Leather Heirlooms

If anybody knows the "Hardoy Butterfly Chair" inside out it's Mirko Endter. He knows exactly how the edge of the classic seat has to be stitched. He knows how demanding it is to produce the armchair in 4.5-mm-thick saddle leather. And he knows all about the various types of finished leather and their individual characteristics. With his company Manufakturplus, he has been producing the "Hardoy Chair" in Weidhausen, Upper Franconia for the last ten years. Back then, a customer had entrusted him with an old original chair that needed repairing – and Mirko Endter has remained faithful to the furniture legend ever since.

Designed in 1938 as the "BKF Lounge Chair" by the three Argentine architects Bonet, Kurchan and Ferrari-Hardoy, the butterfly chair was produced in the USA by Knoll Associates until 1952. Manufakturplus has given the chair a fresh start in premium quality.

In this respect, Mirko Endter is extremely grateful for the trusting collaboration with the Verband der Creativen Inneneinrichter (Association of Creative Interior Designers) and its Cairo catalogue. At the beginning of the new millennium, the partners joined forces to ensure the classic's revival – a collaboration that continues to this very day and is based on shared values regarding quality and durability.

Manufakturplus also designs and produces classically timeless furniture based on customers' requirements, even catering to very specific requests such as furniture that meets fire safety standard B1. In every single case, Mirko Endter selects the optimal materials and production possibilities. "Nowadays cost-consciousness is a must," he says. "An order for an individual piece calls for a very different approach than an order for five hundred chairs. Even so, I always remain true to my guiding principle: the pleasure you get from a good product that retains its value lasts a lot longer than the pleasure you get out of a low price."

---

Photos: Christoph von Haussen, Manufakturplus

Manufakturplus GmbH
Werkstrasse 1
DE-96279 Weidhausen
Tel. 0049 (0) 9562 57 91 71
Fax 0049 (0) 9562 57 91 72
mailme@manufakturplus.de
www.manufakturplus.de