I saw the chair first. It had thick gray cushions, curved arms and a dip in its back that looked like the tail of a whale. It offered an open invitation for me or anyone else to sink right into it and relax. It was so clean that I wondered if anyone had ever nestled against its pillows.
I came across the chair as I was browsing in the auction house’s furniture room a day before the sale. This particular auction house always has lovely and unusual furniture in good condition. On this day, I had spotted something outside that I liked.
I was in the paved lot on the street side of the auction house when I spotted two white wooden chairs with the slatted style of adirondack chairs. They were straight-back chairs that would work well in my small backyard during the summer and easily fold to store in my garage when the season was over.
Back inside the auction house, I walked the floors of the furniture rooms, sometimes squeezing through tight spaces to get to other aisles of furniture. As I did, I spotted several interesting items for sale.
These are some pieces that willed me stop for a minute – to either balk or admire:
This two-headed metal prehistoric bird with monstrous teeth and bulging eyes called out to me. I just had to stop and admire this mythical creature.
I loved the shape of this lamp, with its shade a crisscross pattern of sky blue and white trimmed in gold. As I looked closer I saw that it was a floor lamp that had been draped across a sofa. This was an admire.
This is the only way I can tolerate a snake. This gray stone table centerpiece was surprisingly lovely, but I still would not want it in my house. This was a balk.
This was a pair of wingback chairs in an unusual shape. I loved the back but not the dated upholstery. This was an admire and a balk.
This was an artsy way to display vintage door hardware: skeleton keys, door locks, doorknobs and latches. I love old door hardware, as well as any other materials that are creatively re-purposed. This was an admire.
