The Ati collection by Crafted Glory, a furniture studio founded by Ghanaian-American designer Kwado Som-Pimpong, is making its debut at the 2026 International Contemporary Furniture Fair (ICFF) in New York City. The collection is a living bridge between the red earth of West America and the mist-covered forests of North Carolina, where the designer carves history into woods.
At the heart of the collection is the word Ati, translating to tree in the Ewe language of Ghana and Togo. This is not merely a name; it is an ancestral nod. The collection serves as a physical manifestation of the Ghanaian diaspora, embodying the tension and beauty of belonging to the two worlds. It honors the traditional woodworking lineages of West Africa, building furniture that is rife with identity and communication.
The designer’s philosophy is a poetic marriage of Scandinavian restraint and West African vitality. He describes his work as functional sculpture that mimics the slow, deliberate growth of nature. The designs forgo the rigid, mechanical lines of the industrial age, embracing the fluidity of roots and the gentle curve of branches.
His process acts as a bridge between modern precision and ancient touch. While technology provides the initial skeleton, the final character in each piece is brought through meticulous hand-carving, ensuring that no two curves are identical. The key pieces include:
The Ati Side Table: A singular, sculptural statement, this piece stands like a sentinel. Its legs emerge from the floor like buttress roots, supporting a surface that feels weathered by time yet polished by modern hands.
The Ati Dining Table: Designed to be the centerpiece of a home, this piece expands the collection’s visual language to a communal space. Available in walnut, oak, and cherry, its expensive top rests on a base that feels as though it were grown from the ground up rather than assembled.
The Ati Bar Stool: These stools are perhaps the most intimate expression of the collection. Carved in rich walnut or light oak, their ergonomic seats and tapered legs evoke the silhouette of traditional Ghanaian stools, reimagined for a contemporary skyline.
The Ati furniture collection is a silent conversation in timber, where the deep roots of West African culture and memory entangle with modern aesthetics that homeowners are drawn to. It not only brings a functional sculpturism to homes, but a slice of the Ghanaian diaspora that tells a tale of heartbreak, longing, carrying one’s heritage close to heart, and a suspended state of not knowing where one belongs.
