Welcome

"Hodi," in Swahili, the national language of Kenya, means, "May I come in?"  And the reply is, "Karibu" - "Yes, you are welcome." 

Welcome to Design Africa's website.  We are excited to offer this service to our retailers.  Inside, you'll be able to view our catalog at your leisure. But first, a brief introduction to Kenya's artisans.

As in all the handmade goods on this site, Design Africa designs and works with single artisans and/or women's groups run by the artisans themselves. These are men and women who make their living from the expressive work of their hands for your delight and use. Our soapstone, metal, and wood are worked by the men; our totes, baskets, sewn and knit goods are handcrafted by the women. The goal is to provide artisans and their families with an education and healthy lives by providing a place for their talents to expand into other profitable business and agricultural endeavors that fulfill a historical cultural need.

Since we are wholesalers, our catalog is not open to the public.  If you are a member of the general public, and would like to purchase our hand-crafted African items, you may e-mail us at Ann@ShopDesignAfrica.com, and we will be happy to provide you with the names of retailers that sell our goods in your area.  You are also free to browse Ann Gardner's photo album from Kenya or try her Kenyan recipes.

Catalog

For our retailer customers, we ask that you provide the following information in order to view our catalog:

About Design Africa

Design Africa grew out of my seven years of residence in East Africa where I traveled while writing a Kenyan cookbook and working with stone and wood carvers, metal workers, and wool and fiber weavers, designing many of the items you will see in the catalog.

In addition to the Kenyan cookbook, I also wrote short stories out of Africa which you can read below from time to time.

So you are welcome to relax and visit here for awhile, view my photo album, or try some of Kenya's excellent recipes.  Or maybe I will meet you inside while you browse the catalog.  Karibu.