Creating Furniture, The Taeillo Way!

Early humans saw the need for movable and unmovable objects to support their everyday activities. Back then, having a place to sit, lie, and even store belongings were some of the challenges they faced. This made them improvise and resort to tree trunks as seats, carved stones as tables, wood as beds and so on. However, over the years, there has been a tremendous change in the overall design of furniture pieces.

From time immemorial, furniture has been an integral part of the human lifestyle though it has evolved considerably. The evolution has been significant from the ‘Neolithic period’ when stones were carved into cupboards, dressers and shelves through the ‘Medieval period’ when the decorative wood carvings characterized furniture. In the ‘Renaissance period’, furniture designs were branded by floral designs and up to the current ‘Contemporary period’, to mention a few. Furniture has remained both practical and a form of decorative art.

Over the years, furniture designs have witnessed changes based on origin, available raw material and the designer. In the early days, a common determinant of the outlook of a furniture piece was majorly dependent on the status and calibre of people it was made for. For example, an ancient Egyptian furniture is a rarity. It is often reserved for the elites because the detailed and elaborate design is meant to showcase the status or affluence of its owner.

According to African history, stools and chairs were important lifestyle symbols in ancient Africa. If you grew up in southwest Nigeria in the 90s like me, you might remember ‘Apoti’ (a small box stool), also called ‘Okwa’ by the Igbo, quite common in every home. Stumbling on one of such recently was nostalgic because ‘Apoti’ was a part of my childhood memory. The Apoti had several functions, from use in the kitchen, in the corridor/balcony, or sitting on it to do the laundry, to mention a few.

We had other standard pieces like the ‘Agbantara’ (the old is frail), favoured by old folks to rest outside the house at sundown. The ‘Agbantara’ replicates beach relaxation seats with unique local designs. Other indigenous furniture like the Eze Oche in Nigeria, the Kamba in Kenya are all part of our culture.

However, based on the preponderance of designs accrued from other countries and continents, many of our homes and space screams western. Don’t get it wrong, western is good, but where is the place for culture preservation? Sadly, we have gradually begun to lose touch with our roots.

In Africa today, our idea of furniture has changed drastically as local furniture designs seem to be going into extinction. Most people prefer foreign furniture, but brands like taeillo serve as a link between the old and new. The premium furniture and lifestyle brand fuse local and contemporary designs for manufacturing furniture that preserve African culture whilst giving us the modern aesthetic we crave.

A typical taeillo piece gives an Afrocentric vibe that portrays its origin at first glance when spotted anywhere across the world. The indigeneity embedded in its upholstery (Ankara, Kente, Zuri, etc.), its structure, finishing, name or even size speaks for itself. Because it’s a lifestyle brand, taeillo understands the importance of living our truth every day, using various materials that often reflect WHO WE ARE. 

Because every taeillo piece exudes finesse, elegance and style, it gives your space a vibrant yet indigenous feel which uniquely projects and blends Africa with other parts of the globe.  Acquiring a piece of taeillo furniture is a sound investment as the pieces are known to be as rugged as Africans. Check this out at https://taeillo.com/