Working Life

Classic Working Life manufactures and distributes a select range of high-end office furniture, including conferencing, office seating, desks, filing units and screening, as well as furniture for informal spaces such as breakaway rooms, canteens and dining areas.

Our mission is to source high-value office furniture products from around the world and bring them into South Africa in component form for local assembly. In this way we’re able to supply a wide variety of international products while creating local jobs.  

Our history

Although Classic Working Life was only officially formed in 2012, our relationships with the local office furniture industry go back to the late 1980s.

Our MD, Gregory Gomes, has a long association with the industry dating back to 1989 when he joined Optiplan as a credit controller. In the ensuing years he held a number of positions at various office furniture companies, and started selling Wilkhahn in the early 2000s. His passion for the brand led to his appointment as official Wilkhahn agent for Southern Africa soon after he formed CWL.

In addition to Gregory’s experience, a number of our factory staff have been working in the industry for 30 years or more.

Although initially focused almost exclusively on the Wilkhahn range, CWL has embarked on a diversification drive which has seen us add a number of other high-end European furniture and accessory brands to our product offering.

The ongoing expansion of our product range allows us to help corporate and designer clients to spec the perfect combination of chairs, tables, soft seating, lighting and filing units for any office space.

The Classic Working Life showroom at Fritz Hahne House

A comprehensive selection of products from our major European suppliers is on show at the Classic Working Life showroom at Fritz Hahne House, a beautifully restored deco-style Heritage house in Houghton, Johannesburg. The house was originally built in 1928 for the Moni family (of the Fatti’s and Moni’s group), and has been lovingly converted into a beautiful space to show our furniture in its best light.

Designers, clients and friends are welcome to host meetings at Fritz Hahne House by prior arrangement – or simply to pop in at any time for cappuccino!