There are way too many chairs in my life. I’m sort of obsessed with them.
When I look at chairs, I see types of people. Not necessarily the people who would sit on them, but actual personalities. That’s why I can’t leave a decent chair that’s been put in the alley. It’s like a lonely soul sitting there waiting to be saved. I used to feel that way when I saw good shoes in the alley, but I don’t see them much anymore, and usually people take them immediately.
Not so with chairs. Cast off chairs are headed for – who knows where?
But many of them have ended up on my cabin porch with a new coat of paint!
Several years ago I inherited a few Barbara Barry chairs from my husband’s office when we remodeled. 
Yes, they’re office chairs, but they seem right at home in our living room. When I look at them, I see an older European fellow who wears horned-rim glasses. He adds to our social gatherings with wit and thoughtful reflections. And he’s also extremely well-mannered.
Am I in need of a therapist? Perhaps. But let’s keep playing this game, because I’m enjoying it.
I recently purchased new dining room chairs at Design Within Reach. In their chair gallery, I felt like I had an audience of chairs. Some were calling out softly, some with a baudiness I couldn’t tolerate. And then I spotted the Prouvé Standard Chair. 
The jokester of my dreams! In black and Japanese red, this chair looks like a vintage harlequin that has been dusted off and shined up. Angled, clever, hard-edged with a few casual silver buttons! And six of them around my table make me happy.
For the host chairs, I introduced myself to the leather Bottega Side Chairs in black leather. They’re the serious disciplinarians in the dining room, keeping all those Prouvés in line…sturdy, silent, and heavy.
When I pull the dining room group into the living room for bigger gatherings, I hear a wonderful cacophony of accents and opinions – from the chairs, I mean!
Let’s look at a few more chairs, just for fun.
