"Does everything purchased off the factory floor need to be brand new?"
My answer, in a word, is "No."
In the outdoor furniture industry, one often hears the phrase " heirloom quality furniture." This is furniture on the market today that is meant to be passed down to the next generation. In other words - It lasts.
The phrase holds a special meaning for me and takes its most distinct form in a particular wrought iron and glass set. A set that I am extremely fond of and forever attached. A 50 year old set that is still in use today. Most importantly, a set that graces the bucolic setting of my mother's backyard patio.
My parents purchased this set in the late 1950s and it shouts 50s sensibilities with its flat black and glass with hand forged scroll work that is intricate but not ornate, four perfect round-back chairs with neatly threaded and tightly seemed, cushion padding on the seats and seat backs.
I dearly love this set as it takes me back to my childhood; to the long summer nights on the hills of Vancouver's north shore. The wrought iron has been re-powder coated at least once and the cushions get frequent makeovers per my mother's changing style whims but the integrity of the frames has withstood ( perhaps survived?) over fifty-years of rambunctious children (and now grandchildren), various pets - large and small, wet and dry, Canadian winters and the perennial creepy crawlings of every six and eight legged critter that ever made its home in my mother's backyard. I hope, someday, in the distant future, to see that set on my own patio.
I did some research and found a few companies who are committed to restoring classic outdoor furniture.
One such company, based in Florida, is Gardenhouse. Gardenhouse is owned and operated by Cheryl Maeder Antonio and her husband Gary. Together, they breath new life into vintage indoor and outdoor furniture, truly making the old new again with loving attention to detail.
Adding a contemporary spin with new modern powder coating techniques and the latest trends in fabric, Cheryl and Gary's creations are an invitation to indulge your sense of nostalgia for a simpler and more pastoral day.
Having appeared in many of the most upscale magazines, Cheryl and Gary are artists in every sense of the word.
Finding a vintage umbrella in shape for daily use might prove to be a little difficult. There is no need to fret that your vintage look will not be compete. Two of my favorite umbrella manufactures produce amazing replicas of the vintage look.
SantaBarbara, with it's Paseo, is a stylish reproduction of the umbrellas of a bygone era. Choose your color and you have a welcome shade feature for your vintage look.
OR
Add a little trim and some fringe and you will have the elegance of yesterday with the classic style of the pagoda Umbrella by the CaliforniaUmbrella Company. With a wide variety of fabric and trim choices, the only thing hard about this crank system is choosing your colors.
If you love, glassware and dishware as much as I do then you have to visit the world of Michael Chiarello's Napastyle.
I have fallen in love with these little beauties. And each time I see them I think of Daisy Buchanan in her beautiful white dress on the lawn surrounding Gatsby Estate in West Egg Long Island.
Monogrammed Vintage silverware - How perfect! Available from NapaStyle and selected from sources in the United States and Europe, the pieces are from the 1930s and 1940s. To purchase these items, just tell them how much you need and they will sell it by the pound.
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