The Acapulco Chair

Chair Blog is 7,5 years old. This blog might as well be the biggest online chair encyclopedia out there. Is it any surprise that when I need info on a certain chair I first turn to Chair Blog?

Now imagine my surprise when even 7,5 years of blogging about chairs didn’t prove to be enough to return any items on my “Acapulco chair” search. I just had to step in and add this one to the collection!

acapulco1The brief history memo on the Apartment Therapy website shares the following:

Legend has it that a French tourist was visiting Acapulco in the ’50s and was uncomfortably hot atop a solidly-constructed chair in the Mexico sunshine. Inspired by the open string construction of traditional Mayan hammocks nearby, he designed a chair fit for the modern tropics.

So the first Acapulco chair was produced in the ’50s. It’s usually made of vinyl cords on a metal frame and has most commonly been used as outdoor lounge seating. However, the designers of today have been producing many variations on the classic, changing the shape of the frame and using other materials such as leather and cotton cord. Today the Acapulco chair is successfully used indoors, too.

acapulco2

I love how one can easily customize their Acapulco chair by using their favorite thrown on or a pillow or even by weaving over it. Search for the Acapulco chair on Pinterest, find your preferred version and you might just fall in love!

N.B. Let’s be fair though and mention that Guido happened to unknowingly add a glimpse of the Acapulco chair just recently. This post from October 21st features Claudia Cardinale posing in a… what appears to be an Acapulco chair! Great minds think alike, eh?

P.S. Yes, I’ve effectively stepped down from being a regular contributor to this beloved online publication a few years back due to a new demanding job (and therefore lack of time). I, however, have continued to help out with the Facebook page whenever I stumbled upon a worthy chair related piece of information.

Images via vtwonen.nl

M100 Chair by Matías Ruiz

M100 Chair by Matías Ruiz Front View

M100 Chair by Matías Ruiz Side View

M100 Chair by Matías Ruiz

Via brutalism3:

Caterpillar Stool by Hyeonil Jeong

Caterpillar Stool by Hyeonil JeongThe Caterpillar chair by Hyeonil Jeong is made out of CNC-cut pieces of plywood woven together using bungee cord to form a flexible seat.

Jeong says, “No matter how stiff each piece is, flexible relation makes a smooth flow. Its elastic connection allows an organic surface movement despite the rigidity of ply-wood material.”

Slumber Pouf by Aleksandra Gaca

Slumber Pouf by Aleksandra Gaca

Blue Slumber Pouf

Is designed by Delft, The Netherlands, based Aleksandra Gaca for Belgian based Casalis

Sit on them and they hug you, stand up and they spring back to their original form. These cute poufs have a striking light/dark texture that remind you of knitting. It is, however, a woven cover! Three dimensional stretch fabrics are in fact the specialty of Aleksandra Gaca. For this cover she chose a caress-soft option in high-quality Kid Mohair, mixed with top quality merino wool. The poufs and matching throws are available in 12 tints, naturals as well as distinctive fashionable shades. Tip: all the colours co-ordinate perfectly with the Carpet Collection from the Belgian manufacturer, Casalis. Choose between two sizes: Slumber small and Slumber large.

About Aleksandra Gaca

Textile designer, Aleksandra Gaca (*1969) studied the visual arts at high school in her hometown of Lodz in Poland. She subsequently studied in the department of Textiles and Fashion at the Haagse Koninklijke Academie voor Beeldende Kunsten (the Royal Institute for Fine Arts in The Hague). She has won many international prizes for her experimental work in textile design. Aleksandra Gaca lives and works as an independent textile designer in Delft, The Netherlands.