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Oct 1, 2025
The Paradise of Chairs
- By
Blaire Dessent
The Paradise of Chairs
Oct 1, 2025
by
Blaire Dessent
The Paradise of Chairs
Oct 1, 2025
by
Blaire Dessent
The Paradise of Chairs
Oct 1, 2025
- By
Blaire Dessent
The Paradise of Chairs
Oct 1, 2025
- By
Blaire Dessent
sustainability
The Paradise of Chairs
Oct 1, 2025
- By
Blaire Dessent
Swing Chair by 2 Monos. Photo and above: Grimalt de Blanch
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or a recent 1-day event on September 13th, at 110 Inca, Chiara Ferrari (a contributor to View Mallorca) curated an ‘itinerary of chairs,’ an exhibition featuring a selection of chairs by contemporary architects, artists and designers who live and work on the island. While it can be said that there are enough chairs in the world to last a lifetime, as an object and as a functional, utilitarian piece, chairs remain a subject of exploration and curiosity among makers and beloved by users, observers, and those passionate about design history. From material to form to size, there is seemingly an endless possibility of what a chair can be. Ferrari, the curator of the show, explains: "I choose ’chair' as a topic for the exhibition because it's the most commonly known design object. But also because through its variations - benches, stools - it invites people to interact with the work. I can think of many paradises relating to design objects, as the word itself suggest freedom of expression. This first edition welcomed a variety of interpretations around this topic coming from different approaches and design backgrounds."

One of the first pieces visitors were met with, was an impressive sculptural blue metal chair by 2 Monos studio. ‘Swing Chair' is a study of geometry and a playful interpretation of a chair designed for two people who should be ready to rock back and forth thanks to its unlikely circular support. Nicoletta Mantoan & Alexander Dumon explain that the chair “offers new ways of relating to these objects and the emotions they arouse in us, blurring disciplines and expressing itself through a fusion of art and design.” If 'Swing Chair' requires a connection between two people in order for it to be properly functioning, Alex Maestre’s armchair ‘Nus’ and set of three stools titled ‘Dessac’, are about making a connection between the user and nature, and particularly the Mallorcan landscape. The chair, handcrafted in local pine, is covered in soft, natural sheep’s wool and the stools, which have a mesh and metal base, use sheep’s wool to create the shape and structure as well. Users are enveloped in the wool which “connects us with the ecosystem and the earth, creating an emotional link between the furniture and the territory,” as the designer says.

Installation view of The Paradise of Chairs at 110 Inca. Photo: Grimalt de Blanch
Chairs by resmes and Martin Plante. Photo: Grimalt de Blanch
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ther participants included ceramic artist Arina Antonova, who made two turquoise-blue ceramic stools shaped for the body. The very organic shapes “invite an intimate, embodied encounter with space and self,” says Antonova. Isla’s ‘Set’ chairs are an example of circular design, as is Resmes ‘Balanci’ chair. ‘Set’ employs 7 slats of found local pine wood that are cut into 30 even pieces, avoiding any wood waste. The design is such that the piece can be a chair or turned another way, a table. ‘Balanci’ uses found nylon straps as the seat and an oak structure for the base. Matthias Dietz’s ‘Cebolla Pepe Chair’ takes recycled materials one step further. The designer took onion boxes found at a local farmer’s market and reinforced them with MDF. As Dietz notes, “the real charm of this idiosyncratic piece of furniture lies in the interference between the seemingly fragile cardboard and the
stool's rock-solid stability. Almost everyone recoils at first and asks anxiously, ‘Can you really sit on it?’"

Every chair presented in “The Paradise of Chairs” was completely different, yet what unites each one is the consideration of handcrafted design and the potential of the materials. Materials such as wood, metal cardboard, construction waste or sheep’s wool (among others) are here transformed into something totally new, playful and thoughtful considerations of what a chair can be.

The full list of artists, architects and designers is: 2 monos, Alex Mestre, Arina Antonova, isla, Matthias Dietz, Studio Jaia, Martin Plante, Resmes, Nicolas Sales, Peter Zizika, Sara Regal and Sirio Estudio.

Chairs by Alex Mestre & Sara Regal. Photo: Grimalt de Blanch