Latest interior design ideas originate from Europe and Far East. However, the situation is changing nowadays and people tend to lean towards ideas inspired by African culture. The uniqueness of African continent contributed to beautiful and
rich interior design with its vivid colours, wooden figurines, mesmerizing sunrises and animal prints. Add some elements of African style to your home and be on a path to a beautiful transformation.
An important element of the interior, texture presents a focus for the eye and can emphasize anything you want. However, be careful not to overuse it. Since this is about bringing Africa into your home, the best is to use
natural and organic textures such as cotton, wood, silk and leather. Use them as bed covers, kitchen elements or ornaments. Animal print can be found on anything, from pillow cases to rugs and carpets. You can also use animal skin tapestries, but make sure it doesn’t lead to kitsch and ethical issues. The safest way is to decorate with organic texture.
African style welcomes all warm shades in order to create the cosiest home ever. Colours like yellow, bright red, deep orange, brown, terracotta and sand colours are the best matches for your African-styled home. Also, combinations of contrasting dark and light colours should contribute to this new style. Black colour should also be used for contrasting. To introduce some drama in the interior, splash some vivid hues around the house. However, it all comes to this: natural and earthy sand tones should prevail in your home, since they have a calming effect and are true representation of this beautiful continent.
African safari and its sunsets are probably the most beautiful sceneries that exist and those should be present in your home. Throw in a rug with leopard print, ottoman with a giraffe pattern or a bunch of pillow cases with zebra stripes and voila! You get your own safari in your home. To get the
Savannah look, you can cover your walls with colourful jungle-themed wallpapers which are making a comeback in fashion. Decorate your living room walls with cheetah spots, tribal patterns, baobab trees and banana leaves, or use some of these patterns for bed linen and floor coverings. You do not have to use only one because all of these patterns are easily combined with each other, just like they are in the wild.
African interior is most recognizable by furniture. The main material that should be used for this kind of furniture is, without a thought, wood. Wooden furniture has to be made out of raw and dark wood such as cedar, mahogany or ebony. The lines on the furniture could resemble tribal figurines and the upholstery should always be made of natural materials, such as dark leather. If you are running out of ideas, check out some true African designs at
propertymaputo.com. Also, you can always add some wooden figurines, animal and floral patterns on top of your furniture and make it bold.
Step into this new world of fashion and liberate yourself from traditional styles and patterns that are common for Europe and the US. Bring a wild and bold African style into your home and give it a spirit of African tribes and wildlife. This way you could be able to feel the strength of this beautiful continent every day.
About the author
Amy Mia Goldsmith is a literature graduate from Melbourne with a lot of different interests in life. She and her husband love DIY projects and design. You can also contact her at her
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