Hey My Loves (if you know, you know, haha😂😏). For real, Hi guys! Welcome back to my blog. How is everyone doing? How is everyone feeling post Black Panther opening weekend? Empowered I hope. I've never been as excited about any movie as I am about Black Panther. The movie is near and dear to my heart because for once, I felt really connected to a major blockbuster movie given that it was based on the continent I call home. The entire time, I kept thinking "what if Africa was just allowed to discover herself and the magic she possessed in her natural resources" Anyway, black panther is a different topic and I don't want to mistakenly spoil it for those of you who may not have seen it yet .
So today's blogpost has been long awaited. It is the reason i actually started this blog to be honest. I hope to bring african art to life using interior design. Majority of the world's design inspiration is from two geographical locations. Most of the time we look to the western and the eastern parts of the world for inspiration. Africa however is for the most part ignored when it comes to interior design.
Africa is a large continent, comprising of countries such as Egypt and Morocco up North, Nigeria and Ghana in the West, Tanzania and Kenya in the East and South Africa and Botswana down South. Each region within the continent has its own unique aesthetic when it comes to design. However one commonality is the use of earthy tones as well as splashes of colour. African decor is mainly inspired by nature, wild life and colourful fabrics. African inspired decor can be a little daunting because it can go south very easily. so I have some useful tips on how to incorporate the motherland into your designs without it looking like a caricature.
BEAUTY IN SIMPLICITY
An old saying goes "Less is Always More". You do not have to flood your home/living space with masks or african art for the whole world to know you are drawing inspiration from African design. Something as simple as a stained plain concrete floor which is popular is South Africa works. Now don't do this if you are in Ireland or other European countries where its almost always cold. your feet will just turn to ice during the winter. The concept behind this would benefit more tropical regions therefore keeping the floors cool at all times. Alternatively, you could draw from the ancient clay huts and paint one or two opposite walls in a rich colour to resemble clay and hang some art pieces on said wall to draw out the earthy tone.
WARM COLOURS
Since we are drawing inspiration from Africa, it should come as no surprise that majority of the colours would include; orange, yellow, red, burgundy, off white and of course brown. Using any of these warmer colours will give the illusion of the room being filled with sunlight even on cool days. We also have metallic tones such as copper which in my opinion represent the rich natural resources on the continent.
SUBTLE AFRICAN FLAVOR
Like I said earlier, "less is more". Something as simple as throwing down a zebra or leopard print rug goes a long way in adopting the african style into your home. In the spirit of Wakanda, you could also switch up the casual throw for a Basotho heritage blanket (as seen on actor Daniel Kaluuya in Black Panther) which is unique to the Kingdom of Lesotho. this not only adds deep cultural significance and history to your design but also a fun pop of colour.
DECOR FROM NATURE
Straw, clay, wood and leaves are some of the materials that come to mind when I think about decor from natural sources. Examples of pieces that come to mind include; masks made of clay or wood, african woven baskets made of straw and African calabashes made from the fruit of a gourd plant. Check out my very first blogpost on "The African Calabash".
Those are just a few tips and tricks to incorporating African culture and design into your home. Hope you enjoyed it. Please leave me a comment and share with your friends/loved ones. Also I'd like to wish everyone a very HAPPY BLACK HISTORY MONTH!!
#WAKANDAFOREVER 🙅
Love,
Nena.
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