Cape Town Furniture Week: Contemporary Craft Takes Centre Stage

In February, Cape Town once again becomes a living showroom. From 18 to 21 February 2026, Cape Town Furniture Week (CTFW) returns with a four-day programme that invites both the design industry and the wider public to discover contemporary South African furniture, lighting and homeware—this time through the lens of a new and timely theme: Contemporary Craft.

Since its first edition in 2023, Cape Town Furniture Week has quickly established itself as a standout event on the country’s design calendar. Distinct from traditional trade fairs, the festival unfolds across a network of walkable districts, transforming the city into an open, decentralised design destination. Showrooms, studios and pop-up spaces become sites of discovery, encouraging visitors to experience design not in isolation, but as part of the urban fabric.

Free to attend, with all exhibition locations open to the public, Cape Town Furniture Week is as much about accessibility as it is about excellence. While most of the talks, tours and industry-focused events require pre-registration, the exhibitions themselves invite curious passers-by, collectors, and first-time design enthusiasts to engage with contemporary product design on their own terms.

“We’ve really enjoyed seeing the growth in attendance from the general public,” says Gareth Pearson, Co-Founder and Director of Cape Town Furniture Week. “Not just to promote local design to wider audiences, but also because product design is a great lens through which to engage with the world around us. Every one of us uses furniture in some way in our day-to-day lives, so anyone can attend Cape Town Furniture Week and find something that interests them.”

Contemporary Craft: a new thematic direction

For the first time, the 2026 programme introduces an overarching theme. Contemporary Craft is an invitation to slow down and look closely—at process, materiality and the relationship between hand and machine. The theme explores the intersection of traditional techniques and new technologies, spotlighting the labour, skill and experimentation behind contemporary design objects.

“Contemporary Craft reasserts the value of making in an age of increasing automation,” says Aimée Pearson, Co-Founder and Director of Cape Town Furniture Week. “One of the standout qualities of South African design is its unique relationship to making. Design and production live close to one another here, which is often not the case in more established markets.”

The theme is woven throughout the festival’s exhibitions, installations and conversations, reinforcing Cape Town Furniture Week’s role not only as a showcase, but as a platform for critical engagement with how—and why—objects are made.

A design discovery shaped by the city

Rather than concentrating activity in a single venue, Cape Town Furniture Week encourages exploration. Events are spread across the Central City, De Waterkant, East City, Lower Gardens and Kloof Street, with the addition of new districts in Woodstock, Salt River, Observatory and Paarden Eiland. The result is an experience shaped as much by place as by programme, with Cape Town’s historic streets and layered neighbourhoods playing a starring role.

While exhibitions remain open across all districts for the full four days, the industry-focused Design Professionals Programme is organised by district on specific days. This curated programme includes showroom talks, behind-the-scenes factory tours, exhibition walkabouts and launch events, and begins with an exclusive preview of the exhibitions at the Festival Hub.

The Festival Hub: heritage meets contemporary design

Serving as a central point of convergence, the Festival Hub anchors the wider city-based programme. For 2026, it occupies the former Africa Bank Building at 81 St George’s Mall, a landmark structure currently undergoing a heritage-sensitive transformation into a hotel.

For just four days, the building will host exhibitions of new products and displays by over 40 exhibitors, alongside special installations and the CTFW x VISI Design Prize exhibition. It offers a rare opportunity for the public to step inside a historic space in transition, while engaging with some of the most compelling contemporary design being produced in South Africa today.

First-time visitors are encouraged to begin their journey here, before venturing out to explore exhibitions across the city.

Designers, brands and international dialogue

The 2026 edition brings together close to 80 South African brands and designers, primarily from Cape Town, Johannesburg and Durban. The mix spans emerging studios such as Ananta Design Studio, Daily and MŪVEK; established names including HALDANE, Lemon and Wiid Design; and first-time participants like Andrew Dominic Furniture, Casamento and Arkivio.

Several brands and retailers will also use Cape Town Furniture Week as a launchpad for new or preview showrooms, among them Lemon, CRÉMA, Hoop and Acre Studio.

Adding an international dimension, a curated Italian Design programme—presented in partnership with the Consulate of Italy in Cape Town—will spotlight the local showrooms of Officine Gullo, Poliform and Valcucine. The programme includes a conversation with Italian designer Francesca Lanzavecchia, attending as Italian Design Ambassador to South Africa for 2026.

Recognising excellence: the CTFW x VISI Design Prize

A key highlight of the week is the CTFW x VISI Design Prize exhibition, on display at the Festival Hub. Established in 2025 in partnership with VISI Magazine, the prize recognises new design objects that contribute to the advancement of South African design.

Twelve shortlisted works will be exhibited, with an independent jury awarding prizes in Design, Authenticity and Advancement, as well as an overall winner. The inaugural 2025 prize was awarded to Bronze Age for the Dune Pendant Light.

A platform for the future of local design

Founded in 2023 by Gareth and Aimée Pearson, Cape Town Furniture Week was conceived as both a celebration and a catalyst: a platform to support local designers, build community, and advance the industry through thoughtful curation.

As it enters its fourth edition, the festival continues to refine its voice—rooted in place, attentive to craft, and open to the public. In doing so, Cape Town Furniture Week offers not just a snapshot of contemporary South African design, but a compelling vision of where it is headed next.

Contact: Cape Town Furniture Week