Phantom Hands BENTOTA LOUNGE CHAIR Teak easy chair without armrests

The BENTOTA LOUNGE CHAIR was designed for the Bentota Beach Hotel, a resort destination developed by the Sri Lankan government in the late 1960s.‎ The Bentota Beach Hotel (now Cinnamon Bentota Beach) is a landmark of Bawa’s early modernist style.‎ Situated on a sandbank between the Indian Ocean and the Bentota River, the hotel's seamless integration with its surroundings and climate set a new standard for hotel design across South and Southeast Asia in the 1960s and ’70s.‎ The BENTOTA LOUNGE CHAIR draws inspiration from the Verandah Armchair (Hansi Putuwa in Sinhalese), a colonial-era classic known for its high back, wide armrests, and woven cane seating.‎ Variations of this chair can be found across India, Southeast Asia, the Caribbean, South America, and Africa.‎ The same chair has similarly inspired several reinterpretations in the postcolonial world.‎ Cuban-born designer Clara Porset’s Butaque chair, created in Mexico in the 1940s and ’50s, for instance, was also inspired by the same chair.‎ Porset’s adaptation was commissioned by architects such as Luis Barragán - whose work Bawa admired - and Mario Pani.‎ Bawa’s reinterpretation removes the armrests of the original Verandah chair, maintaining its relaxed, cooling effect while fostering more open interaction between those seated alongside.‎ A distinctive feature of his design is the turned braces between the legs, giving the chair its unique character.‎ Phantom Hands’ re-edition of the BENTOTA LOUNGE CHAIR is based on the version found at Bentota Beach Hotel.‎ Bawa’s original is refined by adjusting the thickness of the wooden frame to enhance ergonomics whilst the exact side profile of the original.‎ The re-edition maintains distinct design elements for each variation of this classic chair—the turned crossbars differ slightly between the cane and upholstered versions, as seen in Bawa’s originals.‎ Further info from manufacturer on BENTOTA LOUNGE CHAIR Phantom Hands