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Arijiju is a unique private family home nestled in the Kenyan Highlands. Taking its name from the Masaai word meaning ‘the hill on which it was built’ Arijiju is built into the hillside of the Borana Conservancy, a private game reserve in Laikipia county, Kenya.
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Knit Tank is a project that connects designers with artisanal women in Kenya, Its mission is to open up the dialogue into the continued role and evolution of craft in society, and in the process provide additional economic opportunities for the women involved.
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Mid-Century Modern meets African print and traditional textiles in the furniture and interior accessories collections by Workshop Nairobi. A social enterprise based in Kenya’s bustling capital city Workshop Nairobi was founded in 2015 with a mission to contribute to the country’s furniture industry by connecting local artisans and furniture manufacturers and giving them the means to design, develop and craft their products.
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Endo² is a stylish minimalist art-led brand by Kenyan-Japanese sisters Yvonne and Patti Endo. Born in Tokyo and currently living in Kenya the sisters came up with the idea of pairing Patti’s continuous line drawings with Yvonne’s business marketing and management acumen.
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African art is commanding increased attention on the international stage. We highlight 6 new generation African artists to know, who through their thought-provoking work are helping to shape contemporary art across the African continent, whilst making their mark internationally.
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Atelier Fifty Five spotlights the work of 9 dynamic designers whose innovative use of Africa’s diverse craft heritages is translated into modern sophisticated products for contemporary living. And in doing so are upholding the banner of Well Made In Africa. Re-imagining techniques and materials these designers are paying homage to the skill of making things by hand thereby recognising how craft is at the heart of true luxury.
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Across Africa bold, colourful and intricate patterns can be found throughout fabric and surface designsthat reach back through the centuries. Pattern continues to influence the expressions of modern design emerging from and inspired by the continent. Here is a selection African designers and artists creating their own unique pattern adorned creations.
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Collaboration is a powerful thing, the meeting of ideas to create new ones and at times offering up unexpected viewpoints. Collaboration offers those involved a chance to learn, pick up new skills and show off each other’s skills at their best. And in this spirit I have rounded up seven inspiring modern African design collaborations that have come together over the years:
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In a preview of its forthcoming collaboration with African designers IKEA introduces ÖVERALLT a limited edition collection of tableware, textiles, and seating inspired by the modern rituals across all cultures that punctuate everyday life, what we do and use to make us feel at home. The collection was developed by ten designers from seven African countries partnered with IKEA’s team of designers.
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One can only wonder why they are so many abandoned planes to be found in Kenya, but whatever the reason local designers and artisan are salvaging parts, and with the creative ingenuity that Africa is famed for are upcycling them into artistic furniture and interior products with a futuristic flair.
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Bold graphic black and white prints with a distinctive Afro-Scandi aesthetic characterise the designs of Pino Nord, a design lifestyle company based in Nairobi, Kenya. Pino Nord draws on the minimalism of Scandinavian design, and fuses this with the vibrancy, boldness and artistic expression of daily life in Nairobi, and from this fusion comes a style that Pino Nord calls Tropical Minimalism.
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Trésors d’Afrique translates as Treasures from Africa, and is an ode to past and present, culture and modernity presented in the form of luxury jewellery pieces by the prestigious French jeweller and watchmaker Chaumet in collaboration with Kenyan artist, Evans Mbugua who is based in Paris. Trésors d’Afrique is third and final destination in the Mondes du Chaumet collection, a globe-trotting journey through jewels that has taken in the splendours of Russia, and Japan. Chaumet is inspired by the coming together of different cultures that celebrate and honour majestic femininity to create new ideas, imagined by their master jewellers who continually […]
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You can never have too many wooden spoons. In all shapes, sizes and natural tones, a collection by British textile designer Kirsten Hecktermann leaves you spoilt for choice.
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True beauty starts from within is the philosophy of Afya a premium range of organic, natural beauty and skincare products inspired by the healing traditions of Africa’s diverse tribes. The brand was started by Kenyan sisters Neva Mwiti-Read, based in Australia and Kangai Mwiti, based in Nairobi, who sought to share the rich stories of their homeland.
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What does it mean to be an ‘African designer’? Is it the fabrics you use, or earthy colour palettes, perhaps it’s traditional references or ethnic motifs? This is a question designers from the continent grapple with when presenting their work to international audiences and if their aesthetic does not fit into the perceptions of African design often find it being critiqued as not being African enough. Who gets to decide what it is to be African? The creator or the critic? This is the question posed and explored by Kenyan-based The Nest Collective in their book Not African Enough, which […]
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Kenyan-based jewellery designer Adele Dejak turns to her Nigerian roots with Àmi, her latest luxury jewellery collection designed in collaboration with Afrominima, the Nigerian design and lifestyle brand by Olubunmi Adeyemi that fuses the ethos of Scandinavian style, Japanese minimalism with African heritage.
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Salone del Mobile, the prestigious Italian furniture fair opens its doors today offering visitors the very best in international furniture design concepts. Salone del Mobile is also home to SaloneSatellite an event that spotlights promising young designers under 35 by giving them a platform to connect with manufacturers, buyers and talent scouts. Noted for launching the careers of designers such as Oki Sato of Nendo, this year’s SaloneSatellite theme is Africa/Latin America: Rising Design – Design Emergente and as such is presenting a group of designers representing both regions. Among those representing African design is Jomo Tariku, founder of Jomo […]
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Earlier this year, I was honoured to have been appointed the guest curator for the prestigious Sanlam Handmade Contemporary Fair’s Well Made in Africa showcase. 2017 introduces a new, exquisite selection of Well Made in Africa exhibitors from the continent under the curatorship of Tapiwa Matsinde, author of Contemporary Design Africa. Tapiwa presents a selection that is anchored in heritage & modernity. This year Sanlam HmC will host the work of a dynamic group of designers who have been chosen for their innovative use of Africa’s diverse craft heritages to create modern sophisticated products for contemporary living. And with […]
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Centuries-old Mashirbirya patterns have inspired a contemporary collection of limited edition furniture made on Kenya’s, Lamu Island. Architect, Moran Munyuthe who lives and works in Lamu, designed the collection called The Mashirbirya Collection, which comprises a table and chair. Mashirbirya patterns are seen in Arabic-Bantu architecture, usually part of a wooden lattice screen that is used to shade the interior of buildings and decorate the exterior. Mashirbirya patterns are intricate, the style reflecting the rich cultural heritage of Lamu and how the culture of the Arab traders to Africa’s East coast where assimilated into the local Bantu culture.
Read MoreDotted around the lounge at 1:54 Contemporary African Art Fair was a collection of colourful, contemporary seating by product designer Ifeanyi Oganwu, African inspired textiles design brand Toghal and jewellery designer Artist Phoebe Boswell. Ifeanyi was approached by Dayo Forster, Toghal’s founder to create a seating structure on which to present their cylindrical bolster cushions.
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