When I first stepped onto African soil more than 15 years ago, I was captivated by the people, landscapes, colors and creative energy surrounding me.
During an early trip to Nigeria, a local client took me to an arts and crafts market. The experience reminded me of childhood days spent alongside my grandmother as she searched markets and trade shows for pieces for her interior design business. I purchased several artworks that day, and something lasting began.
In the years that followed, visiting artists, markets and workshops became a ritual and a joy. Kanju grew from a desire to share what I encountered: remarkable objects made with skill and intention, natural materials shaped by hand, and creative traditions carrying generations of knowledge.
Kanju ultimately became far more than a collection of beautiful things. It became a bridge connecting artisan workshops and communities across Africa with customers, designers and homes around the world. Our partnerships helped bring greater visibility to exceptional work and supported artisans as they strengthened their businesses, developed new techniques and trained future generations.
Recent changes in global trade and the increasing cost of bringing handcrafted work across oceans changed the economics of our business in a way that was no longer sustainable. After careful consideration, I made the difficult decision to bring Kanju’s commercial chapter to a close.
Although the store has closed, the meaning of this work has not. It lives in the pieces now held in homes and projects around the world, in the skills and stories of our artisan partners, and in every person who chose to value something made slowly and thoughtfully by hand.
To our artisan partners: thank you for your trust, talent and friendship.
To the designers, customers, suppliers and collaborators who supported Kanju: thank you for believing in our work and helping these stories travel farther than we ever imagined.
It has been an honor to share this journey with you.
Meg Bartos Founder, Kanju Interiors
The Artisan Legacy
The most important part of Kanju’s story has always been its artisan partners.
Across workshops, cooperatives, family studios and rural communities, these artists transformed wool, wood, cotton, grasses, leather, clay and reclaimed materials into objects of lasting beauty.
The partnerships featured here represent only part of the creative community that shaped Kanju. Together, they reflect the skill, experimentation and human connection at the heart of the collection.
Ngara, Tanzania · Woven basketry · Community-based handweaving
WomenCraft is a Fair Trade social enterprise connecting more than 600 women artisans from Tanzania and Burundi.
Established in a region shaped by displacement and conflict, the organization brings women from refugee and host communities together through a shared enterprise. Its peace-centered approach creates economic opportunity while strengthening relationships among women from different backgrounds.
Their handwoven baskets represent exceptional craftsmanship, individual advancement and the possibility of building unity through creative work.
Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe · African hardwood, leather and brass · Cabinetmaking
The African Touch has handcrafted furniture in its Victoria Falls workshop since 1992.
Its master craftspeople combine dense African hardwoods, natural leather and solid brass using exacting joinery and finishing techniques. Working with exceptionally hard timber has required the workshop to develop specialized tools and methods while preserving the traditions of master cabinetmaking.
Senior craftspeople share ownership in the business, connecting the workshop’s high standards with the people responsible for maintaining them.
Woodstock, Cape Town · Pure wool · Hand-felting and dyeing
Founder Razaan Jakoet’s love of natural fibers led her to explore the expressive possibilities of feltmaking.
At Chic Fusion Studio, Razaan develops each design before working with women she has trained in hand-felting techniques. Using 100% wool, layered fibers and carefully developed color, the studio creates sculptural vessels and decorative pieces inspired by South Africa’s landscapes and cultures.
The work brings softness, movement and an unmistakable human touch to every form.
Mali · Bogolan textiles · Hand-looming and natural dyeing
AAAA Coop brings together Bogolan artisans from different regions of Mali, providing a platform through which they can sustain their livelihoods and preserve a centuries-old textile tradition.
Locally grown eco-cotton is hand-loomed into narrow strips before being dyed and printed with mud, leaves and bark. The resulting cloths incorporate patterns and symbols connected to West African history, community and spiritual meaning.
Kanju was proud to share the cooperative’s Bogolan wall totems and the remarkable collective process behind their creation.
The Kanju Collection Archive is a curated record of the forms, materials and techniques that defined the brand.
This is not a catalog of merchandise for sale. It is a visual and historical archive preserving representative pieces and the stories of the people and processes behind them.
Archive Notice: All pieces shown in the Kanju Collection Archive are from past collections and are no longer available for purchase.
kanju is a luxury design brand bringing the majesty and creative spirit of africa to interiors worldwide, through beautiful, meticulously crafted artisan collections.
