African corner: Decorating with Ankara

Hello guys, how y’all doing today? We send hugs and kisses your way!!  So last week we introduced the African corner on our blog and we did mention that this corner was created to celebrate African art/culture and also to share interesting ideas about how we can incorporate African inspired arts/African themed designs into our interior design and home remodelling projects. So here we are today, fulfilling our promise with this interesting post titled African corner: Decorating with Ankara!!! Do not forget guys, the #DecorhubNgAfricanCorner comes up every Thursday, so make sure you hop on the ride every Thursday!

Ankara fabric

Ankara which some other people may refer to as “African prints” is a 100% cotton fabric with vibrant patterns. It is usually a colorful cloth and is primarily associated with Africa because of its tribal-like patterns and motifs. For many of the party lovers in Lagos, especially the Yoruba’s and Ibo’s, the Ankara fabric is mostly used for the general dress code for Owanbe’s, August meetings and a handful of other informal gatherings.  If you are an avid party lover in Lagos then I am certain you will be familiar with the saying “o wo Ankara, o je semo” which translates in English as “no Ankara, no semovita”.

Ankara themed owanbe

Something interesting about this fabric however, lies in the fact  that It is also a very versatile fabric and many items can be made from it such as hats, earrings, blazers, and shoes to name a few. The versatility of this fabric even crosses into home decoration and interior designing. Gone are the days when you will only find Ankara as a dress code for a party or a casual get-up, experts in home decoration and interior designing fields have come up with interesting and amazing ways to infuse Ankara into design projects without compromising industry standards.

Ankara chair

From wall accents to throw pillows, furniture and even curtains, this proudly African fabric is surely a healthy competition for the conventional interior design styles and techniques. Who would have imagined making a curtain of Ankara or an Ankara themed flower vase?? Well, someone did!

Ankara curtain

Flowers made from ankara

Totally amazing right? I was blown away as well. However it gets even more interesting guys, throw pillows  and picture frames made from Ankara fabric? This touch will definitely give a different glow to your design projects.

Ankara throw pillows

Ankara picture frame

Wow, there’s surely so much we can do with this amazing fabric! And i’m super proud that this is something coming out of Africa, and more importantly i’m fascinated by the idea that these beautiful home decor items have been created by African designers within and out of the continent. kudos guys!

And so we come to the end of today’s episode of  the #DecorhubNgAfricanCorner series, do share your thoughts with us in the comment section below and let us know how we can make this all the more interesting.

Bye guys!!!