a seat with global reach: maun windsor chair

with her north south project, canadian designer patty johnson is extending the positive effects of globalization to places that have yet to benefit. in the case of her maun windsor chair, that place is botswana africa.
to create the maun, johnson went to peter mabeo, the founder of a furniture factory in gaborone, botswana, with a design brief for a collection of high-quality wooden furniture that could be produced by hand. the result is a chair with shaker-inspired lines that meld with the abstract quality of african wooden sculpture.the design and manufacture of the maun brings long-term benefits to the local craftspeople and community. the designs are created to make the most of the techniques and materials that are unique to their culture and region. the emphasis on the quality of the product is matched by the attention to the impact that their manufacture will have on the communities and economies that produce them.