What types of businesses does The African Touch supply furniture to?

The African Touch supplies bespoke and standard hardwood furniture to safari camps, game lodges, boutique hotels, private residences, and hospitality venues across Africa and internationally. We work closely with interior designers, decorators, architects, lodge owners, and camp operators.

Can The African Touch create custom furniture for a lodge fitout?

Yes. We specialise in bespoke furniture fitouts tailored to each project. We work within your design brief to produce custom pieces in Zambezi teak, mahogany, and other African hardwoods, combined with leather and brass detailing.

What hardwoods does The African Touch use?

Our primary materials are Zambezi teak (Rhodesian teak) and African mahogany — both prized for their durability, grain beauty, and suitability for the African climate.

Does The African Touch ship internationally?

Yes, we ship worldwide. Pricing is available in both USD and South African Rand depending on your project location.

How long has The African Touch been making safari furniture?

The African Touch was founded by Richard Lowe and has been crafting handmade African hardwood furniture for over 28 years, supplying lodges, camps, and homes across Africa and globally.

What is campaign furniture?

Campaign furniture is a style of portable, foldable furniture originally designed for 18th-century British military officers on expedition. The African Touch reimagines this classic style through an African lens, crafting pieces from solid hardwood, leather, and brass for use in safari lodges, camps, and homes.

How do I place an order or request a custom furniture quote from The African Touch?

To place an order or enquire about a custom furniture project, visit theafricantouch.co.za and use the Request a Quote function, or contact us directly via our Contact page. For trade and hospitality partners, register through our Trade Partners page to receive our full catalogue and pricing in your preferred currency. We recommend including as much detail as possible about your project — including dimensions, timber preferences, quantity, and any design references — so we can provide an accurate quote.

What information do I need to provide to commission a custom furniture piece or lodge fitout?

To get started on a bespoke furniture commission, it helps to share your project brief, preferred hardwood (such as Zambezi teak or African mahogany), desired dimensions, finish and upholstery preferences, quantity required, and your delivery location. If you are outfitting a lodge or camp, details about the space, aesthetic direction, and any architectural drawings or mood boards are also useful. Our team works closely with you throughout the design process to ensure the final pieces are exactly right for your project.

What is the lead time for custom or made-to-order furniture from The African Touch?

Lead times vary depending on the complexity and scale of your order. Standard in-stock pieces are available for dispatch more quickly, while bespoke and made-to-order items — particularly large lodge fitouts or custom-designed pieces — typically require a longer production lead time. We recommend contacting us as early in your project timeline as possible so we can confirm availability, schedule production, and allow adequate time for international shipping if required.

Can The African Touch match existing furniture or replicate a specific design for a fitout project?

Yes. We regularly work with interior designers and lodge owners who need new pieces to complement or replace existing furniture. Provided a design falls within our brand scope and can be executed in our hardwood materials and construction methods, we are happy to work from photographs, drawings, or detailed briefs to produce pieces that align with your existing aesthetic. Get in touch with our team to discuss your specific requirements.

Classic Safari Director's Chair | Best-Selling Lodge Chair

Min	Max	Unit Price
20	200	R6,120.00

Min	Max	Unit Price
20	200	R4,140.00

Min	Max	Unit Price
20	200	R4,140.00

Min	Max	Unit Price
20	200	R3,600.00

Min	Max	Unit Price
20	200	R3,600.00

Min	Max	Unit Price
20	200	R4,140.00

The African Touch Classic Safari Directors Chair is a version of the classic folding camp director’s chair traditionally used on African safaris. We have designed this folding safari chair with an extra-wide self-tightening seat and broad armrest for added comfort. Director’s Safari Chairs fold for convenient storage and have a wide range of uses. Its strength is versatility: it is comfortable enough for long evenings at the dining table, durable enough for demanding lodge use, and refined enough for private homes and hospitality interiors.

The steel cleats and hinges are powder-coated and baked for coastal corrosion protection, with stainless steel screws and leather washers supporting a smooth folding action.

Seat Cover Options:

Two seat cover materials are available.

Beautiful, very comfortable Canvas originally designed for 4×4 vehicle seats.
Ripstop canvas is used to make tents. Tough, waterproof, ideal for hardwearing situations outdoors.

After years of use, the canvas covers can become worn and possibly torn. Standard-sized covers can easily be replaced by the factory or an agent closest to you. Should you wish to protect your chairs if you leave the outdoors when they’re not in use, we can provide you with a canvas chair cover.

Safari Accessories:

Our Drinks Tray is a great addition to the Safari Camp Director’s Chair. The tray simply clips onto the side of the chair, and you pop your glass of good stuff onto it. Alternatively, the beautifully constructed African Touch Expedition Folding table can be used as a side table (the 500 x 500 version) or a small bush dining table (the 700 x 700 version). These folding camp tables are very convenient and easy to store. Then, for a more structured dining setting, we recommend the Camp Table.

The Evolution of our Director’s Chairs.

The African Touch Classic Safari Director’s Chairs have been around for thirty years now, and are certainly our best seller. Bar Antarctica, our director’s chairs have been shipped to every continent on the planet! We have made over thirty thousand of these safair chairs to date! We continue to refine the design into what we consider the best folding camp chair on the market. Vernier calipers are used to carefully measure every joint to ensure a perfect fit. Our chairs are designed without any spacers between the legs as these can cause the chair to become unstable. The seat is set at just the right tension and seating height. Stainless steel or brass fittings can be provided, especially for chairs to be used at the coast.

Question	Answer
Which director’s chair is the best all-round choice?	The Classic Safari Director’s Chair is the best all-round choice for most lodge, dining, veranda and private home settings.
Is the Classic Safari Director’s Chair suitable for dining?	Yes. It is designed for long, comfortable use around dining tables, as well as for desks, verandas and campfire seating.
What makes it different from the Heavy Duty version?	The Classic is the standard best-selling model, while the Heavy Duty version uses wider wood sections and a broader seat for buyers prioritising extra strength and scale.

Specification	Detail
Material/frame	Zambezi Teak
Seat/back options	Canvas Quilted Grey, Canvas Quilted Karoo Khaki, Canvas Quilted Sand, Ripstop Quilted Safari Green, Ripstop Quilted Sand, Safari Harness Leather
Finish/maintenance	Oiled product; receives two applications of The African Touch Furniture Oil before delivery
Weight	10 kg
Dimensions	56 x 30 x 92 cm
Recommended weight limit	120 kg / 260 lb
Accessory option	With or without removable Director’s Chair Drinks Tray
Availability note	In stock / delivery time advised on quote page

Weight	10 kg
Dimensions	56 × 30 × 92 cm
Seat сovers	Auto Canvas – Quilted Grey, Auto Canvas – Quilted Sand, Canvas Quilted Karoo Khaki, Ripstop Quilted Safari Green, Ripstop Quilted Sand, Safari Harness Leather – Dark Brown

Oiled product.

Your oiled Safari Chair receives two applications of The African Touch Furniture Oil prior to delivery. Our outlets carry stock, should you require it. We recommend you re-apply when the finish looks faded or dry. The recommended application procedure is as follows:

Wipe surface down with a clean cotton cloth lightly moistened with mineral turpentine. (Ensure that all surfaces are completely dry and clean before proceeding with the next step)
Use a clean cotton cloth or soft bristled brush dipped in the oil and apply in light, short strokes, ensuring thorough and even distribution of the oil.
Leave the oil on the furniture for at least 1 to 2 hours (but not more than 24 hours), to allow absorption into the wood.
Use a clean cotton cloth and wipe off all excess liquid to leave a natural smooth finish.
Allow to dry for approximately 24 hours.

If a wet glass or similar is left on the surface it may leave a watermark. In this case please wipe the water off as soon as possible, and if necessary apply some more Satinwood 28 base. If the mark is still slightly visible you can rub with a little baking soda mixed with an equal part of water, wipe off with a damp cloth and re-apply the oil.

When you make your enquiry we will discuss delivery options with you.

Camps and lodges:

For camps and lodges in Southern Africa we can quote on delivery
with our transport or you may arrange collection.
For East Africa and beyond it is often more convenient for us to
quote containerised freight for large orders and air freight to nearest
airport for smaller orders.

International Orders:

Certain knock down products can be delivered by courier direct to you.
Slightly cheaper is to organise air freight to your nearest airport.
For large orders we can quote containerised delivery by sea.

Smaller orders in Southern Africa:

We will quote for delivery by courier or our transport depending on your location.

Payment.

For orders to Africa, Europe, Australia, and North America we provide a
Certificate of Origin so that duty is not payable in your country of destination.

Orders supplied from stock we request payment in full when the order is placed.
For products made to order we request a 50% deposit on order
with the balance paid on completion.

We cannot offer a warrantee on chairs except for defects in material and workmanship that affect the integrity of the chair under normal use and weight limits. The reason for this is that chairs can be subject to huge stresses (such as when a heavy person rocks back on the back legs) that are impossible to compensate for in the construction of the chair without compromising on the design appeal.

We build with timber harvested from natural forests. The charm of this material is that no two pieces are exactly the same in colour, character or grain, and they will contain natural imperfections such as knots, stress cracks and so on that enhance their authenticity and attractiveness. As a result no 2 pieces will ever be identical and products may have natural imperfections. However, these will never be allowed to compromise the quality of construction of your piece.

The African Touch will not in any circumstances be liable for any claim which falls outside the scope of our warranty or for any consequential damages whatsoever.

We offer 10% discount for orders of 20 or more chairs, and to Professional designers and decorators. The discount will reflect in your quote.

Delivery and payments

When you make your enquiry we will discuss delivery options with you.

Southern Africa

Our Southern Africa Rand pricing excludes delivery.

Camps and Lodges:

For camps and lodges in Southern Africa we can quote on delivery with our logistics partners or you may arrange collection from one of our showrooms.

Individual orders:

We will quote for door to door delivery by courier or our transport depending on your location or you may arrange collection from one of our showrooms.

International Orders:

Our International US dollar pricing includes door to door delivery to most destinations.

Should there be additional charges for remote delivery this will be communicated to you at the time of final quotation.

Depending on your location, duties and clearance fees into your country may apply and will be communicated to you by the shipping company or their local agent at the time of goods arrival.

For orders to Africa, Europe, Australia, and North America we provide a
Certificate of Origin so that duty is not payable in your country of destination.

Payment.

Orders supplied from stock we request payment in full when the order is placed.
For products made to order we request a 50% deposit on order
with the balance paid on completion.

Classic Safari Directors Chair

Quantity based pricing table

Request a quote

Additional Add-Ons

Seat Cover Options:

Safari Accessories:

The Evolution of our Director’s Chairs.

Smaller orders in Southern Africa:

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