Butaka/Butaca

The Butaka or Butaca (chair with long armrests) is an iconic Filipino chair that was popular and common in households in Northern Luzon. Made of narra wood and intertwined rattan strips, it is a native lounge chair with a lengthy back that is reclined down and extended arms for resting legs. The chair’s style is Luis Quince-style sillon peresoza, a style common amongst lounge chairs during the Spanish Colonial period.

This is sometimes called the “lazy chair” for it was favored by hacienderos as their resting chair after a busy day of inspecting their lands and rice fields. Finding it very relaxing, the Spaniards adopted and even brought it to their mission houses and mansions. The butaca also went by the name the “little hospital,” where pregnant women would give birth on it, with their legs comforted by its long armrests.

References

• https://filipinaarchitect.com/butaka-chair/
• https://steemit.com/untalented-adjustments/@shulammite/discover-philippines-butaka

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