Sir David Adjaye’s Bronze Furniture Imbibes African Roots

Sir David Adjaye’s Bronze Furniture is Geometrically Fluid Take on Archetypal Design Style

Showcasing a series of tables, chairs, and benches

By Bharat BhushanMay 2, 2023Updated:March 30, 20242 Mins Read

Esteemed architect Sir David Adjaye, renowned for ingenious use of materials and visionary designs is showcasing his collection of bronze furniture at the Carpenters Workshop Gallery’s new flagship location at Ladbroke Hall in West London.

Entitled Yaawa, the charismatic display comprises the latest addition to Adjaye’s Monoform series, which emphasizes the textural variances and capabilities of bronze. David Adjaye has often used bronze in architecture, but this is his first outing with metal in sculptural furniture.

The Ghanaian-British architect chose bronze as the material for the designer furniture owing to its strength and historical significance in Africa, where it has been traditionally used in craft and weaponry. “I see bronze as a noble material that has a deep lineage and history in Africa,” Adjaye notes.

Adjaye intends to cultivate a relationship with history through this new form and technique of “hand casting, oxidizing, patinating and polishing” in the collection comprising eight signature pieces, including dining tables, chair, and center table. Each of these presents a geometrically fluid take on archetypical furniture and creates an exquisite interplay between light and space.

Also Read: Duffy London’s Flying Saucer Coffee Table Beckons the ’70s Nostalgia

Intrinsically delicate, each piece has a rough and textured black underbelly. This gestural aspect stretches down to the legs and back (in case of chairs). The design can meet the eye as gentle but the sturdiness is guaranteed by bronze construction, while the matte finish on rough base manipulates light differently from different directions.

Alongside the Yaawa collection (28th April 2023 through 10th June 2023) the Carpenters Workshop Gallery is also running another exhibition of historical pieces by late Brazilian designer Jose Zanine Caldas. After a three-year-long renovation, the east wing of Notting Hill’s historic Ladbroke Hall is a transformed destination for modern arts, and is thus a fitting venue for the Carpenters Workshop Gallery, perpetually exhibiting contemporary design and art around the globe.