OKHA: Shaping Design & Releasing The Honesty of Africa

OKHA’s Creative Director, Adam Court continues to shape the aesthetic of African design. His evolution as one of South Africa’s foremost designers has seen him create a unique style that is at once international and unequivocally African.

“I’ve fallen in love with the rawness, visceral quality and honesty of Africa” he says. “There’s an immediacy here, which comes through in the brutality of materials and forms. Things feel more resonant and vibrant in their natural state, more connective.”

Pushing against industrial production, Adam gravitates toward the work of the hand, often in collaboration with local artisans who are experts in woodwork, stone carving, metal casting.

OKHA’s furniture collections are thoughtfully designed. Each furniture product is focussed on purity of form, with high regard for materials, artisanal and hand-crafted techniques. Great emphasis is placed on poise and comfort, each design focussing on an essential statement of line, the resonance of natural materials and the desire to gracefully hold space and engage the user via an articulate silhouette.

The MESA coffee table is a table by OKHA narrating past, present, and future, shaped by hand and sustainability.

MESA – an isolated flat-topped hill with steep sides, found in arid and semi-arid areas.

Revealing the hidden beauty of abandoned and naturally fallen timbers, the MESA coffee table is crafted from Syringa wood cleared from the banks of the Berg River in South Africa. The rich colour of the wood, resembling liquid rust, exudes vibrancy and inner light, a truly captivating material for the sculpted tabletop. The colour of the wood is reminiscent of the rich, red clay earth of KwaZulu-Natal.