Centred on a theme of ‘Contemporary Craft’, Cape Town Furniture Week returned for its fourth edition showcasing the depth of talent from across the region and its intersectionality of artisanal making and future-focused design
Photography by Hannah St Clair, Cape Town Furniture Week returned for its fourth edition, with exhibitions spaces and showrooms opening their doors across the city for four days
Words by Roddy Clarke
Expanding year on year since its first edition in 2023, Cape Town Furniture Week has firmly established itself as one of South Africa’s leading design events. And, with international collaborations part of its ever-growing line-up, it is simultaneously turning heads on a global stage. For 2026, the fair returned to the city with over 75 South African brands and designers, taking shape within multiple showrooms and a variety of exhibition spaces, transforming the CBD into a creative hub for four days.
For the first time, the fair introduced a theme, with exhibitors invited to interpret it in a variety of ways. Titled ‘Contemporary Craft’, it explored artisanal craft within a digital age, drawing attention to the beauty found within the making process and its relevance despite the rise of AI. The materiality and dexterity on display paid homage to South Africa’s heritage of craft, connecting users with the origins of a piece and the value in objects that are produced by hand. ‘Contemporary Craft reasserts the value of making in an age of increasing automation,’ stated the fair’s co-founder Aimée Pearson. ‘One of the standout qualities of South African design is its unique relationship to making. Design and production live close to one another, which is often not the case in more established markets.’
Photography by Hannah St Clair, Local and international visitors explored the depth of creativity on display such as CHECKMATE by Deft Studio, the recipient of the CTFW x VISI Design Prize Design Category Award
The CTFW x VISI Design Prize exhibition also returned for the 2026 edition, with this year’s winners exemplifying the theme perfectly. Chosen from a shortlist of twelve designs displayed within the Festival Hub, the overall winner was the Koppie Chair designed by an exciting emerging South African designer Tom Lead and produced in partnership with Johannesburg-based studio Stripped Collective. The three-legged chair referenced traditional South African furniture typologies while adding a fresh perspective that seamlessly married heritage and modernity. Exposed joints secured with contrasting local timbers drew attention to the making process, resulting in a chair that exuded effortless charm while being the outcome of meticulous attention to detail.
Photography by Hannah St Clair, The Koppie Chair by Tom Lead and Stripped Collective won the overall Design Prize with it capturing the subtle beauty of artisanal production while celebrating contemporary South African design today
The award also selected three category winners for Design, Authenticity and Advancement. Deft Studio took home the Design Award for its unique creation, CHECKMATE: a marquetry checkerboard console unit that bridges the gap between art and design with its playful, curvaceous form and exquisite composition. Reminding us of how design can radiate joy while serving a function, it also showcased the dexterity of local craft with solid walnut and ash seamlessly configured to create a striking naturally contrasting pattern.
The Authenticity Award went to Ndivhuho Rasengani for his sculptural incense burner Held Smoke. A result of a creativity residency the artist recently undertook in Shanghai, the piece encapsulated the cultural crossover between the city and South Africa while conveying the importance of ritual and its grounding presence in our busy lives. ‘The design intention behind it is to create deep visual intrigue, guiding the user into stillness as smoke tendrils drift and hover across the surface,’ Rasengani explains. ‘It is conceived as an object that caries the presence of an ancient sculpture, while evoking a modern, miniaturised cityscape.’
Photography by Hannah St Clair, Held Smoke by Ndivhuho Rasengani won the award for Authenticity, the result of a cultural crossover after the artist’s residency in Shanghai
Wiid Design was awarded the prize for Advancement, specifically commending the Cape Town studio’s progression of the use of cork and its functional, yet artistic, formations of the material. With many designers turning to cork for its regenerative properties, Laurie Wiid van Heerden is merging sustainability with style, reworking the material in a plethora of ways. Exhibiting the Massa Forma Table, it combined a monolithic cork base with a glazed ceramic tile tabletop, also produced locally in the Woodstock studio.
Photography by Hannah St Clair, Local collaborations took centre stage including the MŪ202 Spectrum Mirror, a result of a partnership between Cape Town design studio MŪVEK and mirror specialists Spectrum
Other highlights included the MŪ202 Spectrum Mirror, a collaboration between MŪVEK and Spectrum, merging the design studio’s refined architectural approach with Spectrum’s technical expertise. The Urbanative partnered with Grey Room and Weluka to launch the Wadi Panel Screen, an artistic take on a room divider that brought together the craft of weaving with the studio’s renowned design aesthetic. Studio Kaja showcased organic earthenware vessels, produced in collaboration with Mingaye Malanti. A new category for the Cape Town design studio, these hand-built ceramics stayed true to its refined sensibility while leaving the human touch visible to create a perceptible connection between collector and maker.
Photography by Hannah St Clair, Studio KAJA unveiled its latest collaboration with maker Mingaye Malanti, with these earthenware vessels exuding an organic beauty that celebrates the hand-built artistry behind them
With ICON returning as the fair’s International Media Partner, other global partnerships took shape across the city. The Consulate of Italy in Cape Town hosted a curated Italian Design programme, featuring the showrooms of Officine Gullo, Poliform, and Valcucine, including a conversation with Italian designer Francesca Lanzavecchi, the Italian Design Ambassador to South Africa for 2026. Danish design house HAY also unveiled its new Deville collection at the Inova Concept Store.
Reflecting on another vibrant edition for Cape Town Furniture Week, we feel inspired and stimulated witnessing the depth of creativity on display. In seeing the show strengthen connections between makers, designers and institutions, both locally and internationally, it is a reminder of the importance of how such events can position a regional design industry onto the global design stage. And, in seeing the distinct appreciation of craft and materials combined with a contemporary design sensitivity, it offered hope that despite the rising challenges of the digital landscape, the beauty of handmade objects, and our connection to the making process, is set to outlast all passing trends and evolutions.
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