First look: Serwaa is a six-legged chair by Giles Tettey Nartey

The six-legged Serwaa lounge chair is a contemporary take on the traditional West African Lobi chair. Originally designed by the Lobi people of present-day Burkina Faso, Côte d'Ivoire, and Ghana ‘this traditional stool has different variants. Some have three legs, some four, some six' explains Giles Tettey Nartey, the British-Ghanaian, designer, architect and PhD researcher. Serwaa is a new project by Tettey Nartey, who was one of Wallpaper's Future Icons, and exhibited at the Triennale during Salone 2024.

The concept for the project came about from a trip Nartey made to Ghana. Walking through markets in Accra he saw the Lobi chair being used for everyday tasks. ‘In Western Africa many domestic objects are not only functional. The Lobi stool for example is embedded with cultural and spiritual significance. It's not just an item to sit down on.’ According to the architect, unlike in Europe, in West Africa, it is often said that a stool can embody the spirit of a person who has recently passed away.

While traditional Lobi chairs were crafted from a single piece of wood, Nartey chose to make Serwaa from welded aluminium, a departure from his other works made from timber such as 'Interplay' and 'Communion'. 'Serwaa doesn't have the same level of surface interest as the other pieces. But it's probably equally as tactile because of the coldness of the material,' he explains. By using metal, Nartey intended to highlight the contrast between traditional craftsmanship and modern industrial design.

Nartey believes that the design community often reveres 20th-century furniture as the pinnacle of industrial design with its clean lines and clever use of metal. Serwaa aims to take a traditional West African object and create a modern chair that receives the same level of appreciation as its 20th-century counterparts. 'This piece fits into my ongoing research and exploration of West African craft cultures and traditions,’ states the architect, emphasising his goal to bring African design into contemporary contexts.

The British-Ghanian designer views his work as both a critique and a celebration of material cultures and aims to elevate the design sensibilities of West Africa to the same level of recognition as those from Europe. 'When we see a three-legged or a six-legged object, it seems odd within a Western context. But, within an African context, it's not strange,' notes Nartey. 'If you think about different Western lounge chairs, there's a particular way they position the body. They usually have four legs, are upright, and elevate you off the ground in a certain way.' However, when you sit on Serwaa, you're low to the ground because of its positioning. 'Your legs anchor it on either side. There's something beautiful about that.'

Serwaa forms part of the architect’s current PhD research, which explores domestic rituals in West Africa. Through projects like this, Nartey is advancing the global design discourse, elevating West African craft, culture, and traditions, and ensuring African design receives the respect and recognition it deserves.

Gilestetteynartey.com