The Of Traditional African Furniture

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All about Traditional African Furniture

Africa is an exotic place, which excites and stays on your mind forever, once you see it. If you love this part of the world but can’t go there, you can always bring this flavor to your home creating African-inspired interiors. Such rooms are perfect for countries with long winters, just to add some warmth to the interiors (traditional african furniture).

We, as consumers, must use our conscience and try to source products from environments, companies and communities that are committed to sustainability and are also concerned with the welfare of the inhabitants, employees and societies. Mutual benefit to all concerned with the production and purchase of the items manufactured must exist.

There is much to arouse one's creativity in Africa's temporal landscapes: The deep verdant forests of the Equatorial jungle; the azure seas of Eastern Africa; the Central savannah plains softly stretching in unfathomable distances; the ancient undulating forms of the desert dunes; rugged highland mountains; bright Namaqualand desert flowers - the list is endless and everyone's impressions will be individual and unique, whatever makes one's heart beat faster! Interior with divan It is in this area that textures can really come to the fore as they can be found in all the natural fibres and the products that are created with them like textiles, baskets, blinds, floorcoverings, bedlinen and tableware and artistic creations like freeform sculptures.

every detail of the process is carefully reflected on and executed in his country studio. The market for contemporary African design is evolving. There has been an explosion on the world furniture and design market in the last 10 years of African- There are many things that contribute to this but foremost, I believe, is the impact that contemporary African decor artists are having in the art world.

Not known Facts About Traditional African Furniture

Born in Bloemfontein in South Africa in 1980, he currently resides in Cape Town creating sculptural furniture, frequently one off pieces that have been influenced by his traditional culture and afrofuturism. The above piece made of raffia, wood and wooden beads is an ode to the celebration of all the women in his life.



You’re not limited to this palette, however. Colour schemes of blue and green, and purple and pink reflect the vibrant landscape of Africa and the brightly coloured textiles of West Africa. The easiest way to bring some of the colours of Africa into your own space without a dramatic overhaul of your furniture is through cushions and other soft furnishings.

People are seeking more grounding elements in their space as a way to retain a connection with nature. Baskets have long been a key element of African style, whether on the wall or as a decorative storage option, and they are not going anywhere soon. There are so many styles and colours so stock up and use them to tidy spaces, as an alternative to a pot plant or as in this easy, breezy nod to African style; hang them en masse as wall art - traditional african furniture.


One African export that never dates is the iconic Butterfly Chair. Originally known as the Triplolina chair, it was first used in the 19th century in North Africa by the British and then the Italians and has been synonymous with African safari style ever since. It’s a natural yet delicate, and is a thing of real beauty.

Not known Details About Traditional African Furniture

If this image doesn’t demonstrate the versatility of African décor, nothing will. Africa is well represented in the stunning blue portrait and then echoed again in the small blue elephant statue. These quintessential elements of African design sit more than comfortably alongside a classic modern hand shaped table in silver and a Mid-Century Modern sunburst.

Mixing and matching styles is said to be a strong trend for the foreseeable feature and designers are urging people to be brave and mix it up. Or to put it simply: if you love it, take it home! .

The tradition of furniture in Ancient Africa is not very well documented. This is because, traditionally, African history was only ever recorded orally – meaning that stories were passed on from generation to generation, and only ever by word of mouth. Because of this, some crucial details of African life have been lost over time.

Historically, stools and chairs were very important in Ancient Africa - traditional african furniture. Just as thrones and the seats More Info of kings/queens were important in mainland Europe as signs of status and power, stools fulfilled the same purpose in African society. The owners of stools in African tribes would display them for others to see, to show the power they held in the social hierarchy.

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In some tribes, the stool was seen as a symbol for the owner’s soul, and sitting on another person’s stool meant that you had contaminated their spirit. The spiritual and societal importance of stools outside the home meant that most Ancient African houses didn’t really have anywhere to sit. Most would sit on the ground, or on cushions visit here of grass instead.

While in some Ancient African civilizations (like in Ancient Egypt,) most forms of furniture that we have in the modern world were still available, (couches, chairs, tables, wardrobes,) this was not the case for the majority of tribes. Most Ancient African homes were sparsely furnished, and people would eat off the ground or from their laps rather than use plates or tables.

g, religious ceremonies and burial rites. In some parts of Africa, it’s believed a person may have been laid out on a special stone table after death, where they would be cleaned and then buried. There is little concrete evidence to support this, however, and useful site so historians can only theorize why some “tables” may have been found in Ancient African sites.

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