# Afrohemian Decor: The Home Trend Blending Heritage, Texture And Warmth.

While boho decor has been popular for decades (hello, rattan chairs and macrame), the latest take on the laid-back, collected style is anything but minimal. Think rich colors and textures, rather than whites and creams, and a focus on African design and craft, as opposed to the more generic bohemian chic that has been popular in the past.

This emerging interior design trend is called Afrohemian decor, and it blends elements of African cultural design with bohemian elements, in an attempt to achieve a unique and exotic look, rather than just generic boho. Here's a closer look at what this trend is all about, from its key characteristics to how you can embrace it in your own home.

## What is Afrohemian decor?

Afrohemian decor combines two key elements:

• The loosely put-together, earthy look characteristic of bohemian decorating

• African design elements that use color and texture to create a look that reflects cultural roots rather than generic African cultural roots

Together, these elements create a less curated look that doesn't rely on buying a few carefully-chosen statement pieces for a room and then putting up some art on the walls. Instead, Afrohemian decor emphasizes building a room with objects purchased over the course of years (or even continents), rather than a single trip to the furniture store.

## Afrohemian decor characteristics

Afrohemian design embraces color and texture, with a few key elements that tie the look together:

### 1. Colorful textile elements

Afrohemian homes are characterized by the use of African textile accents, including baskets and handbags, but most prominently, throw pillows featuring the distinctive Adire fabric, which has become a popular Nigerian print due to its appealing cobalt blue color and intricate designs. The use of textiles is what gives Afrohemian decor its distinctive look, and the best place to start experimenting with this aesthetic in your own home is with colorful throw pillows and throws.

### 2. Woven baskets

Baskets are also a staple accessory in Afrohemian decor, featuring prominently in the look as storage pieces, room dividers, and even as elements of larger pieces of furniture. The best option for woven baskets in the Afrohemian style are hand-woven ones, rather than mass-produced examples.

### 3. Rattan and bamboo beaded curtains

Beaded curtains are another staple accessory in Afrohemian decor, and they can serve as room dividers, closet accents, or simply pieces of art on either side of a doorway or window.

### 4. Ethiopian wall art

Another staple of Afrohemian decor is the use of Ethiopian (or other African) textiles as decoration on the walls, where they act as a type of cultural statement piece. These can include everything from carved figures to hand-painted art to traditional Ethiopian woven pieces.

### 5. Earthy palette accented with bright colors

Finally, Afrohemian decor features warm earthy colors (think terracotta and other warm, reddish-brown tones) accented with the colors of African textiles, rather than the lighter color schemes often seen in minimalist boho rooms.

## 5 Ways To Add Afrohemian Style In Your Own Home

One of the best things about the Afrohemian decorating style is that it doesn't require you to gut and redo an entire room at once. Instead, you can add Afrohemian touches little by little and create the look you want at your own pace. The following suggestions are all great ways to incorporate some Afrohemian style into your home:

### 1. Add a textile room accent

You don't need to go all out and buy a complete set of furniture if you want to try out Afrohemian decor. Instead, look for a single textile piece (one of the colorful throw pillows mentioned above would be a good start) that you can use as a room accent. This is probably the simplest way to add elements of the Afrohemian style to any room in your home. If you're looking for something with more of a wow factor, consider a throw blanket that can also double as a room accent for an especially chilly evening.

### 2. Add a beaded curtain to one room

Beaded curtains are a staple of Afrohemian-style rooms and are an easy way to add texture and color to your home. They are also reversible, so if the curtain you're considering isn't quite as impressive on one side, you don't have to worry about it. Adding a beaded curtain to one of your rooms is an easy first step if you're new to this styling approach.

### 3. Put your storage items on display

Another easy way to experiment with the Afrohemian decorating style is to replace some of your standard storage items (like small plastic bins) with woven baskets. This changes your home's look while also adding some color and texture to a room. You can find these types of baskets in a variety of sizes, so look for one that will serve a purpose in your home (like storing blankets or magazines) before you start shopping.

### 4. Add a cultural decorative element to your room

In many ways, Afrohemian decor is all about color and texture, but you can still make a dramatic statement by selecting one decorative element that serves as a cultural centerpiece in one of your rooms. Instead of going for a generic piece of art, look for something Ethiopian or more specifically African that you can hang on the wall to draw attention to itself. The Afrohemian approach to decorating is all about collecting unique and interesting cultural pieces, and a single well-chosen item can really make this style come to life.

### 5. Use a variety of elements rather than choosing a few statement pieces

Afrohemian decorating is about gathering a number of unique cultural pieces rather than buying a single statement piece for each room you want to decorate. That doesn't mean you have to buy a ton of items at once (you really should wait before buying dozens of pieces if you're just starting to experiment with this decor approach). Instead, take inspiration from the Afrohemian look and look for items that you can display together rather than investing in a large number of statement pieces.

## What Makes Afrohemian Decor So Trendy?

For many years, the prevailing decorating trends have leaned towards minimalism, meaning there wasn't much emphasis on statement pieces to decorate your home. Afrohemian decor is simply the product of a cultural shift towards making your home more expressive, with a greater focus on self-expression and individualism than ever before.