Heritage and culture has always defined interior spaces, some similarities some quite different each element telling a story from history. We will focus on the East African/Ugandan version of it.
This ethnic décor is timeless & exotic. In simple terms this style is described as
“a combination of earthy tones particularly dark woods and warm whites paired with splashes of bold prints, organic materials, decorative handmade African art and lots of plants. All elements inspired from nature.”
In searching for reference points in history about this topic I searched a great deal and amazing authors like John Pile who wrote the History of Interior Design had barely a sentence about the History of Interiors in Africa. This is not an offence to the great authors of design but merely an observation of how little information is available about the timeline of African art and its spaces but this could attributed to the fact that people in Africa back in the day preferred oral record keeping rather than written. And then there is also the fact that a lot of African heritage art was taken and is being preserved in prestigious museums mainly in Europe. Its not just down the road for one to take stroll and be inspired. And these art pieces are quite a beauty, because there was a lack of mass production of furniture and pieces in the region led to each piece being made by hand. Each were unique masterpieces relative to its village/town most being direct reference to ancient traditions
From observation, and I am no expert, merely a keen observer of spaces that I have witnessed over my life living in this continent; I wrote this post. If you have tips that you feel I missed out on, please mention in the comments section below.
I have broken down each element commonly found in an East African interior. Adding a combination of these elements can help you achieve your African inspired interior, keeping in mind that harmony needs to be present between each element. Example a traditional approach would require the more bulky and patterned elements whereas the contemporary would require a sleeker approach with clean lines and less patterns. Also remember to not go overboard that it looks like a museum.
Here goes..
Common Furniture Pieces
Angular form wood furniture with intricate animal/tribal carvings with rounded edges. Dark Leather furniture. Low triangle or round stools. Drum inspired side tables. Life size animal sculpture. Recycled furniture.
Common Materials
Animals Hides, cottons, leather, linen, natural fibres such as bark, hessian, sisal and banana fibre.
Common Colours
An earthy palette inspired by the scorching sun, the jungle and the sands of the desert and calm rivers. These include shades of brown, shades of green, terracotta, orange, yellow, brick, neutrals and black.
Common Patterns
Animal skin inspired patterns particularly zebra, cow and cheetah, tribal prints found in Kitenge, Kikoy and Khanga.
Common Wall Treatments
Sand textured or plain plaster walls in bare whites or creams. Animal print wallpapers. Walls decorated with painted silhouettes of animals or people. Rough plaster walls with thin painted cracks to depict the walls of the mud houses in the drought season.
Common Flooring
Natural stone finish to provide comfort to the bare feet. Plain concrete floors stained or painted. Wood laminate floor used with sisal weaved mats. Tiles in natural stone shades.
Common Rugs
Animal hide rugs, sheep skin fur, natural fibre weaved mats.
Common Lighting
Pendant lighting normally set between the exposed roof trusses. Warm yellow lighting. Preferably in layers to add depth and drama to the space. Lampshades made of weaved sisal, natural fibre textiles. Recycled glass chandeliers.
Common Artwork
Bark tapestries. Decorative frames made from bamboo, beads, or textile covering for wall hangings such as Mirrors, photo frames and paintings. Painting depicting the landscapes, people and animals of Africa. Also, abstract works with vivid colours or monochromatic of tribal prints.
Other Elements/Accessories
Masks, spears, shields, walking sticks, feathered head wear, sisal skirts, knives, weaved baskets. Wired sculptures representing forms of transport, either bicycle, car or plane.
Where to Shop?
For Antique African Art – Gallery Antique Uganda tribal art gallery that deals in old field collected artifacts from East and Central Africa.
For African painted art works – Ndugu Art Creations that sells art paintings for your home or office. They make deliveries, mount and fix the framed artworks as well.
For Kitenge Accessories – TIA-This is Africa can customise soft furnishings home decor (table mats, coasters, storage baskets) in a range of kitenge options.
Tag/Comment a place in Uganda where you find African interior items and we will add them to the post after verification.
Image: african hand carved masks.
Image: warm orange paint wall in a sunlit room
Image: soft white wall with abstract painting in vivid colors.
Where else to shop: There’s the two African Villages at the National Theatre and on Buganda road, Banana Boat in Kisementi and at Forest Mall, Lugogo. All in Kampala.