To the trade
Pieces your clients haven't seen. Reasoning that sells the spec.
Artisan-made African design for contemporary interiors, with the provenance and decision thinking that make the client yes easier.
The program
20% trade discount
Off retail, on every order. No minimums; tax-exempt purchasing with your resale certificate.
Made for the project
Size and colorway across lighting, rugs, wall art, and beaded furniture, plus commissioned portraits: spec-exact pieces, approved by you before production begins.
Provenance that wins the client meeting
Every piece arrives with its maker, craft, and story: presentation-ready material that sells the spec to your client.
A team that protects your install
Honest date checks before you order, production updates while your pieces are made, 30 days of free storage when schedules slip, and people who know every piece.
Why designers spec us
Every piece comes with the reasoning your client presentation needs.
A trade discount is table stakes. What we add is the part that wins the client meeting: every 54kibo piece carries its provenance (the maker, the technique, the place) and the decision reasoning behind it: how its scale anchors the room, why its placement works, how the material ages, and how it flexes as your client's life changes. You're not just presenting a product; you're handing your client a story and a justification they can repeat.
The frameworks behind that reasoning are published openly on The Summit. Use them in your own presentations, or send them to a client who wants to understand the choice.
And behind every piece, its craft, documented: Tonga weaving · glass beadwork · wood beadwork · carved woodwork · textile weaving. Each page states the process and what a well-made piece looks like: presentation-ready provenance for the client deck.
Designers' projects
Specified by designers. Installed in real projects.
Beth Diana Smith
Home office redesign · Porcupine Wall Basket
Maple & Mei Interior Design Studio
Residential project · Woven wall mirror
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"I ordered this with the Walking Table for clients with family from Ghana. They were thrilled to have pieces crafted in their homeland! The tables are made beautifully and while smaller in scale than an average side table, they are very solid and make a lovely statement together."
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"Superb service and delivery (with some time pressure) to get the pieces to Washington DC and then on a flight to the UK. The light fittings will take pride of place in a home for Atlantic Fellows in Oxford, England."
Designers' projects
Specified by designers. Installed in real projects.
Jenny A.
Her home: a WSJ House of the Week · Pendant lighting
Djembe occasional table · Client project
The differentiation
Your client won't find it in every showroom.
54kibo works with more than fifty artisans and designers across Africa and its diaspora. Pieces are small-batch, hand-made, and often made to order, which means the fixture over your client's table isn't the one their neighbor has, and the story behind it is one they'll retell. Differentiated pieces protect your design, and your fee.
Built for install schedules
Honest timelines. Approval before making.
Lead times, stated plainly
Standard colorways and sizes usually ship from stock: they can hit a tight install date. Customized pieces run 2 to 8 weeks in production and shipping. Tell us your install date and we'll plan to it, or flag it early if we can't.
See it before we make it
On customized pieces, you review and approve before production begins: custom work is final sale, and the approval is why that's safe to sign off on. No surprises at the crate.
Delivered your way
To your office, your receiver, or straight to the client's site. Large pieces arrive white-glove by Metropolitan, the design-trade specialist: assembled, packaging removed, $299 flat. We hold finished pieces up to 30 days at no charge when install schedules slip. Free shipping within the contiguous U.S.
JOIN
Apply in minutes.
Open to interior designers, decorators, architects, and design professionals. Share your website or portfolio, a business license or tax ID, or a professional membership (ASID, IIDA, AIA) or certification (NCIDQ, CCIDC). We review within 2 to 3 business days.
Apply for a trade account
Questions designers ask
How does the trade discount work?
20% off retail on every order, no minimums, stacking with free contiguous-U.S. shipping and tax-exempt purchasing. A few exceptions apply (silk rugs and select furniture); ask us and we'll confirm before you quote your client. Tax exemption: send your resale certificate to trade@54kibo.live before your first order and we confirm it on your account.
Can you hit my install date?
Made-to-order pieces run 2 to 8 weeks in production and shipping. Send your deadline with the order and we'll confirm feasibility up front and communicate directly throughout.
Can you ship directly to my client or receiver?
Yes: pieces delivered to a receiver are inspected there; report any damage with photos before onward transport, since we cannot assess damage after it leaves the receiving warehouse. Parcel shipping is free within the 48 contiguous states; large pieces arrive white-glove at the flat $299, assembled; elsewhere we'll quote it.
What do I need to qualify?
Proof of profession: a business website or card, business license or tax ID, or membership/certification (ASID, IIDA, AIA, NCIDQ, CCIDC). Residential, commercial, and hospitality professionals are all welcome. Applications are reviewed within 2 to 3 business days. mirrors the join section's stated SLA (one truth); the single verify covers both renders
Can pieces be customized for a project?
Yes: size and colorway across lighting, rugs, wall art, and beaded furniture, plus commissioned portraits. Samples and colorway references come first GATED on the sample-SKU verification, per family; you approve the exact specification before production begins. Standard stocked pieces are returnable; customized pieces are final sale, protected by that approval. Designers are our heaviest custom buyers.
How do I sign in to my trade account?
There is no separate trade portal. At checkout, use the email address on your trade account and enter the unique trade code from your approval email; your pricing applies automatically. RESOLVED (NQ): Shopify-native mechanics, Maiden-parallel, paraphrased to register
How do I place a trade order? Can my client place it?
Either of you can. Orders go through the site like any other purchase: whoever is paying uses the email address on your trade account and your unique trade code at checkout, and your pricing applies. Your code is in your approval email. For custom orders on trade terms, write to trade@54kibo.live and we will handle it with you.
Contract and hospitality projects?
Many pieces suit commercial and hospitality settings. Write to us with the project scope and we will work it through with you. the soft hospitality door: honest, consistent with the separate hospitality proof roadmap
Who helps me after I join?
A dedicated trade team that knows the pieces: product details, sizing, customization, shipping, and installation questions.
