FAQ

Ordering and delivery

Everything says "pre-order". What does that mean?
Exactly what it says: we don't have stock yet. Our first production run hasn't been made. When you pre-order you are reserving a piece from that run and paying for it now, and we ship it to you within 120 days of your order. Your own ship-by date is worked out at checkout and printed on your order and your confirmation email, so you always have it in writing.

Why are you selling furniture you haven't made yet?
Two honest reasons. The first is money — we are two people funding this ourselves, and pre-orders are what pay for the first container. The second is that pre-orders tell us what to build. We show a lot of colourways, and we would rather make the ones people actually want, in the quantities people actually want, than guess with our own cash and get it wrong. You are not just buying a chair early; you are helping decide what the first run contains. There's more on this on our About page.

Can I change my mind?
Any time before it ships, for any reason, with no fee and no explanation needed. Email sales@ottomara.com with your order number and we refund your original payment method in full — including any shipping you paid — within 7 business days. That right doesn't expire while you're waiting, and we are not going to make it awkward.

What happens if you miss my date?
You hear from us before your date passes, not after. That email gives you the new date we expect and a straight choice: keep your order, or cancel and get all your money back. If the new date is more than 30 days later than what we originally promised you, we don't get to assume you're happy to wait — we cancel and refund you automatically unless you tell us you want to stay in. And if we ever reach a point where we can't give you a realistic date at all, we refund everyone without waiting to be asked. The full detail is on our Pre-Order Terms page.

What is the $50 off?
The first 100 units we sell are $50 below our regular price — $399 instead of $449 for the Bosphorus lounger, $249 instead of $299 for the ChillGo chair — and our 2-pack pricing applies on top, so a pair of loungers is $699 and a pair of ChillGo chairs is $399. It is there because you are waiting for stock rather than buying off a shelf. When the first 100 are gone, prices return to $449 and $299.

Is it safe to pay now for something that arrives months from now?
You are entitled to be careful about this, so here is the plain version. Your payment runs through Shopify with the same card protections as any other online purchase. You can cancel for a full refund at any point before we ship. US law — the FTC's Mail, Internet, or Telephone Order Merchandise Rule — requires us either to ship by the date we state or to give you the choice to cancel, and we wrote our terms to follow that rule rather than around it. And we are two named people at a real address in Fort Wayne, Indiana, who answer our own email.

About the brand

I've never heard of Ottomara. Why should I trust a new brand?
Fair question, and a fairer one when we're asking you to pre-order. We're founder-run and just launching, so we compete on substance rather than reputation we haven't earned yet: anodized aluminium frames handcrafted in Turkey, American-woven Phifertex® mesh slings, welded seams instead of stitched ones, honest specifications on every page, and real people answering your email. We also don't lock your money up — you can cancel a pre-order at any point before it ships. If a piece isn't right, we'll make it right.

Why Turkish manufacturing? Isn't that a downgrade?
The opposite. Turkey has a deep, established manufacturing base for aluminium and outdoor furniture, supplying hotels and homes worldwide. It lets us build genuinely premium, hand-finished furniture without the markup some Western brands carry.

Materials and build

What is the furniture made of?
Frames are anodized aluminium with an electrostatic paint finish. Seats are Phifertex® mesh sling. Joints use glass-reinforced polyamide connectors. Nothing on the chair is upholstered, so there is no foam and no cover to store.

What is Phifertex, and why does it matter?
Phifertex® is a 100% woven vinyl-coated polyester mesh made by Phifer Incorporated in Tuscaloosa, Alabama — the fabric specified widely for commercial and hotel outdoor furniture. Each polyester yarn is coated in PVC before it is woven, so water never reaches the fibre. That is what lets it hold a person's weight under tension without sagging or splitting, season after season. It's also GREENGUARD® Certified for low chemical emissions, carries Microban® antimicrobial protection against the mould and mildew that cause stains and odours, meets NFPA 101 Class A for flame resistance, and comes with its own three-year limited warranty from Phifer. It is the most expensive component in the chair, and the one we would not substitute.
Microban® technology is not designed to protect users from disease-causing microorganisms and is not a substitute for normal cleaning practices.

What does "high-frequency welded seams" mean, and why should I care?
Most sling furniture is stitched. Thread is the first thing to rot in sun and rain, so stitched seams are usually where a chair fails. Ours are welded, which fuses the material instead of piercing it. Fewer failure points, longer life.

Will it rust or fade outside?
The aluminium frame won't rust. The sling is UV and fade resistant and Phifer warrants it for three years against abnormal fading and against loss of dimensional stability from sunlight, mildew and rot. As with any outdoor fabric, storing it out of relentless sun when you're not using it will make it last longer still.

Using it

Do I have to assemble anything?
No. Everything arrives ready to use. Unfold and sit down.

How portable is it, really?
Both pieces fold flat with no tools and no loose parts, and a carrying bag is included in the box. The ChillGo chair carries one-handed. The Bosphorus lounger folds flat to move on your own.

How do I clean it?
Wipe the frame with a damp cloth. For the sling, Phifer's own method is one tablespoon of liquid dish detergent and two tablespoons of household bleach in a gallon of water, applied with a sponge or soft cloth, then rinsed thoroughly with clean water and left to air dry. Diluted bleach is fine on this fabric — that is what makes it recoverable rather than disposable. Keep it away from oil-based products, and store it indoors over winter where you can.

Colours

What colours can I get?
The Bosphorus lounger comes in two frame finishes, Anthracite and Teak, each with Anthracite, Latte or Jeans slings. The ChillGo chair comes with an Anthracite frame in Anthracite, Latte, Jeans, Yucca or Carrot, plus a Teak frame with the Anthracite sling.

Does the Teak finish cost more?
No. Every colourway costs the same, so you can choose the look you actually want rather than the one that's cheapest.

Phifertex® is a registered trademark of Phifer Incorporated. GREENGUARD® is a registered trademark of UL LLC. Microban® is a registered trademark of Microban Products Company. Ottomara is not affiliated with or endorsed by them.