A New, Old Chair

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This past Summer my sister and I each inherited a chair from our Grandparents house.  These chairs have been around for as long as I can remember and as long as my Dad can remember too.  We had the chairs reupholstered and my chair now sits in my living room.  The upholster was really impressed with the quality of these chairs.  He said they were made in Grand Rapids but he couldn't tell by who.  It's not surprising that the chairs were made here - Grand Rapids, MI was once known as the Furniture Capital of the World because of the great number of furniture manufacturers.  My Grandpa remembers that these chairs were purchased from Klingman's - a furniture store in GR that unfortunately is closing after more than 150 years in business.

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You might remember me mentioning the chair when I posted about the ottoman I recovered to match the chair.
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I could kick myself for not taking photos of the chairs before we took them in to the upholsterer.  Here are the only photos I could find of the chairs back when they were at my Grandparents house:

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{ me at one year old in the chair }

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{ with two of my cousins; I'm the one in the blue & white dress }

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{ with my Grandpa in the early 80s |}

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See the small amount of green in the last photo?  That was the true color of the upholstery on the chair.  A pretty color, if you ask me, but after 40 + years you can imagine how worn it was looking!

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And the finished chair now:
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I've considered painting the wood on the chair, but for now, I'm leaving it as it is.
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It makes me happy to have this piece of our family history in my living room.
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{ You can find the new upholstery on my chair here }
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{ If you are in the GR area, the upholsterer we used is:  The Fabric Place, located @
3101 Broadmoor Avenue SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49512, Ph 616.285.9000.  I highly recommend them! }
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