweet site Boho Farm and Home. Check it out.......we know you will enjoy it.........and stay tuned for more on the "chickens"!
If you are interested in
the fabulous 19th Century French Wing Back Chair at FMF Compagnie, feel free to email us
at info@fmfcompagnie.com and see this and our other lovely pieces on our Pinterest boards: http://pinterest.com/fmfcompagnie/.
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