Drawing on his Nigerian-American heritage, designer Dozie Kanu has collaborated with the American furniture company Knoll to launch a limited collection of animated furniture featuring floor-length leather fringe. Rooted deeply in the idea of artistic alchemy, the furniture line transforms personal biography and disparate cultural references into functional sculptures that animate space. The collection consists of three sculptural pieces: a console table, a coffee table, and a side table.
Each piece is wrapped in a floor-length leather fringe skirt that sways with movement or touch, sometimes revealing objects stored underneath. The fringe references the dried-leaf skirts used in the African masquerade and ceremonial dress. The leather tassels also pay homage to the fringed jackets iconic to Texas cowboy culture while serving as a kinetic layer that obscures the base, transforming the static furniture into a dynamic, dancing object.
The tables feature smooth, taut leather surfaces supported by rounded steel rod edges, creating a contrast between industrial metal and soft, moving leather. The taut surfaces of the tables were modeled after an African drum that Kanu had in his studio. This reflects his broader artistic practice, which involves recontextualizing found objects into functional items.
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To be launched at Salone del Mobile 2026, the table collection is presented in deep, metallic, and earthy tones (bronze and dark manganese) that evoke a sense of industrial permanence while remaining warm and domestic. Rather than making a loud cultural declaration, the aesthetic sits within a material language where the Nigerian and Texan influences are navigated in real time, resulting in a look that feels neither fully resolved nor fixed.
The key aesthetic goal of the collection is animation through atmosphere. The pieces are designed to hover just above the floor, reacting to the ambient energy of the room. This creates a sensory vibration where furniture moves with the inhabitant while also allowing him to imagine stronger possibilities.
Via: Dezeen
