Recycling

I have been searching for many years in the hopes of finding an idea, a good and sensible project with which I could do something useful and at the same time help protect the environment... In my small garden in Ljubljana, I had placed, by the side, two truck tires with a wooden plank over them. This made for the perfect seat for my friends to sit on, although a bit hard, as they drank and enjoyed their ' lemon caipirinha' and ate their typical Brazilian Barbecue, while taking in the sunny summer days. This improvised bench or chair started to give me an idea. I looked at it from all sides, all angles and started to think of ways to improve it. Then, in May of 2011, the whole family went on vacation to Brazil. We were at a beach in Bahia – Praia do Forte – and I saw it! A chair made of tires. It was O.K., but did not look like something that you would place in your terrace or garden or even in your living room. It was very rustic and not so comfortable. Then, like a flash, several ideas ran through my mind. I could see several ways to better that chair which had been sitting on the beach for many, many years. From that moment on I started working on the project in a practical and organized manner. I started gathering information and on paper started to draw the several ideas that came to mind. Returning home, I became obsessed. Every spare moment was used to think and try to design a chair that would be practical, comfortable and beautiful. A design that would invite the viewer to come sit down. It had to be a chair but not necessarily look like it was made from tires. Then, one day in October of this same year the CHAIR was born!! My very first working model was sitting right there in front of me. It was beautiful! Today, almost 2 years after my trip to Praia do Forte, after many a sleepless night, many unsuccessful tries, my dream has finally come true. I have stored a great deal of knowledge, and I have learned, the hard way that to make a beautiful chair of excellent quality, you need more than a pile of old tires and a wooden plank. Translated from Portuguese by Helena Laufer