Design & contemporary crafts : Reinventing hospitality & luxury
When it comes to hospitality, what truly defines an African luxury hotel ? The question may seem straightforward, but the answer is far more nuanced and often varies from person to person. Recently, I came across a post on Instagram praising the Sofitel in Cotonou, Benin — now recognized as one of the continent’s emerging hotel landmarks — and it sparked my curiosity, drawing me into the conversation.
Is Sofitel, a French luxury brand operating in Africa, a luxury hotel ? Yes. But is it truly an African luxury hotel ? I don’t believe so. Normally, I hesitate to label anything as “African,” but if I’m being precise, I wouldn’t combine “African” and “luxury” when referring to Sofitel.
Many still equate the image of absolute luxury to that of large international franchises: flawless efficiency, standardized comfort, impeccable service, and decor that could be found anywhere in the world. But behind this polished facade, my years of experience unveiling exceptional objects in Africa raise a critical question : Should Africa be satisfied with mimicking the postcard image of global luxury ? Or is this new era an opportunity to draw deeply from its roots, to breathe life, stories, and a unique rhythm into spaces that make the visitor’s heart beat in harmony with the land?
For me, visiting a new African country should be an experience of emotion and encounter — a celebration of craft and vitality. In a 5-star hotel, luxury must transform. It might manifest in the fleeting gleam of a chair by Cheick Diallo, where humble materials are elevated to the extraordinary, or the warm grain of wood lovingly touched by the patient hands of a master craftsman from Grand-Bassam in Ivory Coast. Here, excellence is a dialogue between yesterday and today, where each thoughtfully designed, numbered piece becomes a spokesperson for culture, history, and a contemporary aesthetic that transcends borders.
Immersion into unique workshops of masters and the new wave of designers
When cities buzz, creativity takes root. In Bamako, Cheick Diallo, a pioneer of African design, crafts each piece as a bridge between ancestral techniques and international museum acclaim. His Dibi chair and Pulho lamp stand as enduring symbols of luxury engaged in a timeless dialogue with everyday life. In Dakar, globetrotter Bibi Seck infuses designs with jubilant vitality. The Madame Dakar sofa weaves humor and accessibility into its fabric, showcasing Senegalese ingenuity all the way to the pages of The New York Times.
In Lagos, Nifemi Marcus-Bello carves a socially conscious, human-centered design, rich in materials and shared stories. His Oríkì series, inspired by the legacy of copper and exhibited globally, demonstrates that collaborations with artisans invite objects to narrate the story of their homeland. Following this material-rich path, Ousmane Mbaye elevates metalwork from the Medina market to international art biennales, transforming recycled iron’s harshness into sensuality, captivating an expanding circle of institutions.
Jean Servais Somian transcends Africa’s natural essences — from coconut wood to ebony — delivering works to museums worldwide, where nature reveals itself, tamed but never betrayed. At the crossroads of art and design, King Hougpaktin and Zizipho Poswa push boundaries: Poswa, a ceramist inspired by African womanhood and Xhosa traditions, turns every creation into an offering, celebrating the subtle passage between the everyday and the heroic, while King flirts with poetry through his organic forms.
The continent’s youth shape the future’s contours: Saluiwadi Studio, operating between Dakar and Lagos, reimagines tradition through the prism of responsible innovation. The Water Basin Totem, crafted from recycled materials, elevates environmental concerns into visual poetry. Adewuyi, Olorunfemi, and Larry Tchogninou dismantle and reconstruct design codes, birthing a new African design language that transforms each piece into an intimate manifesto.
Exceptional places reinventing hospitality and luxury
Amidst this vibrant scene rise exceptional spaces embodying the multifaceted soul of African design. Nachson Mimran’s African Chalet, nestled in the Swiss Alps in Gstaad, offers a residence of a new kind where contemporary architecture deeply engages with West African craftsmanship. Co-created with renowned architect Francis Kéré, the chalet is a poetic ode to earth and wood—an exquisite jewel box where every surface recounts ancestral gestures, patience, and mastery. Within its warm interiors, every object, from handwoven rugs to sculpted lighting, forges an intimate connection between past and present, inviting visitors to an immersive, heartfelt experience far removed from standardized global luxury.
Ph. courtesy The African Chalet
Further away in Tanzania, the Laba Grumeti Art Lodge, founded by the French couple Xavier Marie and Julie Brisson, rises majestically on the Serengeti plains, offering a breathtaking spectacle where contemporary African art melds with golden light and untamed nature. Recently inaugurated, this lodge embraces ecological and cultural principles, blending refined comfort with reverence for the environment. Each tent serves as an open art gallery, showcasing about forty objects from artists and designers across the continent — including the monumental ceramics of Zizipho Poswa, benches by Jean Servais Somian, and chairs by Jomo Tariku. Here, materials speak in their most noble textures: artisanal tanned leather, natural fibers, wood patinas, and handcrafted metals.
The refuge’s silence, punctuated only by rustling leaves and birdsong, invites contemplation and a slow safari rhythm, in stark contrast to the bustle of conventional hotels.
These sanctuaries of African design do more than provide conventional luxury; they extend a poetic and human vision of hospitality, where each piece serves as a window onto the continent’s creativity. They carve a new path for exceptional hospitality—one made possible when African craft is truly seen, valued, and respected without shortcuts. The expert hands and exquisite materials offer visitors a living narrative that bridges past and present, local and global.
Ph. courtesy Labalaba
Indeed, design from Africa’s ateliers, which uplift fine craftsmanship—a pluralistic, authentic, and modern approach—now shapes the new lexicon of African luxury. It beckons every hotel to open its doors to singularity: to embrace delicate gestures, honor noble materials, and celebrate the contemporary visions born in workshops. Whether a breath on iron or a scent nestled in fiber, African hands are drawing the contours of tomorrow’s luxury: intimate, poetic, deeply rooted, and boldly open to the world.
Beyond standards and conventions, may the five-star hotels settling on the continent dare to embrace this extra soul, the thrill of authenticity that transforms spaces into experiences and experiences into living stories of talents, gestures, and passions shaping contemporary Africa.