INOVA Concept Store, in collaboration with the renowned Danish design brand HAY, unveiled KAAPENHAGEN – an exceptional design initiative – during Cape Town Furniture Week 2025.
WORDS Gina Dionisio PHOTOS Slater Studio; Photography by Robynne
The KAAPENHAGEN Design Challenge brought together 10 of Cape Town’s most innovative creatives and designers to reimagine HAY‘s iconic About A Chair AAC 222.
“We’re putting Cape Town’s unique creative pulse at the heart of this challenge,” said Brent Weldon, Director of INOVA Concept Store. “KAAPENHAGEN isn’t just about reimagining a chair – it’s about showcasing how our city’s designers can take a global design icon and transform it through their distinctive creative lens. When we say we’re putting the ‘KAAP’ in KAAPENHAGEN, we’re celebrating the intersection of two design powerhouses: Danish precision and Cape Town’s creative energy.”
Each participant was tasked with pushing their creative boundaries to transform this masterpiece of Danish design, originally created by Hee Welling, into a unique interpretation that bridges Scandinavian heritage with contemporary design sensibilities from Cape Town.
The result? 10 Unique pieces ranging from functional updates to purely conceptual art pieces.
The reimagined chairs were unveiled at INOVA Concept Store on the opening night of Cape Town Furniture Week. The exhibition space was transformed into an immersive design experience, where visitors were encouraged to engage with the works and participate in the public vote. The “people’s choice” winner was announced at the CTFW x VISI Design Prize evening, with Paragon ultimately receiving the honour.
‘You Are Cape Town’
PARAGON
PARAGON transformed the iconic chair into a sculptural expression (and reflection) of the relationship between the city’s landscape and its people. Covered in a mirrored surface, the artwork blurred the boundaries between the self and the surroundings. The base of the piece represented the contours of Table Mountain, anchoring it in the natural world.
Turning the Furniture Industry on Its Head and ‘Shining a Light’ on South African Design
Studio Goodd
Studio Goodd’s installation reimagined transformation, sustainability, and the relationship between nature and the home. Inspired by the question, “What if a chair no longer needed to be a chair?” the studio reinterpreted the design of the HAY AAC 22 chair – quite literally turning it on its head. Transformed into a sculptural floor lamp, its shade encased an exposed halogen bulb, evoking the image of filament-like pollen. The organic, curving frame reflected nature’s aversion to straight lines, while the original chair legs were repurposed into a functional side table, ensuring that nothing went to waste.
Echoes of Cape Town – A Chair of Community
Inhouse Design Studio
Inhouse Design Studio‘s reinterpretation of the iconic HAY design honoured the unity and heritage of Cape Town. Each of the four legs symbolised a chapter in the city’s history, encompassing its ancestral roots, colonial influence, the struggle for liberation, and the vibrant modern spirit that defines Cape Town today.
Amaranthus
Myuzu
Myuzu incorporated two varieties of hanging Amaranthus – Coral Fountain and Green – to transform the chair into a biomorphic-inspired piece. By following the natural curves of the Amaranthus stems, Myuzu seamlessly mirrored the chair’s organic form.
Klopse Blomme
Ananta Design Studio
Inspired by the iconic Kaapse Klopse, Ananta Design Studio reimagined the chair to capture the festival’s dazzling explosion of colour, music, and energy – a vibrant celebration of heritage, resilience, and freedom.
PATCHWORK PROTEA
ATTIK Design
Much like the Mother City, nestled between mountain and sea, ATTIK Design‘s piece embraced the organic, the imperfect, and the interconnected. Inspired by the concept of patchwork, it wove together the layered histories, stories, and textures that define Cape Town.
‘R100 for Everything’ – What if play was the most valuable resource we had?
The MAAK
The MAAK challenged themselves with a R100 budget and materials salvaged from the local dump. R100 for Everything transformed a single HAY AAC 222 chair into a series of playful objects: a swing, a seesaw, a go-kart, a slide, a noughts-and-crosses board, and a toy push car.
Bursting Ruffles
Sindiso Khumalo
Designer Sindiso Khumalo’s reinterpretation of the chair was a celebration of femininity. Staying true to the sustainability ethos central to the Sindiso Khumalo brand, all the fabric was reimagined from waste materials sourced from their production and transformed into elegant ruffles.
The Thinking Chair
The Detail Smith
The Detail Smith embraced the idea of creating a ‘thinking chair’ – a sculptural, flower-like structure which unfolded, allowing the brain to do its thing.
Akho Bantu
Lebo Kekana – Artist, curator and director of FEDE Arthouse
Lebo Kekana’s transformed chair embodied a desire to break free from Western hegemony, as reflected in the city’s urban planning. This planning often embraced Modernist aesthetic values, which overlooked the cultural identity of the Abantu people.
Don’t forget to sign up to our weekly newsletter for the latest architecture and design news.
