African American Kitchen Decor

When using African American kitchen decor, choose items that reflect the beauty and vitality of African culture.

The following decor suggestions can help you create a beautiful African American-themed kitchen you will love spending time in.

• Canisters - Check out Annie Lee's Hot Water and Cornbread cookie jars and canisters. They are full of bright colors and beautifully designed.
• Wall Color - In order for your African American kitchen decor to stand out, paint your walls in the warm earth tones of traditional African art. Having earth-toned walls will make any artwork or decorations you hang on the wall the center of attention.
• Wall art - Beautiful works of art shouldn't be relegated to the living room or bedroom. Visit the kwaze-kwasa website to buy hand-crafted traditional African art. Proceeds benefit African AIDS patients and children orphaned by AIDS.
• Curtains - Peruse the Traditional, Mud cloth and Bogolon Mali textile prints offered at afrodecor.com. Purchase the curtains for your choice or use the website to get an idea of what you are looking for. Make sure that the colors in the curtains complement the wall color. This will unify the room and create visual harmony.
• Masks - Carved wooden masks will make your wall decor complete. There are a wide variety of shapes and sizes of masks available at most home decor stores. If carved wooden masks of people aren't really your thing, there are also plenty of carved wooden masks available depicting animals like zebras and elephants.
• Area rugs - Keep within the earthy feel of African decor by choosing a natural fiber area rug. Sisal, Jute and Sea grass rugs for example, are easy to find and widely available.

Now that you have explored your room design options in color, wall art and accessories, you can begin putting your African American kitchen decor ideas together.

• Begin with wall color - If you have kitchen cabinets that are finished in a natural wood like oak or cherry, that's great. If you don't consider painting them in a color that fits your overall kitchen design.
• Clear the countertops - You want the artwork and African themed kitchen accessories to shine, so take all the appliances that you don't use on a daily basis (blenders, food processors etc.,) and put them away. If you don't have the room in your cupboards and cabinets, buy a few appliance covers.
• Hang your wall decor - With so many beautiful pieces of art and woodcarvings available, choosing a choice few is difficult. Choice few are the operative words here. If you hang too many items on the wall, the individual beauty of the paintings or woodcarvings will be lost in the clutter.
• Put up your curtains - The curtains are the finishing touch on your African American kitchen decor and will bring the look of the entire room together.

The interior design of your kitchen should reflect who you are as a person.

• If you have a bright and vibrant personality, use punches of bright yellows and oranges in your African kitchen decor.
• If your personality is more laid back and mellow, then use touches of warm turquoise and gold.
• Mix modern with traditional - This will keep your kitchen looking up-to-date, while at the same time, reflecting traditional African culture.

• Curtains - Any curtains you choose to hang should definitely be washable. So steer clear of any thing that has to be dry cleaned like raw silks.
• Area rugs - If you are looking for high stain resistance, go with a sea grass area rug. They are naturally stain and water-resistant.
• Paint - Choose semi-gloss or high gloss paint for maximum scrub-ability.
• Canvas wall art - For artwork painted on canvas, hang it as far away from the stove as possible to prevent it from being damaged by steam, food splatter and grease.
• For prints and posters - Purchase a few acrylic or glass "clip frames". These types of frames are designed to prevent the elements (moisture, steam, splatter etc.,) from seeping underneath the glass or acrylic and damaging the picture. These frames are available at art supply stores and frame shops.
• Keep wooden carved masks with embellishments like raffia or straw away from any heating element.

You're bound to find some gorgeous African pieces, so the real challenge will be avoiding trying to cram too many elements into your design. Try to keep the look balanced so your design looks cohesive and not cluttered. That way the items you really love will get the attention they deserve.