Workshop brings to life the art of the Phini chair

They are a staple at most traditional Cypriot coffee shops and these handmade wooden chairs carry a little piece of the island’s crafts history with them. Diodio Handmade artists, makers of the authentic Phini chairs, are organising a workshop on March 27 to share the art behind the craft. From 12pm to 1.30pm on the last Sunday of the month, the artistic duo invites guests to experience how these traditional chairs of Phini village are made.

Held in English or in the Cypriot dialect, depending on what participants are comfortable with, the workshop is free as it is funded by the Ministry of Tourism. In a short one-and-a-half-hour session, Diodio Handmade invites guests to become familiar with the tradition of chairs in Cyprus, specifically the local chair model of Phini village, which is famous for its crafts.

“The woven seat chair has become an iconic symbol of our culture,” say the artists, “which brings us beautiful childhood memories, and for international visitors, it is part of the picturesque, authentic Cyprus. In this activity, specialised local crafts makers will offer visitors from Cyprus and abroad a unique experience with the process of creating the Phini Chair step by step, enriching their appreciation of cultural heritage as a source of ecological sustainability in the present day.”

Workshop participants can either get hands-on by joining in the making process or simply sit and observe the method with a cup of Cypriot coffee. At the end of the activity, visitors can make a keepsake to remember the experience by in the DioDio Handicraft workshop in Phini.

Phini Chair Workshop

By DioDio Handmade. March 27. Phini village, Limassol. 12pm-1.30pm. Free. In English and Greek. Registration three weeks in advance is needed. Tel: 97-606456