It was a regular Sunday afternoon, as Matt and I drove to our friends’ house for a BBQ. Little did we know, it was one of our favourite days of the year – COUNCIL CLEAN UP!!
Unfortunately for Matt, he was driving. Sucker. So I was the one who got to look out the window as we drove past dozens of junk piles! Horrah! I saw a few ugly wooden dressers and a disturbing number of broken gas heaters?! But after 45 minutes of driving, I couldn’t see anything particularly special. That is, UNTIL we pulled up outside our friends’ house. And there it was, in their neighbour’s junk pile. A beautiful wicker rocking chair!
- Our new/old Bentwood Wicker Rocking Chair
I knew it was winner as soon as I saw it. The beautiful curved wood, the mostly intact wicker and the tall back. I was in love. Though truth be told, I knew absolutely nothing about rocking chairs, so I hit Google.
- Here it sits, safely tucked away in my Dad’s barn
Turns out, rocking chairs originated in North America during the 1700s and many believe Benjamin Franklin invented them! This particular type of rocking chair is called a Bentwood (because of the, well, bent wood) and the first one was made by German craftsman, Michael Thonet in 1860.
- Rattan webbing looking gooood
While the wicker (or Rattan webbing as it is formally known) on the back of the rocker is in great condition, there is a small tear in the rattan on the seat area.
- Rattan Webbing looking not to good
Not only do I plan to replace this rattan webbing, but I also want to paint the chair. I found an image of this gorgeously restored bentwood rocker and plan to paint mine with the same gloss black finish.
- Gloss Black Bentwood Rocker
Isn’t she soooo purty! The bright colours of the pillow really add to it.
- Loving that chair
I then hit YouTube to find out how to restore a wicker rocking chair, this video was an awesome help.
On a side note, how awesome is my Dad’s barn!?
This barn houses so much of my junk, much to Dad’s dismay. But I’m all like “Why have a barn if not to store all your kids’ junk, Dad?” Fair point, I think.
So, now to find some time to actually restore this chair – hopefully BEFORE our house is finished so I can put it straight to good use! Will keep you updated.
