Behind the Design
Please Be Seated
April 20, 2010
If tables are so highly prized in Mexico, then it goes without saying that chairs are of equal value. After all, the two complement one another more than tequila and lime. But the desire to relax, sit back and enjoy the surroundings cannot fall on just one style or design. So when discussing the authentic wood furniture of Mexico, it's best to leave no seat vacant.
Perhaps the most common chair in all of Mexico is the Rustic Pine Collection Colonial Chair. With its simple mortise-and-tenon construction, these pine chairs are easily produced and can be found in restaurants, cafes and homes throughout the country. They're the perfect complement to a rustic or ranch-style table, and are often painted with complementing colors. Other features available in cantina chairs are carved backs and front rungs or scalloped legs and covered cushions—to name a few. Whether it's for functionality, aesthetics or both, the popular cantina chair is great for enjoying a meal or relaxing at the table with family and friends.
Second only to cantina chairs, and historically from the state of Jalisco, are the unmistakable barrel-shaped chairs known as equipales. Made with tanned pigskin stretched over a cedar bentwood frame and a base made from crossover slats, it's hard to mistake the unique style of these classic Mexican chairs. Other features include a high back for support, and sloping sides offering the perfect armrest—a luxury less common in the cantina chair. Furthermore, since equipales are both lightweight and durable, they're also perfect for outdoor dining and relaxing. As a bonus feature, the more weathered these chairs become, the more distinct their characteristics tend to be—making for excellent collector items.
Another favorite of Mexican seating is the wooden bench. It's possible that no other item of Mexican furniture offers more variety and appeal. Benches can be pieced together by local carpenters or elaborately carved by master craftsmen. The beauty of benches is that length varies based on need, and in Mexico benches often serve as a canvas for indigenous or regional folk art. Features may include designs, slat-backs, or hand carved details. Whether used at the dinner table, placed under a shady tree in a courtyard or resting beneath the awning of a quiet patio, wooden benches provide the ideal seating for reflection and conversation alike.
Perhaps the most overlooked seat in authentic Mexican and southwestern home décor is the wooden stool. Although commonly taken for granted, a simple stool is often the most utilized piece of furniture in the home. Three-legged stools, or milking stools, are used in great abundance at workshops and marketplaces, and no Mexican kitchen is complete without the common wooden stool. Once more, mortise-and-tenon construction is ideal for these simple yet widely used seats, although in the most rustic environs a single stump or thick log will suffice. But how can stools be discussed without recognizing the all important bar stool? As the taller cousin to the cantina chair, bar stools are often crafted from pine and feature long legs with cross stretchers, flat, slatted, or ladder-backs, and sometimes no back at all. But as long as there's a cold cerveza or margarita in hand, who would make a fuss?
With that thought in mind, it's easy to enjoy the variety of seating found in Mexico, and certainly no style captures the essence and craftsmanship of a culture like rustic wood furniture. To explore the finest collection of classic Mexican furniture available anywhere on the web, visit our Furniture Collections at La Fuente Imports...and please be seated.
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