Nestor Basterretxea, a major figure in the modernization of Basque art, has always sought to create free forms, rooted in his culture but open to modernity. It is in this spirit that he imagined the Uhinchair in 1961, a piece that reflects his taste for organic lines and moving silhouettes. More than sixty years later, Alki offers a faithful reissue, which highlights this emblematic object of his career as a designer. Uhin, “the wave”, has a name that sums up its philosophy: a form that evolves without ever losing its identity. The seat takes up this idea with continuous curves, a fluid structure and an almost sculptural presence. Its construction in solid wood, worked with the know-how ofAlki, gives it great stability while maintaining an impression of lightness. It remains comfortable, welcoming and very visually readable. Thanks to this expressive simplicity, Uhin can be easily integrated into a living room, a bedroom, a reading corner, a hotel lobby, a showroom or even a workspace. Everywhere, it brings a soft but assertive character, between art piece and everyday furniture, and confirms the ability of Basterretxea to design objects that cross eras without losing their strength.
In 1981, a small furniture workshop named Alki was founded in Itsasu, a village in the Basque Country, in a rural and under-industrialized environment. Initially destined to develop on a very small scale due to its location, Alki grew large thanks to the collaboration of five friends who decided to combine their strengths and dreams to give new dimensions to this small furniture workshop that meant so much to them. True to its identity, Alki took the form of a cooperative, a status that fully aligned with its values, and began its production.