African House of Wonders Recycled Wood Dhow Furniture : St. Maarten St. Martin Dutch Caribbean

A dhow is the traditional Arabic style Swahili sailing boat. These have been used for centuries all along the East African coast. Their simple construction and square sail belie the fact that they can cover enormous distances, sailing from the horn of Africa, all the way to Mozambique.

These boats used to provide the main means of transport between the spice-islands (Zanzibar, Pemba and Lamu) and the prosperous Arabic towns of the coast. Nowadays they are used mainly for fishing, and for transport to the more isolated islands.

We also use wood from ‘Ngalau’ for some of our designs. This boat is a small traditional outrigger canoe. They are used for fishing and transport close to the shore and in tidal estuaries along the coast.

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3. Can I find out the history of the dhow from which my furniture is made?

Yes certainly. We ask a lot of questions about the boats we buy. Many have long histories full of fascinating stories. Each piece of Nzito furniture comes with a ‘certificate of origin’, and the story of the Dhow which provided the wood.

4. How do you get the wood?

We employ a team of scouts who search fishing villages and beaches all along the coast. When they find a suitable beached or wrecked boat we begin the long process of searching for the owners and negotiating a price.

Once this is done the boat is dismantled; nails are cut to save the precious planks, and tons of sand are dug out to reveal the ribs and beams. The wood is then dried and loaded onto a truck for transport to our workshop in Mwenge.

5. How do you prepare the wood?

Once the wood reaches our workshop we wash the wood to remove the sea salt and the dry it completely. The planks and beams are then carefully sorted and stored.

6. How do you design the furniture?

The design method that we have developed is cooperative process. It begins with an idea; this might come from the Nzito team or from a customer. Sometimes designs are created in response to a special piece of timber we have found.

We then talk together about how best to realise the idea, and we make sketches and small models from scrap wood to help us. Once we have a plan the craftsman carefully selects the wood, to make the best use of its shape and character.

The design process isn’t finished here; designs continue to evolve throughout construction. The craftsmen adapt the design, and respond to the wood, to improve both the appearance and the functionality of the piece.

Many of our designs have evolved over years. All the designs you find in this site, were created ‘in house’ and are exclusive to the Nzito name.

7. How is the furniture made?

Wood is selected and prepared to make the best use of its natural features. The wood is compared to ensure the colours and texture complement, and then cut to size.

Joints are cut by hand and painstakingly assembled, we don’t use modern machines, each item is handmade...so care and accuracy is essential. Finally the piece is ready for finishing, the wood is smoothed and polished, and the wax or oil applied.

8. Can you build special one-off pieces for customers?

Yes we can and do. We love the challenge and the ingenuity involved in this kind of project. If you have a design we will happily talk to you about how we can realise it. If you have an idea or a project that you want help with tell us and we will work with you to create a distinctive solution.

9. What kind of woods do you use?

All the types of hard wood that grow along the east African coast can be found in dhows. Mahogany, Mninga, Mango, Casurina,Teak.

10. Is the wood seasoned?

Very well! The wood that we use was seasoned many years ago before it was made into a boat. Since then it has spent many years at sea, this seasons the wood even more. The beached boats then often lie for years in the sun. Finally when we dismantle them we carefully dry the wood before using it to make furniture.

11. Why don’t you use power tools?

Yes it’s true, apart from using an electric drill, the only tools use to make our furniture are traditional hand tools.

We encourage the craftsmen to use traditional techniques that don’t rely on power tools.
Working with hand tools allows the carpenter to respond the character of the wood, bringing out the best of the shape, grain, texture and colouring.

The wood is recycled and often contains many nails; these break power tools, which could be dangerous for our craftsmen.

12. Is it sustainable?

Many of the Dhows we buy are 60+ years old, and their sailing days are over. These hulk are beached or abandoned, and either left to rot, or broken up for firewood. We buy the boat, and carefully dismantle it, and recycle the wood. Wooden dhows are still being made in the traditional manner in East Africa, so although the supply of wood is not infinate, it is still available.

Dhow making is very much a living tradition, and dhows are being made all along the East African coast. Timber will continue to become available as dhows reach the end of the natural life and are replaced.

13. How should I look after my Nzito furniture?

We recommend that you keep your Nzito furniture away from sources of direct heat (radiators, ovens etc).
We also suggest that you keep it out of direct sunlight to help preserve the rich colouring.

You can clean our furniture easily, wipe it over with a slightly damp cloth to remove and dust, then polish it with a dry duster. If the wood begins to look a little dry, apply a little beeswax, or linseed oil to restore the lustre.

If liquids are spilled on the wood, immediately remove as much as possible with a dry cloth. Allow the wood to completely dry naturally, and then apply a little polish to restore the finish.