My nephew just turned three years old. He loves to sit and eat with the family and gets upset if he cannot be at the table like a “big boy”. Can you blame him? That is where the action is…the food, the conversation and the family circle. Yes, you can pull his plastic high chair up close, but that big tray separates him and the wide base doesn’t allow him to really be “at” the table. Booster seats work, but they have him stacked high on the chair and he needs help getting up and down.
Last summer, my sister-in-law mentioned a “great idea” she saw somewhere. (Sorry I don’t recall the source) Someone had taken an old wooden high chair, removed the tray and painted it a bright modern color. She recently purchased some wooden chairs with a rounded backs and asked me to be on the lookout for a high chair with a similar style.
I “kept my eye open” for several months. The few that I discovered, were too rickety, painted with lead paint or too small. I realized I would have to suspend my search until spring arrived, or so I thought! As luck would have it, 1 week before Christmas, I was driving by an antique shop that had furniture displayed out front to catch the eye of passers by. Low and behold, among the “bait” was the chair I had been looking for! It was solid, the back was round with spindles and there was no lead paint!
The contemporary decor in my brother’s dining area is mainly black and white with splashes of color (green) introduced through accessories. I decided on Valspar’s Jasmine Green (Lowes) to give it a bright modern look and chose a semigloss finish so the chair would be easy to wash down.
It was fun to surprise my nephew with his new chair on Christmas Eve. He instantly scrambled into it on his own, it was a perfect fit. Now he can dine right at the table and be a part of that inner circle.
Now I need to decide what project to do next!
