Design in the Mother City: Cape Town Furniture Week highlights
From established makers to a new generation shaping the future of design, Cape Town Furniture Week (CTFW) brought the city’s design community together for four days of exhibitions, conversations and beautifully crafted pieces.
This year’s CTFW once again confirmed the Mother City as a vital epicentre for furniture and design on the African continent.
Taking place from 18–21 February, the four-day festival unfolded across the city through a lively programme of open showrooms, exhibitions, talks, factory tours and design-led gatherings, drawing visitors into studios and creative spaces that are not always open to the public.
Now in its fourth year, the event continues to grow in both scale and ambition. The 2026 theme, “Contemporary Craft,” invited visitors to look beyond the finished product and into the process itself – celebrating the journey of making as much as the objects produced.
With a thoughtful nod to South Africa’s rich craft heritage, the programme explored the meticulous skills and techniques that underpin the country’s design culture. From time-honoured artisanal practices to the integration of new technologies, the theme highlighted the dedication, experimentation and collaboration required to transform ideas into beautifully realised pieces.
This year also saw a number of dynamic partnerships elevate the programme, including collaborations with the Consulate of Italy in Cape Town, further strengthening the dialogue between South African designers and the international design community.
Below, we share a visual roundup of standout pieces, notable collaborations and award-winning designs from this year’s CTFW.
A pioneer of contemporary South African design, Haldane Martin led the way with the launch of his Scaffold and SuperRational outdoor furniture collections. Haldane also won the award for Best Display at this year’s event.
Design Afrika is headed up by the doyenne of African craft and design, Binky Newman, who has spent a lifetime working with crafting communities across the African continent. She has been instrumental in bridging the gap between traditional craft and sellable design.
The Ayris Collection brought a sense of playfulness to the craft-focused week with their Aya Cabinet, Genki Sideboard and Wabi Sabi Sideboard. Their sometimes bold, sometimes whimsical, yet always stylish approach sees them collaborating with some of the country’s finest craft workshops to produce collections that embody their refreshing design philosophy.
No stranger to setting the local design scene alight with his inventive work, designer and maker Laurie Wiid took home the CTFW x VISI Design Prize in the Advancement category for his Massa Forma Square Table. Through Wiid Design, he continues to push boundaries with multi-material pieces that seamlessly merge traditional craftsmanship with cutting-edge production techniques.
Studio Dilli made a striking impression with the launch of their modular tiled object, Module 40. Built on a disciplined 40 × 40 grid system, the piece works equally well on its own or arranged in multiples. Serving as a bench, side table, server or display plinth, its multifunctionality and retro-leaning aesthetic made it a firm favourite with visitors.
With a clear obsession for craft and a desire to bring delight and excitement to interiors through their furniture, DEFT won the Design Category Award for their Checkmate Server. Handcrafted from solid walnut and ash, the sculptural piece explores imagination and movement in a manner that feels both playful and refined. We’ve also highlighted their Ooskaap Kas and Magical sideboards above – both firm favourites of the Lifestyling team.
We had planned to focus purely on furniture from the week, but couldn’t resist highlighting the Best Collaboration winner: the MŪVEK x Spectrum Mirror. Designed by Chris van Niekerk, the frame reprises the refined formalism of MŪVEK’s Object 1 – a polished stainless steel tray set – scaled up to architectural proportions, with crisp rectangular facets and softly bent edges lending the piece both presence and weight. The angular frame is completed with Spectrum’s chromatic mirror, created by layering combinations of pure metals onto transparent sheet glass to create beautifully subtle tonal shifts.
www.capetownfurnitureweek.co.za
Production: J-P de la Chaumette
Photography: Supplied with hero image courtesy of Bofred