I’m not sure when the attraction began but I have had a love affair with old metal chairs for many years now. I can’t help it, they’re just so darn cute in their funky styles and fun colors. Maybe it’s because they remind me of the whacky & whimsical world of Dr. Seuss (they look like something that would have come from his imagination).
Maybe I love them for the nostalgic feeling that occurs each time I sit in one; always taking me back to those days of sitting in a red one beneath the shade of the apple tree in my Grandma’s front yard. She also had a green tandem glider which I remember sitting with my Mom and waiting for the school bus to take me to my first day of kindergarten in the fall of 1970.
Commonly referred to as “Motel” chairs, these bouncy and portable chairs made their debut just as WWII was ending and our G.I.’s were coming home. By the 50’s and 60’s, they could be spotted in front of motels, at poolsides, on front porches and in front yards making up the American landscape.
My first purchase was actually a pair of new reproductions that I found on clearance at Target in 1999. They were the perfect shade of aqua and I loved them so much I actually kept them inside of our home(s) for many years until I sacrificed them to the elements when we moved to our current home.
Although these chairs are beautiful in form and function, they are NOT made to sit in for long periods of time (sitting on a sheet of metal is never comfy). I highly recommend a pillow or pad of some type if you will be sitting for any duration of time. Also, be aware that because these chairs are made of metal, they get REALLY HOT when the sun beats down on them nor when the weather is chilly – it’s like sitting on a block of ice. In the fall when we sit in our motel chairs around the fire pit, we each take two blankets – one to wrap up in and another to sit on.
