The Original Acapulco Chair: How It's Made
Placed on May 20, 2021
We love visiting the workshop in Mexico, and watching Acapulco chairs come to life! Here's how the process goes...
Starting with the frame, steel rods are bent into the Acapulco chair shape by hand and welded together to form one solid and sturdy frame.
The frames are galvanised entirely. (Galvanised means that they are treated to weather the outdoors without rusting.)
An authentic Acapulco chair has unique dimensions ensuring a specific aesthetic and comfortable seat, it’s meant for lounging so should be large enough to support your head.
Once the frame is made, then we can begin the weaving.
PVC cords are made in an extrusion process melting parent material. The parent material can consist of virgin pellets and recycled material. The parent material is melted and pressed in the form and diameter of the particular cords used for the Acapulco chair.
Using phthalate-free PVC vinyl cords (ensuring less harm to the environment), that are also UV-resistant (don’t fade with exposure to sunlight), these cords are flexible with “memory” - shaping to your body for a comfortable seat and returning back to their original shape after use.
Not only are the cords comfortable but they retain their shape so the chair doesn’t get saggy, which often happens with imitation chairs.
The PVC cords are handwoven around the frame in a specific pattern to ensure a unique Acapulco chair aesthetic and comfort. The tension and strength with which the chairs are woven determines to a great extent the comfort of the seat. Too tight means not comfortable, but too loose means the seat will not be supporting enough. The space between the cords is varied along the oval shape of the chairs to make it aesthetically pleasing.
We are (obviously!) lovers of this iconic design and are proud to offer the original, handmade Acapulco chair. There are many replicas out on the market, and at first glance the differences may be subtle, but to us it's of utmost importance! We deeply appreciate that our chairs are ethically produced by craftsmen and craftswomen in the original dimensions with high quality materials, ensuring that they last for years with both indoor and outdoor use.
To learn more about original vs. imitation Acapulco chairs, check out this post here.
