What Chesterfields Mean to Me: The Story of ‘Olive’

We love hearing from fellow Chesterfield fans – any excuse to wax lyrical about our favourite kind of furniture, eh? Just recently, then, we were pleased to connect with Halifax-based Jenny Lees via Twitter. She’s a huge fan of interiors and while she loves her stunning Chesterfield chair (inherited some time ago from her partner) now, it wasn’t always this way. Here, Jenny shares the ‘story of Olive’ – a beloved piece of furniture, and now a firm part of the family. Take it away, Jenny…

I call my chesterfield ‘Olive’!  That’s because it’s a dark olive green – my favourite colour!

I inherited ‘Olive’ when I moved in with my boyfriend, there was no way he was getting rid of it to enable me to use my ‘run of the mill’ sofa, so I agreed!

I must admit, I wasn’t happy with ‘Olive’ – she was, in my mind, old fashioned, drab and not at all what I would normally incorporate into my interior.  I went through magazines, interior design books, blogs, websites and lots more when deciding on my interior and was quite surprised at how many times Chesterfields appeared and how fantastic they looked.

I started to research what colours would go with green, as whilst it was my favourite colour it was a hard one for me to see with any other colour. I decided on a subtle grey which would keep it airy and modern against such a dark piece.  I used various shades of grey scatter cushions and a grey chenille throw on my three-seater and opted for a patriotic cushion with a cream throw on my chair.  With my wooden floor, Victoria fireplace and Victorian cornices, I must say it looks fantastic.

“I was quite surprised at how many times Chesterfields appeared in magazines and on blogs and how fantastic they looked.”

I wouldn’t have anything else again and it gets better with age!

A big thank you to Jenny for sharing her lovely story with us. Do you have a Chesterfield story, too? Feel free to get in touch with Lauren at lauren@comfysofa.co.uk and share it on our blog.