Bargain Hunting for the Almost Finished Studio

Yesterday my husband suggested we visit the new Habitat Restore in Hikes Point here in Louisville (KY). I'd never been there but had been wanting to visit the older, Floyd Street location, so this sounded like a good idea. I mostly wanted to get a look at things like old windows, fireplace mantels, and other such architectural items. I don't need any of those things, I just love seeing them.

But lo and behold, five minutes into the store, I was confronted with what would have been the most expensive item I needed to buy for the new quilting studio--a sewing (office) chair. All that was 'wrong' with it was a little scuffing on the chair legs, and one glance told me those marks would come off with some window cleaner or soap and water (they did). The upholstery was flawless, the chair amazingly comfortable, and the lever for the height adjustment worked smoothly and perfectly. And it was GREEN--the only hunter-green, armless (which I prefer) chair in a sea of teal-colored chairs with arms. I was thrilled, as this very green is the accent color on the tile in the bathroom adjoining the studio, and the studio walls are a pale green. Even more thrilling was the price. But first, take a look at the chair:

The price was $20.00. That's right, twenty dollars. Later, at home, we looked it up on the internet. The brand is HON (which I'd never heard of, having been away from the corporate work force for 30 years now, but my husband knew it was a good brand.) This particular chair, it turns out, retails for $149.00 and up.

After I had wheeled the chair up to the checkout along with a lovely, sturdy basket I'd picked up for $2.50, I saw that my husband was over checking out recycled, bagged and nicely displayed electrical parts. So I just waited, idly observing the merchandise around me. And that's when this little gem caught my eye, stuck unobtrusively between a wine rack and an entertainment unit:

 

You can probably tell this is entirely homemade. Someone actually seamed two pieces of thin plywood to make the back. But the shelves are unwarped and plenty sturdy enough to hold fabric--and the thing is GREEN! The same green as the chair! Weird, huh? What can I say...I fell in love with it. Even the glued-on strip of border-wallpaper didn't bother me. After all, it looks a bit like the border on a quilt. And I just noticed how similar it is to the fleece throw on our basement chair in the photo. Hmmm...that throw just might end up in the studio. But I digress. The price on this homemade shelf unit was a little steep, I think--$15.00. But you can't put a price on love. I'm keeping this little guy as is, missing knothole, chipped paint and all. I truly think he was waiting for me to come along and adopt him. And he'll fit right in--literally. Right in the space between my little computer desk and my old card table. I can't wait to get him up there in his new home.

 

Check out Habitat Restore's website here: http://www.louisvillerestore.com/

 

Good hunting!

 

Linda