Global design heavyweight Charles O Job headlines Africa’s premier showcase

When museums permanently house your furniture designs and the world’s most prestigious competitions call on your expertise as a judge, you’ve earned your place among design’s global elite. That authority belongs to Charles O Job, the Nigerian-born, Switzerland-based architect and designer who will headline Decorex Joburg 2025, organised by RX, as its Designer of the Year.

Job’s award-winning Sketch armchair sits permanently in both the Vitra Design Museum in Germany and the Denver Art Museum in the USA, recognition reserved for pieces that fundamentally advance design thinking. His breakthrough with Sketch solved one of design’s most persistent challenges: how to create beautiful, functional furniture without environmental or economic compromise.

‘The simple innovation in Sketch is that I use one single form and repeat it four times to form the different parts of the chair,’ explains Job. ‘All four parts are then simply screwed together.’ The result enables flat-pack transportation, buyer assembly and individual part replacement.

This philosophy of simple innovation has revolutionised sustainable furniture manufacturing while maintaining aesthetic excellence.

Job’s approach to sustainability stems from his childhood experiences in Lagos, where he developed what would become his signature philosophy. ‘Sustainability is what we used to practise when, as children, we would collect locally found materials and transform them into objects of desire,’ he said. ‘Now it’s called upcycling. We must have been ahead of the curve!’

A lecturer in architectural design theory at the University of Applied Sciences in Bern, Switzerland, Job also serves as a jury member for various prestigious awards, where he helps determine which innovations shape the industry’s future. These include the iF Design awards, one of the largest and most prestigious design competitions in the world; the D&AD (Design & Art Direction) awards, the world’s most prestigious benchmark for commercial creativity; and the World Architecture Festival, the world’s largest live awards event for architects and designers.

Job’s recent projects include chairs designed for the Dakar Design Biennale 2025 in Senegal, where he represented Nigeria, and work created for a Paris exhibition subsequently acquired by David Adjaye’s office for the new Studio Museum in Harlem, New York. At Decorex Joburg (24-27 July at the Sandton Convention Centre), visitors will experience Job’s philosophy firsthand through his exhibition stand featuring large-format imagery and a selection of chairs from international exhibitions, each addressing different cultural and functional issues, and including a piece that was displayed in Dakar.

He will also give a keynote presentation, ‘Body of Work’, on the Future Talks stage (Thursday 24 July, 2pm-2:45pm). Attendees can expect stories connecting childhood curiosity in Nigeria with Swiss precision, exploring how international experience shapes authentic design language.

‘I’m looking forward to making meaningful industry connections,’ said Job, expressing excitement about collaborating with South African creatives and producers interested in contemporary African design.

Job’s talk is part of Future Talks, a comprehensive four-day programme featuring sessions on collaborative design education, 3D printing innovations, African craftsmanship, retail design and landscape architecture. Topics and speakers change daily, showcasing the full spectrum of contemporary design thinking from both established and emerging industry voices. Other speakers on the programme include Sinegugu Ngxongo of Bambizulu, Stephen Klein of Klein Concepts, Tracy Lee Lynch of Clout/SA, Bongisa Msutu of Greenside Design Center and artist Nwabisa Ntlokwana.

For the complete Future Talks schedule, which is themed ‘Design Makes the Future’, and to plan your visit to experience Charles O Job’s work alongside hundreds of leading brands and emerging talents, download the official Decorex app brought to you by Cosentino and available for free on iOS and Android. Or, for more information on the talks, see here: https://www.decorex.co.za/joburg/en-gb/exhibitors/FutureTalks.html#/sessions/day/0

Essential information for Decorex Joburg 2025

Show days and times

Thursday 24 July to Sunday 27 July, 10am to 6pm daily.

Venue:

Sandton Convention Centre, 161 Maude Street, Sandton, South Africa

Tickets online

Adults: R160

Pensioners/Students R130

Children under 12: FREE

Children 12-16: R50

VIP Experience: R350

Tickets at the door

Adults: R170

Pensioners/Students R140

Children 12-16: R60

Children under 12: FREE

VIP Experience: R360

TRADE VISITORS

Trade pre-registration for Decorex Joburg is open

Pre-registered trade: FREE

Trade onsite: R160

Decorex VIP Trade Experience: R390

PARKING

Parking is charged at an hourly rate, and visitors are required to use the convenient pay-on-foot parking ticket kiosks to pay for their parking. For best parking routes

For more information visit www.decorex.co.za. For regular updates follow @decorexafrica on Instagram and Facebook and for the latest decor and design industry news visit the Decorex JRNL