Exactly
Like That, Only Different
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
I stand in the center of the
“store”, tape measure in my left hand, drawings in my right hand. I’m here to
order furniture to be made for me by craftsmen from Concordia, one of the
villages where men have specialized in making a particular style of furniture
for the last couple centuries.
Furniture defined my life and my
livelihood for more than thirty years. I left all my wonderful pieces behind
when I crossed the border to sample life in a different country. But in a final
frenzy before I left Montana, I made cushions from down with the intention of
one day standing exactly where I stand today, backwards as usual, ordering furniture
to fit my cushions.
I became enamored of the heavy wood
frames with thick leather seats, on a tour of Concordia several years ago,
years before the thought of spending extended time in Mexico was anything more
than a sigh. This furniture is very much in the Spanish style, ornate and
substantial. If you are old enough to remember the Mediterranean furniture
craze of the ‘60’s, think Mediterranean only more so. More decorative, more
floral scrollwork, more turnings and finials and all on a grand scale.
My brilliant idea is that here,
surrounded by furniture, I can explain to Senor Alberto exactly what I want. Immediately
I see this is not going to be that easy. I want the seat to be made like this
piece in the middle (with significant changes) but the back to be made like
that piece two sofas over, only not so severe, more open. Comprender? Si? No? I
thought not.
So I start with something easy. I
choose two rockers from a row of nearly identical rockers. I carefully pick one
bay and one brown, the bay slightly smaller. The leather sling seats and backs
are made with Brahma steer hide, thick and tough, which will soften and mellow
over the years. I sit down and breathe in the horsey leather smell. Yes, the
bay and the brown.
Back to the hard part. Back to the
couches. Senor Alberto stands respectfully waiting for my instructions. See,
here, I like this low seat with the leather “patches” defining the three
seating areas of a couch. My seat cushions are thick, so this height should be
perfect. But the back is too ornate. I want it simple.
When I need an interpreter, I travel
with Carlos and Rudy, two friends who have proven helpful in more than one
sticky situation. “Rudy, I don’t want all the curves and carves and finials and
gew-gaws on the back. How do I explain.”
“Rustico,” he says. He points to the
couch on the left. “Is this what you want for the back?”
“Rustico, Senor Alberto.” I stick
with the couch in front of me. “But with a few curves on top.” With my hands I
carve the air above the couch, to indicate small flourishes.
Senor Alberto takes notes, makes
drawings. I look at them and nod, hopefully.
Back to the order desk. Now for measurements. I had my tape
with me so I could indicate in both inches and centimeters exactly how deep and
how wide I wanted both the couch and a matched chair. This should be the simple
part. I begin with the chair. 63 ½ cm wide and 65 cm deep. I brought a line
drawing indicating the same.
I am bombarded with questions. Both
Carlos and Rudy enter the fray. Inside or outside dimensions? What means wide?
What means deep? At this point four sets of arms make motions, hands spreading
in multiple directions. We look like windmills, each moving the air different
directions.
How hard can this be? I grab a
child’s chair as a model, spread my tape for the front to back measurements,
then the side to side measurements. I check Senor Alberto’s drawings. Good. I
hope. I give him the couch measurements, less confusing. 183 centimeters can
only be side to side. Right?
I choose a cedar wood from the mountains. Color? A dun, like
that table top over in the corner. I haggle over the price with Alberto until
we agree and are both pleased.
I have absolutely no idea what furniture will be delivered to
my house next month. What will it look like? But I have confidence the cushions
will fit. Because if they don’t, I’ll remake them!
Sondra
Ashton
Looking out
my back door
October 16,
2014
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
No comments:
Post a Comment