Could you, Would you put a

BRIGHT BOLD ORANGE Buffalo Check Chair in your home?

For most people the answer is a resounding NO! But can you fall in love with such a chair? Absolutely!

This is the dilemma of my creative life. I want to create colorful and eclectic upholstery. I look around the upholstery world and see creative entrepreneurs carving out their own niches who are seemingly thriving. Women like Ragne Smith of Felix Hart, Carly Melancon of Desert Canary or Jenny Ellis of The Artful Chair are creating works of art out of furniture. Now mind you my style is different from each of these ladies but I so appreciate their art and their pushing the envelope in the upholstery world. 

For me, it is more about color and texture and pattern. It is about mixing things up, using vintage or artisan textiles, vintage blankets or quilts. But I have to balance this with the need to sell my furniture and while I get lots of positive feedback, sometimes I’m holding onto pieces a bit too long. 

So here is the story of the orange chair. 

I was browsing thru a local fabric store when I noticed a fabric book filled with buffalo checks of every imaginable color. Now buffalo check has always been a thing for me. Always! It’s not a trend for me. So I flipped thru the book and one fabric just LEAPED OUT  at me!

Orange Buffalo Check with Zinc

I was beyond smitten! I knew I had to have this in my life. For a die hard BLUE person, this is a pretty significant statement. 

At the time, I was registered to take a class at Workroom Tech. It was an open skills class, which means I could chose the skills I wanted to work on. For me, it was a channel back chair. The instructor, Cynthia Bleskachek of The Funky Little Chair had recommended, that I use a fabric for the channels that did not require matching. Something not too busy, as that may not translate well to channels. But that didn’t mean the whole chair had to be plain. I was determined to mix it up with some Buffalo check. And I really wanted to use the orange fabric!

But I was seriously concerned with the saleability of the chair. Would I be stuck with it? It could be a costly mistake, if I had to strip it and recover it. So I put it out to my FB peeps. I selected 3 different color pallets all using Buffalo check, the orange, teal and black. I had prefaced the poll with, I really want to do the orange but I’m afraid it won’t sell. Everyone had an opinion. Some hated the color orange in general, some said to be safe and do the teal or black check. But quite a few said follow your heart! 

So that is was I did!

I showed up in class with my orange Buffalo check in tow. There were ooohhs and aaahhhs. And as the chair progressed, there was a lot of positive feedback. I didn’t quite finish the chair in class, so I took it home and finished it. The final finishing touch was the pleated skirt. I took pictures and posted it on Facebook. 

Bam! The reaction was crazy! It got so much attention, not quite viral, but kind of viral for me. It got shared and the shares got attention. That orange Buffalo check chair with the ruffle had a life all its own. 

But as I suspected, there wasn’t much interest in buying it. Lots and lots of love but no home for this chair. Me and the chair patiently waited. There were people that loved it, but needed two chairs or the ruffle would have to go. But mostly no one wanted the orange chair. I had it listed on Etsy and Charish. Nothing. 

Until March 26, my Etsy alarm sounded. 

A lady wanted to buy my ‘darling orange chair’. 

Another alarm, and she also wanted to buy the Grain Sack and Gingham Chair.

Did I have enough orange fabric to make some pillows too? 

Can I make a matching chair for the Grain Sack and Gingham chair? 

Oh, I need a footstool too! 

I’m sorry to keep bother you, but can you make more pillows? 

Holy Smokes! Keep Bothering Me! I could hardly answer one question before she was asking me for something else. It only takes one person. And the orange chair had her person. This sale has currently turned into 3 chairs, an ottoman, 11 pillows, 3 banquette cushions and 6 dining chair cushions. Additionally, my client and now friend, wants me to do a pair of chairs with matching ottomans and few more pillows and possibly and bench for the end of the bed. 

But here is the other thing about the orange chair…

I attended the Custom Workroom Conference this past weekend, a year after the orange chair made its debut. As I met people and told them my name or company name, they would immediately say ‘the orange chair, I know the orange chair’. LOL!

So the moral of the story is risk can have amazing and unexpected results. Don’t be afraid of risk! It can have a life of its own and can take you places you can’t even imagine. The little orange chair has lead me to more work from one client than I could ever imagine. The client has become a friend.

And the orange chair has given me a presence among peers that I admire and respect so very much. I am forever grateful for the gifts the orange chair has brought me. And if I’m only ever known for one chair, the orange chair is a pretty good one to be known for. 

Orange is the new Risk!