Interior design trend to watch for in 2019: African vibes

Every year we see how fashion experts and interior designers embrace new styles and trends from all over the world. While the Scandinavian interior style has been a very popular choice for many years, when it comes to interior design, 2018 and 2019 are the years where the exotic tendencies (known as "exoticism") comes to life in the interior design industry. 

The exotic expression has for a long time been seen in the fashion industry, where exotic animal prints still are a focal point on the catwalk. Today we associate the exotic expression with distant skies, white sandy beaches, palm trees and wild animals on the African savannah. Bringing character, colours and a sense of luxury into our home makes the exotic style grow in popularity. With its intense colours and natural materials, it is a style that can be as bold or as bare as you like. 

In a society where technology is in focus and influences our everyday lives, we now see a completely natural backlash. We already see a tendency to prioritize traditional craft and encourage the love of handmade design. We as humans long for stimulating our tactile sense with more basic and earthly values. The tactile sense makes us curious and gives us the urge to discover by using all our senses to fall in love with new products. By stimulating our tactile sense, our attention is attracted in a new and exciting way that we are not used to. 

In a busy and stressed everyday life, where it is challenging for many people to keep their everyday life together, we find a natural calm in making our home a lovely place to be. A home where we can turn off, disconnect and prioritize ourselves and our family. Due to that, it is therefore not important for us to follow a particular design trend when we furnish our home. The most important thing to remember is to use our senses, feelings and personality to create a home, that makes us feel safe and calm. 

We as humans love the freedom to choose and create our own personal style. Our home should reflect who we are, what makes us feel safe and comfortable. By decorating with African inspired elements, we incorporate something dark and cosy in our otherwise minimalistic homes, which adds a warmth and cosy feeling into our home. We also create a connection with natural values in combination with the beautiful culture and history of Africa. 

Modern decor in African inspired style is not about crowding the home with masks, baskets, animal prints and red- and brown shades everywhere. It is about finding a few elements that add a touch of an African mood to an otherwise simple decor. It is about finding elements that create harmony, personality and warmth. 

Decor in African style is exciting and fits in every home, whether your style is modern, traditional, minimalistic or eclectic. The African style can be described as dynamic, colourful and confident and is characterized by lots of colours and different textures made in African fabrics, carvings and artworks, which makes it easy to integrate them into any interior style. 

African decor is inspired by nature and wildlife in print and has for a long time been seen at the catwalk and in fashion magazines around the world. The trend has now found its place in interior design too. The exotic inspired trend is a celebration of globally inspired patterns, taken home from travels, as a global association between several cultures. 

The expression in this global trend is characterized by a fusion of decorative prints, rich tones and raw textures, which symbolize authentic African handmade design. Leight, exotic and decorative elements with an ethnic expression can be combined beautifully with modern furniture design. A creative mix of modern decor spiced with traditional African design elements radiate originality, style and personal decor. 

African animals play a huge part in African culture and their symbolism can be found throughout countless pieces of art and sculptures. Several African tribes believe wearing animal carvings on their masks will improve their communication with animal spirits who live in the desert or wooded areas.

The most seen animals in the fashion and interior industry are the lion, the leopard and the zebra. The lion symbolizes strength, courage, royalty and pride and the lioness, represents femininity, motherhood and the moon. The leopard is known as the "Great Watcher" and is a symbol for cunning, agility and ferocity. Due to its secrecy and mystery, the leopard is highly revered in African cultures as a master hunter. The zebra symbolizes freedom, individuality, friendship and unity. Though they are gregarious animals, each of them brings something special to the group and seemingly get along with other animals. 

In the fashion and interior industry, these animals are often expressed by print on different types of textiles. See here how a Zebra print can adorn a fine velour cushion. The possibilities are endless and it is only the imagination that sets limits. Go wild and discover how to decor your home in African style.