Old Hickory Furniture....a love affair

Having no real design direction for my new little home...I went back and looked at  some old pictures of houses that I have owned since I was first married.

And guess what?

I found quite a few things from the past that seem to be relevant and interesting and in keeping with how I enjoy doing interiors today.

One such love is Old Hickory Furniture....

So here is my story:

When I was a sophomore in college, I spent two summers working in Grand Teton National Park about 20 minutes outside of Jackson Hole Wyoming.  

Those were the funnest summers I can recall and it sparked my interest in all things "western" .....

including boots, hats, horses and men.

But scattered through out Grand Teton and Yellowstone are many wonderful lodges and small cafes that have interiors full of Old Hickory furniture

The company has roots in America dating to the early 1900's and changed ownership a few times but is still in operation today.

The original rockers placed in the Old Faithful Inn at Yellowstone National Park in 1906 are still there...

Imagine the stories those chairs could tell!

The designs are rustic but at the same time, graceful and comfortable and definitely interesting.

Vintage Old Hickory is highly collectable and many of the chairs may have the original  woven seats and labels, which will increase the value.

Different finishes and weaves add to the uniqueness of each piece and you can mix and match those, to suit your taste when you order them new. 

Now for the rest of the story....

The last week I would spend in Wyoming, I found 4 spindle backed chairs in a dumpster behind a little cafe.  

The seats were ripped out but other that, they were sturdy and had the original lables.

So I strapped them on the back of my car and drove away......

I found a supplier for natural raw rush for the seats and followed the instructions;  first soaking the rush in warm water, in my bath tub,  then weaving the seats in a nice overlapping pattern.  I used a kitchen knife to push the rush tight and finished any loose ends with a staple.  

Those seats never moved, broke, loosened or sagged....not one bit......  

And I used them every day for over 25 years!!!!

 Here they are around a little table in a beach house we owned for about 10 years.

 The house changed and grew and got re-arranged but the chairs always stayed.

 I finally sold them, right before we sold this little house and the new owner loved them too!

 So here are my new Old Hickory barstools. 

 A little bit less rustic in the finish, the hickory is actually peeled and the backs are done in cane, rather than rush.

 I used a couple of vintage grain sacks for the seats.  

The sacks are similar but don't match, which I like.

 For the third stool, I found this old oak piano stool which adjusts in height and has a great little cane seat and dark metal detailing in the center.

 So there you go...I am so happy to have something to sit on, I can't even tell you!

It's nice to see some new/old friends again!

I wonder how long I will own these......hmmm

Here's to the start of a great week
&
Hope you are enjoying some wonderful fall weather

~kelley~