Bakker & Steyger Dining Table and Four Chairs in Solid Oak and Elm, South Africa, 1960s
The legs tell you everything about this set. Elegantly turned and tapering to a fine point, they carry both the table and its four chairs with a lightness that belies the solid construction — mid-century confidence meeting a gentle country sensibility. The chairs follow through with low, curved backrests over dished saddle seats, their splayed legs braced by turned stretchers, the uprights pinned proud through the crest rail with the dowels left visible. Honest, characterful joinery, built for daily use.
At 121 cm the table seats four comfortably without dominating a room — well judged for smaller dining rooms, breakfast nooks, and apartments where every centimetre counts. Solid throughout, it has already given sixty years of service and is ready for sixty more.
South African-made pieces from this era are increasingly appreciated for their material quality and craftsmanship, and complete Bakker & Steyger sets are becoming harder to find.
Bakker & Steyger
A South African furniture maker whose mid-century work has quietly earned a devoted following. Active through the 1950s and 1960s, Bakker & Steyger produced honest, well-crafted pieces in solid indigenous and imported timbers — from dining sets and sideboards to occasional tables — characterised by turned detailing, sound joinery, and a warmth that bridges mid-century modern and country traditions. Increasingly collected, their pieces stand as fine examples of South Africa's own mid-century story.
