May 13, 2021

African Luxury: the Home Design Style that Defines a Lifestyle

African Luxury: the Home Design Style that Defines a Lifestyle - Kanju Interiors

How to Add Soothing Elegance to Your Home with Design Touches that Tell a Story

Across Africa, reverence for the majesty of the natural world deeply influences choices about lifestyle and design. Indoor-outdoor living is truly a state of mind in Africa. Incorporating an African luxury vibe in your home is as much about expressing an overall emotional connection to nature as it is about the selection of specific natural materials and décor.  

African luxury design has an intense appreciation of texture, organic forms, fine handcraft, authenticity, and an overall look that feels thoughtful and truly tells a story. The style celebrates the most poignant moments of life, appreciates the simplicity of existence and connects us to our senses by bringing the raw, magnetic spirit of nature into the home. From open homes with large yards to urban lofts and modern city spaces, African luxury design offers the perfect, grounding natural elements to imbue soul to the space. 


'Rawness and refinement are not opposite ends of a luxurious spectrum. They are two complementary features with which to populate a luxe environment.'
- Kelly Wearstler, American Designer and Design Author

A few ideas to add that African touch to your space:

One of the easiest and loveliest ways to incorporate African style and add warmth to a space is to add functional accent furniture from natural materials such as woods or cork that showcase the raw grain and texture. Examples are stools or side tables that can be easily moved and used in several different ways to bring more functionality and livability to a space, adding options for both relaxing and entertaining. 

A touch of greenery is another wonderful way to make your home feel fresh, inviting, and sophisticated. An elegant grouping of thoughtfully placed planters will bring a new sense of life to any space. Small, felted bowls make soothing, eye-catching accents for tables and shelves, and a large sculptural planter can center a room or create a natural divide to make it more multifunctional. A bit of greenery can also help overlooked spaces such as reading nooks, bathrooms and hallways to bring a bit of soothing serenity and contribute to your overall home style. 

A final hint for quickly and easily adding some warm African luxury to your home is to select several handcrafted décor pieces... handmade pieces are innately one of a kind, no two exactly identical. And by carefully selecting pieces that appeal to you and your own story and aesthetic, and that are clearly unique, made individual by hand, and exceptional, your home will tell a story that is also uniquely yours.  

From the mystifying landscapes and bold cultures, to the understated and minimal values ensconced in African creativity and perspective, the African continent has a limitless wealth of inspiration to offer. Warm, engaging, and extraordinary, African luxury has a charm and purity of style that is as beautiful and deceptively simple as the enjoyment of life itself. It truly is the style that represents a lifestyle. 

Join the journey and share your own style story through the authenticity of African luxury design. 

 
"Up in this air you breathed easily, drawing in a vital assurance and lightness of heart. In the highlands you woke up in the morning and thought: Here I am, where I ought to be."
- Karen Blixen, Out of Africa