West Elm Launches a Limited Edition Line of Furniture for the Best Cause

If you’ve ever felt personally victimized by the all beautiful home accessories out there you just can’t justify buying, raise your hand—it’s okay, we’ve all fallen victim to the torture that is window shopping.

Now however, thanks to West Elm, you don’t have to feel bad about spending money on a few new accessories—vibrant swivel chairs, decorative pillows, rugs and tote bags, for instance—because it’s for a good cause.

Today, in collaboration with Roar + Rabbit and Meso Goods, West Elm introduced the Atitlan Project, a limited edition collection of 14 bold, one-of-a-kind swivel chairs and ottomans handcrafted to celebrate the vibrant culture and craft of Santa Catarina Palopo—a small community on the northeastern shore of Lake Atitlan in Guatemala, where sadly 78% of the population lives in poverty.

These beautiful chairs will be auctioned off on Paddle8.com from May 6 though 22, and 100% of the money earned goes to the Pintando el Cambio Association—a non-profit that transforms communities through art and local histories and has been working to help Santa Catarina Palopo since 2017. Members of Pintando el Cambio have already painted colorful patterns of cultural significance onto the walls of the town, but with the help of West Elm’s Atitlan Project donations, hope to paint approximately 70% of all homes by the end of 2019.

“Our mission for introducing the Atitlan Project is to demonstrate how the power of design can ignite social change for our artisan partners throughout Guatemala,” said Alex Bellos, President of West Elm. “Together, with Pintando el Cambio Association we can help create socioeconomic opportunities and deepen our commitment to the people behind our products and their communities.”

Opening bids for the ottomans start at $750, while bids for the swivel chairs will begin at $1,500. See all the items up for auction (and start bidding!) here. As well, an affordable—and totally cool, might I add—version of the Atitlan Project is available now on West Elm’s website. Prices vary from $34 to $1,899, and the collection includes ottomans and swivel chairs as well as tote bags , wall art and more. The best part is, 50% of what you’ll spend on these accessories goes to the Pintando el Cambio Association.

Snag a new piece of furniture and donate to charity? Sounds like a done deal to me. Keep scrolling for some of our editor favorites from the online collection.

Editor Faves From the Online Collection