The Unhurried Chair: Ames and the Art of Slow Making
Sebastian Herkner watched domino tiles clatter on cobblestones while pelicans wheeled overhead. In Gaira, a drowsy fishing village on Colombia's Caribbean coast, afternoon heat had driven residents to their doorsteps, where they sprawled in wicker chairs, gossiping and fanning themselves. The German designer was struck by this unguarded intimacy with outdoor living.
"The Colombian Caribbean is contagious," Herkner admits. From this cultural immersion emerged the Gaira lounge chair, his latest collaboration with Ames - a company that has spent nearly two decades perfecting the art of translating Colombia's artisanal heritage into contemporary design.
Artisan weaving colourful patterns into the Ames 'Andinas' room divider. Image: Ames.
Founded in 2006 by Ana María Calderón Kayser and her German husband Karl-Heinz, Ames operates on a simple but radical premise: that Colombia's master craftspeople possess knowledge worth preserving, and that international designers can learn from techniques predating Columbus. Ana María describes herself as "a mediator between worlds," connecting European aesthetics with Colombian materials and methods most furniture makers have never heard of.
The Gaira Chair, designed by Sebastian Herkner for Ames. Natural Robinia wood. PVC strings made from recycled plastic. Image: Ames.
The Gaira chair exemplifies this approach. Herkner's tripod base uses black locust wood- Robinia pseudoacacia - chosen not just for its weather resistance but because Ames sources only materials with transparent origins. The real revelation lies in the seat, hand-woven using Momposino technique by artisans in Bogotá who learned from masters along the Santa Marta coast.
This weaving method encodes centuries of empirical knowledge. Indigenous craftspeople understood that specific fibre patterns could withstand salt air and tropical storms long before materials science explained why. Ames artisans have adapted this heritage technique into a 4-4 pattern using two colours, creating visual depth while maintaining structural integrity.
Preparing fibres for production. Image: Ames
But Ames' material palette extends far beyond familiar fibres. Their workshops work with fique from dried agave leaves, iraca and werregue palms, and bejuco vines - materials that require months or even years of preparation. In Tolima, ceramic specialists mould air-dried clay using techniques their families have practiced for generations. Rug weavers in Santander and Boyacá spin virgin sheep wool on traditional looms, sometimes incorporating metallic threads or palm fibres.
The company deliberately manufactures only in small, family-owned ateliers scattered across Colombia's regions. Their La Che baskets emerge from Boyacá workshops applying techniques developed by the indigenous Laches people. Even their coloured PVC strings come from recycled plastic, proving sustainability needn't sacrifice craftsmanship.
Image credit: Ames.
What makes Ames unusual isn't just their material choices but their production philosophy. Ana María waits years for certain fibres to become available, understanding that seasonality and regional conditions affect quality. She invests in workshop equipment and logistics infrastructure, ensuring artisans can focus on their craft rather than supply chain headaches.
The new Gaira chair represents this patient approach. Its synthetic fibres undergo treatments developed specifically for outdoor use, but the Momposino weaving patterns encode generations of Caribbean coastal experience. The result converts European terraces into impromptu social spaces, channeling the unhurried rhythms Herkner witnessed in that drowsy fishing village where this very story began.
In an industry obsessed with speed and scale, Ames proves that some things resist acceleration. Each chair becomes a small rebellion against the rushed world, an invitation to sit longer, talk deeper, and remember that the best things have always taken time.
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Image Credits:
Lead Image: Ames artisan creating colourful patterns using a weaving technique called 'momposino'. Image courtesy of Ames.
All other images as credited in photo captions.