RESTORING HISTORY

{ OnTheScene }

Immortal

Artisans Bring Life Back to Treasures of the Past

Story and photos by Felicia Frazar

Tables left to survive the elements, long-forgotten upholstered chairs rotting in a garage and frosted over portraits in cracked frames are pieces of the past needing a little tender loving care.

That’s where Misty and Abby de La Fuente step in. As the owners of the Immortal Orchid, the couple sells antique decor. But their work goes far beyond peddling old time pieces, as they spend countless hours restoring furniture that predates the mid-century.

“We only do 1920s and older,” Misty said. “We restore wooden, Victorian era furniture. We also do upholstery, photo restoration. It is a labor of love, it is hard work. This is a dying trade. People don’t know this stuff and we do.”

The pair work in tandem. Abby sands and stains, while Misty works on the upholstery and re-assembly.

“I couldn’t do this without her. We’re a team,” Misty said.

Misty’s move into restoration work came from her creative background. She earned her bachelor’s in fine arts and design, and had a keen eye for photography. It was her photo sessions that led her down the restoration path.

Frequently, Misty was presented with opportunities to shoot photos with Victorian-era furniture, but without having the pieces herself, buying antiques in pristine condition was a costly option that Misty couldn’t afford.

“I would find chairs and …. they would be in really bad condition,” she said. “I thought, ‘I’d like to see what it would look like originally.’ I thought I would try to redo them myself.”

Misty started by using a chalk paint to spruce up the pieces, but still felt that it wasn’t quite what she was looking to accomplish.

“Then we started to look and realize we are covering this very beautiful wood,” she said.

Abby, is newer to the world of restoration. She began as Misty would ask for her assistance in fixing pieces here and there.

With a background in automotive repair, wood working was a slightly different challenge, but Abby faced it.

“When I was at work, I would see all kinds of people come into the garage and she was selling things out of the garage, things that she worked on,” she said. “So, she kind of pushed me into it.

She said she needed some things fixed. I was scared at first. I really developed a passion for it.”

While modern times often call for newer technologies, Abby has found that she prefers the old methods and tools to get the best results.

“I’m an old soul,” Abby said. “It is therapeutic for me to work on things, to sand things, using the old chisels and hammer.”

“It is so much more gratifying and you can see it in the piece, you can see the little details that you used your hands,” Misty said.

Among the pieces the women are working on is a chair belonging to Max Starcke. In looking over the piece, Misty talked about how each layer of the chair spoke about its original owner and its creator, from the diamond tufting to the layers of hay, moss, horse hair and cotton that made up the seat and the original color of the fabric.

The artifacts Misty and Abby work on are not just decor, they’re pieces of someone’s story.

“These pieces are precious to people and they are irreplaceable,” Misty said. “People come in with the same stories. They’ve lost a parent or a spouse and they’ve got these pieces they want restored. We’re not here to get rich, we’re here to help people, add to the community with the restoration work and do what we love to do.”

In a town like Seguin where the history is rich, Misty and Abby hope to help solidify the city’s heritage and preserve it for generations to come.

Recently, the couple restored the doors on Tri-County Surveying, across the street from their shop, and they are currently working on the doors of the historic Aumont Hotel, starting with the 1916 Bar & Bistro.

“Everyone here is all about the history and preserving Seguin. I said what about preserving the actual artifacts,” she said. “We’re here to help people, to help the community and do our part. We love it here; we love Seguin.”

Fascinated by all things Victorian, the women live in a Victorian-style home, filled with period-style furniture, displaying the decor’s immortality.

“This stuff outlives us,” Misty said. “That’s why this stuff is called immortal, because it basically is. If you take care of it and it gets passed down to people who take care of it, it is going to outlast all of us.”