Una Raiz Woodworks
Güembé Chair
Güembé Chair
2 in stock
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in stock (SE only) or made-to-order
Purchase more than one furniture piece of any style and we will send you a rebate of $250 per piece as a special thank you!
I believe we all deserve to come home to furniture designed to fit the full experience of being human—from the shape of our bodies to the rhythm that drives our souls. After all, a piece of furniture is more than just an object; it is a part of the family that we interact with every single day. My Güembé chairs were designed with all of this in mind from the beginning. Every line has been considered to accommodate the body and to promote comfort and stability as efficiently as possible. The back legs have been bent laminated* so they can seamlessly lead to lumbar support that will hug your lower back without getting in the way, then curve out to match the sturdy angle of the front legs. There is a feeling of motion, joy and peace in the organic flow of every line.
Features
- "Alert" chair style encourages an engaged posture for dining, active reading, or working.
- Contoured to fit the body and alleviate pressure from nerve and pain points—you won't realize you're sitting on hardwood!
- Lumbar support is wide enough to provide true support, but designed to stay out of the way of arm and shoulder movement.
- Customizable height: in-stock chairs are made extra tall so they may be cut down to best accommodate your body.
- Free fitting session to anyone in the Denver/Boulder area (no obligation). For out-of-area customers, we can work off your measurements, or simply cut to a standard height if preferred.
Solid hand-cut joinery and hand-carved design for a truly irreplicable piece that will stand the test of time. - Pictured: Special Edition in Sipo & Bird's Eye Maple
More about the Güembé Chair
The Güembé chair was named after a Bomba rhythm originating from Ponce, Puerto Rico. Güembé is a joyful sound, full of power, poise, and playfulness, and is traditionally associated with courtship, romance and flirtatious gestures. I have always admired that my ancestors were able to express these joyful sounds despite the horrific conditions of colonialism and slavery. While I would never compare my life to their pain, the hope in these chairs is what led me through a difficult time in my life full of loss and challenges, and I can't help but feel a similar energy and pride in creating light and beauty out of darkness. In each hand-carved gouge and curve I have poured love, and hope, and honor for those who came before us, and the full intention that you will experience these feelings when you enter the room, or use it to pen a letter or talk to a friend, or simply close your eyes and run your fingers along the textured seat edge.
As with all of my woodworks, these chairs have been made almost entirely with hand tools—from stock preparation, to joinery, to shaping and carving. While certain operations such as the cutting of strips for bent lamination require the aid of power tools, centering my work around hand power sets the energy imbued in every piece. I answered my calling to woodworking because I desired a life of serenity, simplicity, and intentional living, and I want anyone who interacts with my work to feel the same things. The whistling action of a sharp blade along the grain is more respectful of the tree, more kind to our planet, and brings me a sensation of peace and introspection that I believe carries on in the piece, to you. Yes, it takes more time and physical strain, but the value it adds is priceless.
These special edition Güembé chairs are made from Hard Maple, Bird's Eye Hard Maple, and Sipo (also known as Utile or Sipo Mahogany). All joints are hand-cut, integral mortise and tenon joints for ultimate strength and longevity. The seats are attached with special hardware to accommodate the movement of wood throughout the year and prevent splitting. They are finished in dewaxed Shellac,** then hand rubbed with steel wool for a more subtle, satin sheen.
*Bent lamination is a process whereby wood is cut into thin strips, then glued together and bent to fit a designed form. This allows us to have thin, lightweight curves while using the structure of wood grain to our advantage.
**Shellac is a natural film finish derived from the resin of the lac bug in India. Despite not being quite as durable as varnish, it still provides superb protection, superior depth of clarity, is non-toxic and free of plastic, and is easier to repair down the line than most finishes. Please be aware that Shellac does dissolve with alcohol, and contact with alcohol or substances containing alcohol should be avoided.
Stock and Custom Order options
I currently have two of these chairs completed and ready to fit and deliver. They are considered special edition, as I can't guarantee that I will always have access to Sipo or Bird's Eye Maple, but there are many options we can consider. If you would like to set an order for a larger quantity, or for a similar design in custom wood choices, please don't hesitate to reach out and we'll figure it out!
Tailored to Fit You
You wouldn't walk in hard, flat shoes made for someone else's size, why should your spine or sit bones conform to an ill-fitted chair? The chairs shown in the pictures above have been made extra tall so that they can be cut to measure for a wide range of bodies. I offer a free fitting session to anyone in the Denver/Boulder area (no obligation to purchase until the legs have been cut), as well as free personal delivery. If you are out of area, I will size the chair based on your measurement, or may simply cut to a standard height if that will better suit your needs.
I consider this style of chair an alert chair. The slight angles of the seat and back support encourage an engaged posture, with contours to alleviate pressure from nerve and pain points. Suitable for dining, desk work, active reading, an accent in the room, or conversation over a warm beverage.
As with all my furniture, these chairs come with my 15-year craftsmanship guarantee. An investment in quality furniture is an investment in longevity, and I am honored to give my commitment to you and to your future generations.
Care & Food-Safe Finishes
Caring for Kitchenware:
Handwash your food-contacting woodware with warm water and dish soap. Bear in mind that soap won't harm wood or finishes, but the water will, eventually. Dry promptly after washing and avoid soaking for extended periods of time.
Should the finish start to look "thirsty," treat with safflower or walnut oil; let soak for 10-20 minutes, then wipe off all excess and allow to dry. (See A Note on "Food-Safe" Finishes below for more information.)
A well cared for wooden utensil is sanitary and can last lifetimes.
Not dishwasher safe. Do not microwave or refrigerate.
Caring for Furniture:
To dust your furniture, simply wipe with a damp (not wet) cloth or chamois. Dirt is water soluble. In rare cases where there is too much grime for general cleaning, you may dampen your cloth (still not wet) with a solution of mild soap and water.
Commercial liquid polishes won't necessarily damage the finish on your piece, but they're generally unnecessary and will in fact remove the longer-lasting beeswax polish your furniture will already come bearing. They also don’t provide a most of the benefits claimed by marketing, such as "feeding" or "moisturizing" the finish or the wood with "missing oils." Wood doesn't need oils added to it, and moisturizing it would actually be a bad thing. So I guess it's good that those claims are false!
The purpose of the beeswax I've applied to your furniture is to function as a polish over the finish, and to help prevent damage to the finish from bumps and friction. If over time you feel that your piece could use some fresh shine and protection, feel free to clean the surface, then polish with furniture paste wax, being sure to remove all excess. If buffed correctly, wax will not build up as many liquid polish brands claim. If you are unable to use wax, silicone polish can add a decent amount of shine and protection, but please be advised that this could potentially pose problems should your piece need refinishing down the line.
To extend the life of your finish and therefore the wood beneath it, try to adhere to the following parameters whenever possible:
- Place your furniture away from direct sunlight, or make use of curtains and shades when possible. You may choose to cover especially precious pieces with a tablecloth (not plastic) if leaving for extended periods of time.
- Use trivets, coasters, placemats and tablecloths.
- To prevent the speeding up of oxidation, don't store your furniture in a very hot room such an attic or unconditioned storage facility.
- Use paste wax as outlined above to help reduce surface friction.
A Note on "Food-Safe" Finishes
There is an unfortunate thunderstorm of misinformation in the world about wood finishes in general, and perhaps the most unfortunate is the myth of the food-safe wood finish—a myth that gets propagated by marketing, woodworking publications, and even respectable, fellow woodworkers because they are simply unaware. I consider it one of my highest privileges in my woodworking education that I had a course dedicated solely to finishing, as I, too, would have been a cog in the myth-spreading machine otherwise.
The myth goes: any finish containing metallic driers (i.e. boiled linseed oil, varnish, etc.) will harm you if used on a food-touching surface. But the truth is that all modern wood finishes are in fact food-safe so long as they are fully cured (please do not drink varnish!!!). Even certain finishes marketed as "food-safe" are in fact thinned varnish and nothing more.
So where'd this myth come from? Once upon a time, humans laced paints and finishes with lead as their metallic drier. That's it. You can see where it went. It wasn't good. But we don't do that anymore. Even humans can learn to do better every once in a while.
That being said, I don't much fancy the possibility of my bowls starting to peel and getting flakes of film finish in my food, or the idea of beeswax melting into my meals and ruining my carefully crafted recipe. And so my personal favorite choice for food-contacting woodwork is a blend of curing oils and thinned varnish. This results in a penetrating finish (as opposed to one that builds up into a film that could flake over time) that is longer-lasting and more protective of the wood than a simple oil finish.
And in case you've noticed that I recommended safflower or walnut oil to replenish your goods at home, there's a reason for that! A. it's a much more pleasurable experience for you, and B. you don't have to worry about the finish causing you harm should you decide to use your spoon before it's fully cured. Unless you're allergic to walnuts or safflowers. In which case, please don't put something you're allergic to in your food.
Thus concludes this wood-loving geek's rant on food-safe finishes. Thank you for your time! Now go! Take a look around! Enjoy life knowing things you maybe didn't know that you didn't know!