WORDS Gina Dionisio
We highlight the showrooms, exhibitions, and product launches to see at the inaugural Cape Town Furniture Week taking place around the City Bowl from 15 to 18 February.
The much-anticipated inaugural Cape Town Furniture Week is set to be a celebration of hyper-local design. This year’s event, taking place between 15 and 18 February, will centre around a curated, publicly-accessible programme of showrooms, must-see exhibitions, and exciting new launches in the City Bowl.
The four-day event is free to access, creating an opportunity for the public to discover great designs by some of Cape Town’s best contemporary furniture brands, meet the designers and entrepreneurs behind them, and enjoy the festivities in the city while exploring the programme on foot.
Cape Town Furniture Week is organised by the Cape Town Furniture Focus (CTFF) initiative, established in 2022 by Gareth Pearson and Aimée Wolfaardt. “We decided to start Cape Town Furniture Week as a way for the city to celebrate the significant standard of contemporary furniture being designed and made locally,” says Gareth, who is also one of the founders of the popular First Thursdays phenomenon. “We take for granted what we see on Instagram or in design publications, but when you put it all together you realise there’s something special happening here. This is just the start, but we’re excited to grow Cape Town Furniture Week into one of the primary platforms for designers and brands to launch new products, to drive innovation in the industry, and for the public to be able to engage with design in an accessible way.”
The programme kicks off with an evening of openings on Wednesday 15 February from 5pm to 8pm, with the public encouraged to walk from venue to venue much like with the First Thursdays open gallery programme. Participating spaces will then be open during the day (10am to 4pm) on Thursday and Friday, followed by an active programme of scheduled walkabouts and events on Saturday morning between 9am and 2pm.
You’ll be able to see the full list of participating designers, brands and spaces at capetownfurnitureweek.co.za, but we’ve collated a few highlights to look forward to:
Participating brands
Arrange Studio, Ben Kennedy Design, Bofred, Coral & Hive, Curaçion Collection, Douglas & Company, Ex Hotel, Green Brother, HALDANE, HOI P’LOY, hoop, Jacobs Collection, Kino, KRAMER, Leighton Calder, LEMON, LIM, Matthew Dasneves, MET, MŪVEK, N I S H, OKHA, Pedersen + Lennard, Vitalli., Vorster + Braye, Wiid Design and more.
Participating venues
Venues include Holland House Atelier (76 Church Street), Always Welcome (108 Shortmarket Street), Open Co (109 Loop Street), LEMON (212a Buitengracht Street), MŪVEK (37 Buitenkant Street), OKHA (109 Hatfield Street), LIM (86 Kloof Street), Vorster & Braye (96 Long Street) and AKJP (73 Kloof Street), among others.
Cape Town Furniture Week Highlights
Pedersen + Lennard
James Lennard and Luke Pedersen, the duo behind the award-winning Pedersen + Lennard brand, are known for combining their background in industrial design to produce functional pieces that stand the test of time. During Cape Town Furniture Week they’ll be launching UMPIRE – a new playful range which they have been teasing on their social media channels.
Visit 108 Shortmarket Street (1st floor, Always Welcome)
BOX—FRESH
As one of Cape Town Furniture Week’s main exhibitions, BOX—FRESH will feature new designs by a handful of local brands, including Curación Collection, Dark Horse, Ex Hotel, Green Brother, HALDANE, HOI P’LOY, KRAMER, MET Furniture Studio, N I S H, Timothy Penfold Studio, Vitalli., Wiid Design.
Visit 61 Shortmarket Street
hoop
Known for its flat-pack solid wood furniture, hoop is celebrating its launch of ‘hoop kitchens’ – a modular no-fuss kitchen concept that aims to make great design more accessible.
Visit 109 Loop Street
MŪVEK Showroom
MŪVEK with be hosting an open studio for the duration of Cape Town Furniture Week, giving the public the chance to meet the team and explore some of their newly released designs.
Visit 105 Wolroy House, 37 Buitenkant St | Booking is essential.
MET
Worth highlighting on its own is the Cape Town Furniture Week debut of MET Furniture Studio. The brand launches with their Pencil Chair at BOX—FRESH, also featured in the Cape Town Furniture Focus SHOWCASE 2 exhibition. Made from stainless steel and strung rope, the Pencil Chair is generously proportioned to function as either a dining or occasional chair.
Visit 61 Shortmarket Street + 67 Church Street
CTFF: SHOWCASE 2
SHOWCASE 2 is the second Cape Town Furniture Focus exhibition, featuring furniture pieces by a selection of Cape Town-based brands and designers. The intention behind the exhibition is to foster an appreciation for what is designed and made in the city, and to highlight the high standard of craftsmanship within the local furniture design industry. The furniture showcase includes pieces by Arrange Studio, Ben Kennedy Design, Coral & Hive, Douglas & Company, HOI P’LOY, Jacobs Collection, Kino, Leighton Calder, Lemon, LIM, Matthew Dasneves, MET Furniture Studio, MŪVEK, Vitalli., and Vorster & Braye, alongside paintings by Carolina Salinas and Thembela Mpambani.
Visit Holland House Atelier, 76 Church Street
Always Welcome
Spanning over two floors of an 18th Century Heritage House on the trendy Bree strip, Always Welcome brings together a variety of local talent in homeware, furniture and product design. Ranging from established design houses to emerging studios full of promise, the project pays homage to the stories and skills of the growing design collective’s unique diversity and creative styles.
Visit 108 Shortmarket Street
For the full schedule and more information, visit capetownfurnitureweek.co.za
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