Every year for the past few years my mom and I, along with any sisters or friends who wanted to tag along, have made a trip to Atlanta for the annual Country Living Fair. This event always falls at the end of October which also happens to be my birthday so that makes the trip twice as special. Well as you know this year I moved to Germany so I did not get to make my annual girl’s shopping trip to Atlanta. This has made me a bit nostalgic thinking about all the great vendors who show up to share their talents.
One of my favorite vendor to see every year is Shawna Robinson. Does that name sound familiar? Well if it does that is because Shawna was for many years a driver in the NASCAR series. The daughter of a race car driver father and a flea market treasure hunter mother, Shawna says she got bitten by both the racing and design bugs at an early age. “My mom would go to these flea markets and antique sales, get these pieces and turn them into amazing things. I’ve always had a passion for art and vintage things.”-The Flying Spoon- So after years of racing when she found she wanted to spend more quality time with her two children, Shawna shifted gears from the race track to her second passion, design.
Shawna is now the is the creator and owner of Happy Chair. Okay so now you are thinking I am the crazy chair lady, well maybe, but when you see these chairs you will understand my excitement. Oh and she does sofas too!
Shawna’s chairs are one-of-a-kind pieces of furniture created from vintage furniture to which she then up-cycles with a fun mix of bright fabrics, trims and often 3 dimensional fabric art. These pieces are best described by Shawna herself, “My heart, soul and hands personally go into each piece of furniture designed to be a Happy Chair. I brazenly mix and reconstruct new and vintage fabrics. Exciting patterns and inspired details bring unique character to life in each original piece. Once completed each Happy Chair is given a name based on its distinct personality. Yes it takes time, creativity and patience but the end result is magic derived from passion.”
You might think these chairs are too bold to go with your decor but as Shawna say,”I created a chair that changed my mood…just like that, it made me happy and the next thing you know I had to create my space to go with the chair!”
I just love them and one thing is for sure these whimsical creations are sure to make you smile, better yet make you Happy!
Oh yes and as I promise, a sofa…
I did see her chairs at the CLF. They always look so pretty out under the trees. The colors in her designs remind me of you and your own love of color.