The Shyaam a-Mbul side table is a bent steel sheet with laser-cut Kuba patterns used as a gimmick to reduce its weight while more importantly giving the piece a cultural identity. The design is versatile as multiple pieces can be turned into a coffee table with different configurations, a bench, a storage unit or bookcase. The side table is named after Shyaam a-Mbul a Ngoong.

History:
The kingdom began as a conglomeration of several chiefdoms of various ethnic groups with no real central authority. In approximately 1625, an individual from outside the area known as Shyaam a-Mbul a Ngoong usurped the position of one of the area rulers and united all the chiefdoms under his leadership. Tradition states that Shyaam a-Mbul was the adopted son of a Kuba queen. He left the Kuba region to find enlightenment in the Pende and Kongo kingdoms to the west. After learning all he could from these states, he returned to Kuba to form the empire’s political, social and economic foundations.