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Handmade
Created with skill and love by artisans
Made by Hand
We travel across Asia and Africa in search of the wonderful creations that artisans skillfully produce by hand. In an evermore homogenised world and the throwaway environments that we live in, these treasures are a link to another time and to other cultures.
Our dhow wood furniture range is made by hand in the truest sense. A Tribal Gallery team dismantles the boats using manual tools to ensure the hardwood is undamaged and retains all of its wonderful character. In Nairobi, our carpenters carefully select the wood and transform it into furniture that will be loved for generations.
Tribal Gallery carpenters also build the hardwood frames that form the structure of our sofas, before our uphoslterers finish these in the finest hand-selected fabrics.
During our travels across Africa and Asia we have been very lucky to find skilled men and women who still design and create stunning works by hand.
For example, In a little oasis of calm, away from the teeming traffic of Dakar, we came upon an artisan who creates beautifully drawn Senegalese scenes on glass - turning these into 'sous-verre' trays.
In Marrakech, we discovered a young designer combining lovely old monochrome photographs with modern fabrics - creating fabulous cushions that are a fusion of old and new Morocco.
However, sadly in many parts of the world artisanal skills are disappearing, as cultures change and modernise. We seek out the rare old handmade fabrics and the unique vintage and antique furniture, curating these for our customers in Kenya and across the world.
