5 by 6 Ngeli Bed
Handcrafted by Kemu furniture in 005, Upper Savannah, Nairobi, Kenya
The Ngeli Bed is an upholstered bed handcrafted in Kenya from blue gum. It is built around a tall winged headboard, a full-height footboard and low side rails that hold the mattress in a clean rectangle. The buttoning is worked by hand, row by row, so that every diamond in the pattern pulls to the same depth. Nothing about the shape is rushed. The frame is blue gum, wrapped in a dark charcoal woven upholstery that reads matte in daylight and softer under lamplight. The headboard and footboard are both deep-buttoned in a diamond lattice, each button set with a small faceted stud that catches the light. Padded rolled edges run along the top of the footboard and the wings of the headboard, and the piece sits on short dark feet that lift it just clear of the floor. This is a bed for a main bedroom where it can be seen from the doorway, since both ends are finished with the same attention. It suits pale bedding and a linen throw, and it pairs easily with timber bedsides and warm wall lighting. Rugs work well beneath it. In a room with large windows, the dark upholstery holds its weight against a bright view. Kamara works with Kenyan furniture makers who build to order in their own workshops, using timber and upholstery worked by hand rather than pressed out in volume. Buying a bed like this one keeps that skill in daily practice. You are paying a maker directly for the hours in the buttoning and the frame beneath it.
Price: KES 31,200
Material: blue gum
Availability: In Stock
Category: furniture