The Art of Gathering

A chair is a funny thing to celebrate. It’s functional, quiet and often overlooked. Most people don’t think twice about the chair they sit on everyday. But after spending the past year of building Almare and bringing the Ulu Dining Chair to life, I knew I didn’t want its debut to happen through a product list or press release.

Let’s be honest, the chair has always been more than the chair. It was about the ideas that shaped it. The people who helped build it. The places that inspired it. The belief that the objects we live with can create connection and community.

So, I decided to host a gathering.

From the beginning, I envisioned the evening as an extension of the values behind Almare. I wanted people to slow down. To experience the chair not as an object on display, but as part of a larger story. Every decision, from the photography and the film to the styling of the space, was guided by the same question:

How do we create a feeling?

The event brought together friends, family, creatives, artists and curious strangers. Some had been part of the journey from the beginning and others were experiencing Almare for the first time. I truly believe the best gatherings always leaving room for unexpected conversations.

The kind that begin over a glass of wine and somehow end with new friendships, a future collaboration, or a completely different way of looking at the world.

Alongside the launch, I created a short film documenting the soul behind the collection. I wanted to capture the landscapes and emotions that inspired the Ulu Dining Chair. I filmed the chairs in nature, along the coastlines, against rugged terrain and in environments that reminded me of Uluwatu’s dramatic coastlines. Places where the ocean meets stones. Places shaped by time, wind and movement. I wanted to create something that felt like a memory. Something that communicated the emotion behind the piece before ever having to explain its materials or dimensions.

It’s funny looking back, the chair party wasn’t really about launching the chair. It was about celebrating everyone who helped bring the Ulu Dining Chair to life, but it was also something more personal. For years, Almare existed as an idea. A collection of sketches, notes, mood boards, memories and aspirations. There were moments when it felt impossibly far away and moments when I questioned whether I could bring it all to life at all… I still have those moments.

The event marked a turning point. It was the first time I could stand in a room surrounded by people I love and see an idea that had once lived only in my imagination become something tangible. It was proof to myself that I could do it.

It became a celebration of the risks, failures, lessons and experiences that led me there. A celebration of the people who supported me along the way and perhaps most importantly, a celebration of the version of myself who decided to begin before she felt ready.

Because in many ways, the chair was never the finish line. It was the beginning.