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.

Safari Camp Director’s Chair | Affordable & Robust Chair

Specification	Detail
Material/frame	Zambezi Teak
Seat/back options	Ripstop Quilted Safari Green, Ripstop Quilted Sand, Ripstop Single Safari Green, Ripstop Single Sand, Safari Harness Leather
Finish/maintenance	Oiled product; receives two applications of The African Touch Furniture Oil before delivery
Weight	8 kg
Dimensions	65 x 25 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
Suggested internal links	Classic Safari Director’s Chair, Safari Folding Table, Director’s Chair Drinks Tray

The Safari Camp Director’s Chair has become a popular choice due to its lightweight and foldable design, which makes it easy to transport and set up in remote locations. Additionally, the chair’s sturdy construction and comfortable seating make it ideal for extended periods of use outdoors. The director’s chair has also become a symbol of luxury and sophistication in the safari industry. It is often associated with high-end safari lodges and camps. Its classic design and timeless appeal have made it a popular choice among both safari operators and travellers who want to experience the ultimate in comfort and style while on safari.

The Design

The Safari Camp Director’s Chair is an affordable but still very robust version of The African Touch Classic Safari Director’s chair and has the same extra-wide self-tightening seat and folds away neatly for hassle-free storage. This folding chair for the outdoors is designed with the same offset legs to avoid spacers that often fall apart. The moving parts are simple but strong, so they will not fail. A big problem with Director’s Chairs’ seat covers is the point where the seat cover is attached to the seat rail. This is often done with a wire or timber dowel that tends to fail. We have overcome this by having special steel cleats laser cut (so everyone is identical) and screwed through the canvas cover into the timber rail. This is very secure whilst still being easy to change the covers after several years if necessary. The armrests on these folding directors’ chairs are not as wide as those of the Safari Chair. This allows them to be folded narrowly, assisting with storage.

Materials used and covers offered:

The Safari Camp Director’s Chair is built from either Zambezi Teak or Mahogany. Director’s chair covers are UV stabilized, waterproof, ripstop canvas (double-padded and quilted or single). Standard colours are Safari Green, Sand, Karoo Khaki and Grey. For other colours please enquire and we will check on availability with Cedarbrook Fabrics. We also offer seat covers in veg-tanned harness leather.

Principal uses of the Standard Director’s Chair.

The Standard Director’s Chair is a more affordable version of the Classic Safari Director’s Chair. It is an exceptionally tough, versatile and comfortable safari camp chair. Its wide seat is suitable for use in private homes, in camps and lodges, around the bush fire or on boat cruises. It is often used in boardrooms and as desk chairs. These outdoor portable chairs are comfortable for long hours spent outdoors working or watching, and enjoying! The ideal camping chair side table to pair with these would be our Safari Folding Table. These are the ultimate wooden outdoor folding tables and are in traditional campaign-style furniture.

Question	Answer
What is the Safari Camp Director’s Chair best for?	It is best for practical camp, lodge, boma, boat and outdoor seating where a strong folding chair and accessible price point are important.
How is it different from the Classic Safari Director’s Chair?	It is positioned as the more affordable, narrower-folding camp version, while the Classic is the best-selling all-round lodge and dining chair with broader armrests.
Can the covers be replaced?	Yes. The cover attachment system is designed to be secure while allowing replacement after several years if required.

Weight	8 kg
Dimensions	65 × 25 × 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

Your oiled Safari Camp Director’s Chair receives two applications of The African Touch Furniture Oil before delivery. Our outlets carry stock, should you require it. We recommend you reapply 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-bristle 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 African Touch Furniture Oil. 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.

3 reviews for Safari Camp Director’s Chair

Rated 5 out of 5

Storm Bellamy – January 9, 2023

Hi Gift

We are very happy with our chairs and they look fresh in our boma area at the lodge.

Thank you.
Storm Bellamy
Mavalanga Lodge
Skukuza, MP
South Africa
Rated 5 out of 5

Carol Rhodes – November 3, 2022

Hi Gift,

I would just like to thank you for your fantastic service and attitude! It has been a pleasure working with you and I am sure that I will be placing more orders as we are renovating the Lodge.

Please have a look at our website http://www.buhala.co.za

Kind regards
Carol
Buhala Lodge
South Africa
Rated 5 out of 5

Alison Crooks – October 31, 2022

Dear Gift
Thank you once again for your incredible service. I would recommend you, Vanessa and your team to anyone and will place on social media. Amazing.

Leave your own review

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.

The Standard Director’s Chair folds conveniently for shipping. The chairs are packed 6 to a box. The dimensions of the box are 1200mm (48″) wide x 560mm (22.5″) high x 740mm (30″) deep and the weight approximately 50 kg (110lbs). If a smaller box is required we can make it.

The chairs can be sent by air or sea freight. Prices include shipping to your nearest main port. Should you require shipment ‘Door to Door’ or to an isolated port we may need to update your quote depending on the extra cost. The price excludes fees at the port of entry (customs clearance, tax such as VAT etc).

Safari Camp Director’s Chair

Request a quote

Additional Add-Ons

The Design

Materials used and covers offered:

Principal uses of the Standard Director’s Chair.

3 reviews for Safari Camp Director’s Chair

Smaller orders in Southern Africa:

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