The Choco vases are made of palm fibres, featuring an asymmetrical colour-blocking pattern that wraps around a mouth-blown glass vessel. Developed in partnership with the late French designer Pauline Deltour and her studio, they offer a lovely chance to liven up a room with small accents of colours.
Each vase is manufactured in the Boyacá region, situated 2,400 metres above sea level in the Colombian Andes. This area has a long tradition of transforming the fibres from the leaves of the fique plant into beautiful objects. Very thin strands of these fique fibres are wrapped around bundles of sturdier fibres so that each ring of the vase features delicate lines, resulting in a textured surface. The dyes used on the fibres have primarily natural ingredients, such as nuts, roots and bark from trees, all native to the region. Even in Colombia, these traditional handcrafting techniques have become a rare skill, making Choco an extraordinary accessory.
Born in France, Pauline Deltour’s aesthetic is defined by being strikingly simple and beautifully detailed at once. Her designs showcase a curiosity in the qualities of the raw materials and transferring production techniques between disciplines. Pauline Deltour joined ames founder Ana Maria Calderón Kayser on a trip to Colombia to study the local materials first hand and learn from the artisans about the traditional weaving techniques. Back in her Paris studio, where she develops furniture and product designs for international brands, Deltour designed a range of furniture and living accessories for ames