Whether you have a vast collection of African art or just a few key pieces, there are decorating approaches you can use that highlight and reflect the power of your collection. Remember to avoid the classic trap of matching your sofa to your painting and instead create an ornately decorated stage for your paintings, sculptures, textiles, masks and handicrafts. Creatively mix the old with the new, the African with the Africa-inspired, and your home will express your unique style.
Create a Complementary Palette
Emphasize rich colors and jewel tones in your decor to create a luxurious backdrop for African art. For example, you may set a Caribbean-influenced painting near furniture or fabrics in cobalt blue accented with gold. Walls and floors with finishes or accents in wine, tangerine, French rose, pineapple, gold and earth tones set the tone for paintings, sculptures, textiles, masks, accessories and handicrafts that are from Africa or Africa-inspired. Do not worry about matching everything, because doing so can muddy the look. Instead, look for visually interesting juxtapositions, such as hand-carved masks set on a wall painted mustard yellow, or a painting set in a rustic frame painted gold.
Group Pieces
Use African art in creative groupings, organized by color, theme, material, place of origin or size. You might stack three or four small paintings as a column, or fill a shelf with vases and pottery. Invest in a key focal point, such as a hand-carved wooden watchman chair with ornate engravings, and set it in front of a Moroccan coffee table that is outfitted with a handmade board game or a set of coffee cups. Stage a brilliant tableaux by setting a multicolored soapstone pot next to a display of jewel-toned stone plates.
Create Unity with Textiles
Use artisan textiles to add a dash of color throughout your home's interior but also to continue a theme. African textiles are varied, but often feature dark and bright colors with high-contrast stitching. Add a splash of texture in the bath with towels, washcloths, throw rugs and curtains consisting of African fabric or appliques. Find a common element--such as metallic gold thread or a persimmon orange detail--to connect different styles and patterns. Adorn a wall with a long wall-hanging and fill a nearby shelf with pieces that echo its motifs. Cover a shelf in Kente cloth and set bold orange, green, black and gold accessories atop it. Scatter throw pillows with different patterns across a sofa in a soft wine color, and use a woven rug to reflect the colors and textures.
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