The mixing of Indigenous and European seating design and techniques during the Spanish colonial period in the Americas (1521–1821) led to the creation of new, unique chair types.
Many of these new designs were inspired by pre-Hispanic seats used by Indigenous rulers and high-ranking priests for political and ritual purposes. Seats such as the reclined duho from the Caribbean became the butaque (butaca or easy chair), and the throne-like icpalli from Mexico became the equipal, allowing for more relaxed seating postures.
In the 1900s, many designers began seeing such hybrid seats as the ideal designs for modern living in Mexico.
Laura Noriega
Mexican, born 1980 in Guadalajara, Mexico; lives and works in Guadalajara
Your Skin
2012
Walnut wood, handwoven cotton, and synthetic fabric
Manufactured by Tributo in Zapopan and Guadalajara, Mexico
Laura Noriega. Courtesy of Laura Noriega. Photo by Marcela Cárdenas.
Your Skin was inspired by sensory memories in scents and textures during my time in Japan. The 'skin' that is the textile with which the seat is upholstered is interchangeable with any material from any region or memory that we want to bring with us to our home.
The design of Your Skin vaguely recalls the butaque and combines Japanese woodworking with traditionally handwoven Mexican textiles, embodying the exchange of ideas and objects between Asia and Mexico that began in the late 1500s.
Andrés Lhima
Mexican, born 1984 in Mexico City; lives and works in Monterrey, Mexico
Fidencio
2011
Plastic mesh fabric and filling
Manufactured by the Martinez family, headed by Roberto Martinez, Coyoacán, Mexico City
Andrés Lhima designed Fidencio as an easy-to-carry, nomadic piece of furniture. It can be filled with new and old materials, such as soda cans, plastic, clothes, litter, leaves, or anything else that can fit in it.
Andrés Lhima. Courtesy of Andrés Lhima. Photo by Jonathan González / CEDIM.
My career as a designer has been marked by being inspired by elements of Mexican popular culture. I strive to create designs that are fun and generate positive emotions to the people who use them and live them day by day.
Javier Reynaga
Mexican, born 1995 in Zacoalco de Torres, Mexico, lives and works in Guadalajara, Mexico
Milo
2022
Beech wood and leather
Manufactured by Tributo in Zapopan and Oaxaca, Mexico
To create Milo, Javier Reynaga reinterpreted the Mexican equipal armchair, which itself is based on the Aztec icpalli, an upright seat with a curved back reserved for rulers and high-ranking priests. The icpalli has changed over time, with designers like Reynaga holding onto traditional styles while adding contemporary qualities and materials.
Javier Reynaga. Courtesy of Javier Reynaga. Photo: NIMIQO STUDIO / Shooting & Dirrección. Styling: Lesslie Samantha García Rojo. Photographer: Luis Alberto Beltran Valenzuela.
I always give my best to express my vision of the world, looking for the complex interconnections of Mexican culture and the changes over time.
Mauricio Lara Eguiluz
Mexican, born 1968 in Mexico City; lives and works in Jalisco, Mexico
Chac Seat
2005
Polyurethane foam
Mauricio Lara Eguiluz’s Chac Seat refers to Maya chacmool sculptures, a type of sculpture depicting slain warriors or captives with bent knees and turned heads, supporting themselves with their elbows.
Mauricio Lara Eguiliz. Courtesy of Mauricio Lara Eguiliz. Photo by Emmanuel Rosas.
I was looking for a representative and unique element of some of the most emblematic pre-Hispanic cultures of our country, and I found the Mayan god Chac-Mool. Its role as a messenger between the gods and humans gave me the silhouette to create the unique design of this seat.
Ricardo Casas
Mexican, born in 1979 in Mexico City; lives and works in Mexico City
Clara
2013
Wood, cotton, and rope
Manufactured and assembled by Oyosa, Mexico City
In honor of the enduring legacy of Clara Porset, a prominent modernist designer in Mexico in the 1900s, Ricardo Casas’s Clara pays homage to her profound fascination with the traditional butaque chair, which inspired many of her iconic works. Furthermore, this piece captures her commitment to using natural materials in her furniture, a hallmark of her designs.
Ricardo Casas. Courtey of Ricardo Casas. Photo by Jamie Navarro.
Fabien Cappello
French, born 1984 in Paris; lives and works in Guadalajara, Mexico
Butaca Series
2023
Medium-density fiberboard structure, polyurethane foam interior, and synthetic fabric upholstery
Produced by AGO Projects, Mexico City
Fabien Cappello. Courtesy of Fabien Cappello. Photo by Rodrigo Alvarez.
My work is trying to propose a non-aspirational aesthetic that relates to a new order of values. It means using elements of vernacular culture, materials or techniques that are overlooked or little considered—such as fabric used for public transportation—but that are relevant solutions. It’s never about mimicking but about trying to make durable and culturally significant objects that fit places and people.
Exhibition Guide Sections
Have a Seat: Mexican Chair Design Today is organized by the Denver Art Museum. Support is provided by the Estate of Marjorie MacLachlan, Rudy Weissenberg and Rodman Primack, the donors to the Annual Fund Leadership Campaign, and the residents who support the Scientific and Cultural Facilities District (SCFD). Promotional support is provided by 5280 Magazine and CBS Colorado.
