Mecato from ames

The light Mecato Bench is a minimalist piece that allows the beauty of Colombian craftsmanship to take centre. It’s a design by Pauline Deltour, who found the inspiration for the piece when visiting the Colombian province of Nariño.

Suitable for all indoors environments, the bench seat is covered with a handwoven fabric made with the fibres of the Iraca palm. Its cover has a slightly corrugated texture, making it very pleasant to touch, and is available in warm earthy or natural colours. The low bench is also available in two sizes.

Departamento Nariño is located in South West Colombia, where working with the natural material Iraca has a long tradition. The artesanos weave hats, bags, purses, ornaments and individual one-of-a-kind pieces from the fibres of the palm. The material holds its shape and is very durable.

The fibres are dyed using natural methods with seeds, leaves, nuts and roots and some mineral materials are also used to create different colour sections. After the dyeing process, the fibres are drained and need to be left to dry for several days.

Only then can the artesanos process the material. With the help of tweezers, needles and tongs, they weave the seats by hand, using different types of stitching. Just the preparation of all the materials takes five days, while the production of each bench takes nine days.

Care instructions: Protect from damp conditions and only use indoors. Clean the seat with a slightly damp cloth only. The steel frame can be wiped down with a damp cloth. Do not use any chemical cleaning products. To protect the colours, avoid exposing the product to direct sunlight over long periods.