Hats off to Minwax® and its “Chairs for Charity” program for another year of creative and meaningful charitable efforts. As 2006 wound down, another set of nationally prominent personalities lent their names and their personal styles to custom-designed chairs which then were auctioned off for charity. Proceeds in ’06 benefited Furnish a Future, a program of The Partnership for the Homeless.
Here’s how Chairs for Charity works. Using colors and finishes from Minwax, chairs are celebrity designed –– and autographed. This year, they were displayed at Bloomingdale’s on 59th Street from mid-November until December 1 and posted for eBay auction for 10 days starting a week later.
This year’s celebrities were New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg with Jamie Drake, singer Mariah Carey with Mario Buatta, TV Personality Meredith Vieira with Chris Madden, tennis champion Venus Williams, NASCAR driver Elliott Sadler, and the New York Giants football team.
This year’s offerings were marked by versatility and personality. Chris Madden’s nautical theme for Meredith Vieira removes the back slat and replaces it with a handcrafted wooden anchor. Venus Williams’ has a modern take on a classic Biedermeier Period chair that’s been described as elegant and edgy. Renowned interior designer Mario Buatta designed this enchanting balloon chair featuring a lavender interior and exterior in a butterfly and bamboo print.
Founded in 1991, Furnish a Future provides furniture free of charge to underprivileged families and individuals moving from homeless shelters and setting up homes in permanent dwellings. In the 15 years since its founding, the program has helped more than 30,000 New York area families.
The last time FABULOUS FLOORS Magazine reported on the “Chairs for Charity” program was in 2004. That chair event featured celebrities such as Regis Philbin, Billy Joel, Oscar de la Renta and members of the Yankees and Giants, with proceeds going to Kips Bay Boys and Girls Club.
For more information on this program, visit www.minwax.com/chairs-charity.