I have a thing for Mies Van der Rohe and his Barcelona chair. Every so often, I go on to eBay and see who is selling one and for how much. Not that I ever have bought one, but a girl can dream.
Imagine my surprise when I found this more natural, more (dare I say it) green version, called the Butaca chair from the Melange Collection. You can jump on the “new” texture trend and still have a classic in your home.
This fabulous chair was designed and hand crafted by young apprentice cabinetmakers in a small shop in Guatemala City. The beautiful hand tufted seat and back cushions are supported by hand cut leather straps with snaps to hold them in place.
The hardwood frame is made of manchiche (Lonchocarpus castilloi), a tropical hardwood from a certified managed forest in the Petén region of Guatemala. I don’t know what that is but it sounds beautiful! It comes in either recycled burlap coffee sacks (too cool!) or organic natural colored cotton. I think the cotton is my fave.
You can always contact the Melange Collection if you want the specs. If you decide you want one, then tell them you heard it from us (in the memo section of the order form) and they’ll give you 20% off the $1600 prince tag. Pretty nifty, huh?!??
Oh, and just to make you feel good, all Melange products are created under Fair Trade guidelines, meaning that by purchasing Fair Trade products you are helping the talented artisans who make them create sustainable incomes for themselves and their families. Much better than buying something mass manufactured in China!
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