June 22nd, 2020Design with Indre Kisonas – Pulling of the heartstrings
Mementos hold an emotional story that is often personal.
Many a room design and even a house style has been influenced by a memento, a keepsake or treasured piece of furniture. For example, a painting, an armchair or a cameo brooch. I have even had a set of African drums dictate the style of a family room addition.
It was Glen Heyne’s article from last week, with his potting shed reflections that led me on my own reflections. You see, I was flipping through some 50s furniture catalogues for an upcoming garage conversion when I began musing on my own 1950’s armchair.
The simple Danish styling, comfort, use of texture and timber has lasted through the decades and is still a very popular design style.
My particular chair originally belonged to my paternal grandmother. Being immigrants from World War II and making the best of some very hard situations, luxuries were quite scarce. For my grandmother, her luxury of choice was a Danish armchair. She persisted with my grandfather until he relented and bought my grandmother her chair. By this time, she had persisted with my grandfather for long enough and was diagnosed with cancer. It was in this chair that she would sit by the window and convalesce. The disease seemed to take its time, but I was a kid and time moves quite slowly when you are young. It was in this armchair that my grandmother would sit when we came to visit. The same armchair we have a last photo of, with her in it.
I kept this chair for myself. It was getting a bit ratty in its upholstery. Especially when my puppy of the time thought the deteriorating foam made a good chew toy. The poor chair’s re-upholstery was forever on my ‘to-do list’ and now, I am proud to say, that it is as good as new. New foam, new fabric and chew marks on the timber arms have been filled and polished and are non-existent.
I was happy to have resurrected the treasured chair for myself, my grandmother and also for my father, whom I knew still missed his mother.
I sent him the photo of the new chair and explained that it had taken me longer than I had hoped but now the chair was finally finished.
I thought he would understand. His reply was one that I never expected. “Why didn’t you buy a new one instead?”
Tender moment gone and I realised that my memento and memories that came with the chair were mine alone.
The chair still has pride of place by my window in my house and you guessed it, the décor revolved around my grandmother’s chair.
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