The Favourite
Ten South African furniture designers write love letters to their most cherished pieces.
INTERIOR / 21.08.25
Read time / 8 mins
Mikael wears his take on an office t-shirt in a formal mid-weight cotton pique. On the blind behind him is the FIELDS brand totem, designed by Daniel Ting Chong.
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[01] The Dokter and Misses Disco Chair, photographed by Adrianna Glaviano for Kombi.
Speak to most creatives and they’ll easily liken their work to offspring — each one is special, and it’s impossible to choose a favourite. But as every sibling knows (and no parent will ever admit), there’s always a favourite. Luckily for furniture designers, publicly proclaiming a number one is considerably less taboo. And so, we asked our favourite South African designers to choose a piece they have a particular affection for — a favourite — and write a love letter, however brief or detailed, to tell us why.
The Dokter and Misses Disco Chair, photographed by Adrianna Glaviano for Kombi.
Xandre Kriel’s Techno Loafer
In image 3, a 2025 model of the Techno Loafer’s steel shell is editioned by the designer. Follow Xandre Kriel on instagram to keep an eye out for future Techno Loafer models. For enquiries, email his team at assistantxandrekriel@gmail.com.
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Xandre Kriel has dubbed his Techno Loafer chair “a machine for sitting.” It’s made from 8 millimeter-thick steel, shaped into a monolith shell that tensions one continuous curve of waxed conveyor belt rubber — a crucial juxtaposition of form. The rubber nods to the designer’s childhood in the industrial canning town of Ashton in the Western Cape, where his father used surplus conveyor belt rubber to line the back of his bakkie. Kriel’s construction draws on the ancient Japanese woodworking technique of Sashimono, which relies on gravity and joint precision rather than nails and screws. Only two bolts are used to accentuate the rubber curve.
"The design process for me is like a farmer pruning/growing fruit trees. The critical decision is to plant it,” Xandre writes. “The care and pruning are the design process being developed over a period of time.” The Techno Loafer is in a continuous state of development, with a limited number of pieces being released annually since 2018. Certain XK collectors own, for example, a 2018 and 2022 model of the Techno Loafer.
Designer
XANDRE KRIEL
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Hanneke Lourens’ Leftover Bench, seen here in its final iteration and in process, is available to order from the designer herself on her website. Photographs by Hanneke Lourens.
“The thing I love most about this bench is that it reminds me of my home country, South Africa,” writes Hanneke Lourens from her workshop in northern California where she founded her eponymous brand in 2024. “The Leftover Bench mimics an impromptu collection of objects — a stool, a bench and a chair — pushed together to form a communal seat. It’s an ode to everyday South Africans, who take it upon themselves to create seating areas of their own. Whether it’s an upside-down milk crate or a bunch of different chairs pushed together, innovative ways to sit and commune seem to spring up everywhere.
"It’s an ode to everyday South Africans, who take it upon themselves to create seating areas of their own."
I also love the bench’s super fine stripy old-growth redwood grain. All the wood used to create this piece was salvaged. The wood for the legs came from an old building that was deconstructed not far from my studio, and the rest of the bench utilises wood from a redwood tree that was abandoned on the forest floor due to wasteful lumber industry practices. When you’re a woodworker, it is rare to know the exact origins of the wood you’re using, so to know the story of these trees is very special.”
Designer
HANNEKE LOURENS
Website
The James Mudge Pick Up Sticks server is available to order in a variety of finishes on their website. Images supplied.
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“The Pick Up Sticks design holds a special place in my heart. It marks a time in our business where we weren’t an established brand yet and were experimenting with various techniques,” writes James Mudge, who founded his eponymous brand in 2006.
“It’s light-hearted — and yet has really stood the test of time. Clients around the world still find delight in this design; it remains an interesting piece of furniture for a hallway/centrepiece.
The idea came to me while driving down the N2 looking at a truck load of structural timber. I loved the painted ends and the industrial aesthetic and wanted to see if I could translate it into a piece of furniture. The sticks falling adds dynamic movement to the piece. They are completely handmade and every piece is unique.”
Designer
JAMES MUDGE
Website
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Lemon’s Keys collection is available to oder in various fabrics and colourways on their website. Photographs by Inge Prins.
“I recently designed the Keys Collection, which we launched at Salone del Mobile in Milan,” writes Kevin Frankental, who launched Lemon as a product and graphic design studio in 2007, growing it into the global artisanal furniture brand it is today.
“The Keys Collection is heavily inspired by the Vienna Secession movement, but to me, it feels more like a confluence of different generations of design. The decorative playfulness, the structured framing, and the idea of a complete furniture set—they each come from different eras but somehow meet here.
It’s a deeply personal collection. I designed it for myself, without compromise. It feels like the clearest expression yet of what I think furniture can do for an interior — it can speak volumes.
This body of work feels very true and honest. It’s a glimpse into the kinds of worlds I want to see. My hope is that others feel that too—that they share a similar sensibility.
It’s out there now. For me, that’s enough.”
The Dokter and Misses solid ash Disco Chair is available to order on their website. Images supplied.
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Katy Taplin, who co-founded Dokter and Misses in 2007 with Adriaan Hugo, was moved to write a poem par excellence by their Disco chair.
Dear Disco,
You came in hot — right as the world started spinning again.
Post-lockdown. Post-baby. Post-everything.
We needed movement. You delivered.
Stepped like the M2 factory facades, stacked like Bofill’s Walden 7.
A disco heel with somewhere to be.
A sketch with a pulse.
And let’s be honest: you’re a little bit of a show-off.
That stance? That unapologetic strut?
You don't fade into a room.
You own it.
Thanks for bringing the beat back.
You’ll always be our favourite comeback.
xxx
Dokter and Misses
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Pedersen + Lennard’s stainless steel Veld Fire Pit is available to order in various colours on their website.
“One of the more rewarding challenges we’ve taken on was designing the Veld Fire Pit,” writes Luke Pedersen, who co-founded Pedersen + Lennard with James Lennard in 2008. “Fire pits tend to be heavy, dark, and utilitarian — they all kind of feel the same. We wanted to bring something different. Something that felt joyful and celebratory — because gathering around a fire is about connection, not just warmth. Colour was a big part of that. You don’t see many fire pits with colour, and that felt like an opportunity to shift the mood entirely.
The shape was equally important. We looked to the local landscape — particularly the fynbos — and drew inspiration from the structure of flower petals. The bent steel panels give the Veld Fire Pit a soft, sculptural form that still feels grounded and functional. It becomes something beautiful to gather around, even when not in use.
We wanted to bring something different. You don’t see many fire pits with colour, and that felt like an opportunity to shift the mood entirely. It becomes something beautiful to gather around, even when not in use.
Of course, designing something different brings its own set of challenges. Airflow, heat management, protecting surfaces — all of that had to be engineered in without losing the simplicity of the design. We went through a lot of prototypes to get it right.
In the end, it became one of my favourite pieces — not just because of how it looks, but because it challenged us to reimagine a familiar object and make space for something more considered, more open, and more joyful.”
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Bofred’s solid ash Bahla chair is available to order in dark or light finishes on their website. Photographs by Inge Prins.
What better way to spark inspiration than travels to a faraway land? Christa Botha and Carla Erasmus, who founded Bofred in 2014, wrote an ode to their Bahla chair and the sojourn that planted the seed for its creation in Cape Town.
Dear Bahla Chair,
You were inspired by Christa’s time in Oman, shaped by the stillness of small desert towns and local craft.
Your form draws from the roadside ceramics stacked like gentle sculptures in Bahla, and you were interpreted and brought to life by skilled hands in Cape Town.
Designing you shifted something in the Bofred team. It reminded us that when we draw inspiration from our surroundings and lived experiences, our work carries both meaning and memory.
When we look at you, we feel the warm, dusty sun, the cool stream of the falaj, and the scent of clay in the air.
Love,
Christa & Carla
Curación Collection’s CADBURRY sofa is available to order a variety of modules on their website.
Curación Collection’s CADBURRY sofa is available to order a variety of modules on their website.
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“I believe that comfort and beauty should never be at odds; they should dance together effortlessly. For me, the CADBURRY modular sofa does exactly that,” writes Curación Collection’s Dylan Thomaz, who established his brand with co-founder Adrian Beukes during lockdown and opened a showroom in Cape Town earlier this year.
Dylan goes on to praise CADBURRY for her soft edges and indulgent comfort level. "Plush, modular blocks wrapped in rich, chocolate-toned fabric invite you to lounge, rearrange, and sink in a little deeper. Her stainless steel and wooden base takes her to the next level. She’s sweet without trying, and just like the name suggests, almost impossible to resist.”
Greg Marshall’s Ceramic Cone wall light is available to order in various brass finishes and ceramic shades on his website.
Greg Marshall’s Ceramic Cone wall light is available to order in various brass finishes and ceramic shades on his website.
[Click to Shop]
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A behind-the-scenes peek at Greg’s manufacturing process, courtesy of the @greg.marshall.design instagram.
A behind-the-scenes peek at Greg’s manufacturing process, courtesy of the @greg.marshall.design instagram.
[Click to Shop]
“It is difficult to choose, but one of the first designs to form part of my lighting range, the Ceramic Cone wall light in the dark patina finish and matt white ceramic shade, is one of my favourites,” writes Greg of Greg Marshall Design, the lighting design studio he established in 2018.
“The dark patinated brass has clear reference to a bronze sculpture complimented by the raw matt white ceramic shade which has a very tactile surface. Contrasting in both colour and texture, these two materials have been used for thousands of years, which adds to the timeless appeal of the design.”
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HALDANE
Stretch chair (working title)
Haldane’s Stretch chair (working title, as per his letter) will be available in 2026. Email sales@haldane.co.za for enquiries. Image supplied.
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Pages from Haldane’s sketchbook trace the Stretch chair’s evolution.
Haldane Martin, the master outdoor furniture designer who founded his eponymous brand in 2002, submitted a profound letter to his Stretch chair. The design is still in production, due for a 2026 debut, so consider this your exclusive preview.
Whenever someone asks me, “what is your favourite piece from your Oeuvre?”
I usually reply, “It’s the one I’m working on.”
But to be fair,
it's not my favourite piece,
but rather the one that I am totally obsessed with.
And right now, that is you, Stretch chair (or whatever your birth name might be…)
The creative struggle to form you into an integrated original is all consuming.
It's my duty as a parent of you, my little chair,
to ensure that you earn your keep out in the world
by embodying enduring comfort and timeless style at a fair price.
I have sought to express the elastic webbing, the essence of your concept, in an
intelligent way that honours your Scandinavian roots.
I have softened your brutalist stainless steel frame
with sinuous ergonomic curves
that are step bent out of laser cut plate.
Like the stars, you are formed by heat and pressure.
I have brought you into this world with as much passion and thoughtfulness that I can
muster.
Will you succeed in life and take care of me in my old age?
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FIELDS sweaters are knitted from Responsible Wool Standard-certified fibres, meaning the sheep are ethically raised on farms that protect soil health and biodiversity.
[01] Mikael wears his take on an office t-shirt in a formal mid-weight cotton piqué. On the blind behind him is the FIELDS brand mark, a totem designed by Daniel Ting Chong.
ON THE COVER
Kyoko wears clothing from the independent Belgium label, Girls of Dust. A companion piece by Studio Degens expands on this HOMEY story, documenting Kyoko’s style in the GoD Journal. Read it here.
