Black-Owned Home and Design Brands to Add to Your Shopping List

In light of recent news events, you've probably looked around at the décor you own, the shops you’ve browsed, and the gifts you’ve purchased with a new perspective. Maybe you've been great at curating a global view and collecting items whose origins are a bit removed from your own or, perhaps, you fall on the other end of the spectrum and realize that you could do a better job at creating an inclusive environment through where you shop. Regardless of where you fall on the spectrum, we could all benefit from more diversity in our lives. 

Read on to learn more about a few exceptional Black-owned businesses in the home goods, art and lifestyle spaces. Plus, we’ve highlighted a few Black home décor bloggers to follow to make your feeds more inclusive, too. This is by no means a complete list - just a few voices in our research that we want to amplify! 

Home Goods

Images courtesy of (clockwise from top left): @boleroadtextiles, @xnstudio_ , @theheartdepartment.co @satyasage, @tackussanu_senegal

Satya + Sage - Founded by Sonja Haile, Satya  + Sage offers handmade, eco-friendly candles and home fragrances with a percentage of sales donated to a private non-profit focused on under-served youth. Each Satya + Sage candle is made with 100% vegetable and coconut wax, has a cotton wick, and infusion of essential oils with phthalate-free, premium grade fragrance oils. 

The Heart Department, Co. - Tanalee Lavern is a wife, mom and the artist behind the Heart Department. She was born and raised on the beautiful island of Jamaica and moved to the United States at the age of 16. In addition to her passion for photography, she is a creator of wooden home decor items ranging from memo boards, picture frames, and more. The versatile pieces have a farmhouse feel but are perfectly fitting for any style.

xN Studio - Founded in 2011 by Nasozi Kakembo, xN (short for xnasozi) Studio’s original work of textiles and furniture is inspired by her Ugandan heritage. xN studio also carries a small collection of Fair Trade goods from Uganda designed in collaboration with artisans there. A portion of sales from all xnasozi products made in Uganda and Kenya are donated to Suubi Primary School, an orphanage school just outside of Uganda's capital, Kampala.

Bolé Road Textiles - Brooklyn-based designer Hana Getachew started Bolé Road Textiles five years ago out of a desire to merge her love of Ethiopian handwoven fabrics with her career in interior design. All pieces are handwoven in Ethiopia as an homage to her cultural heritage and hometown of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

Tackussanu Senegal - Senegalese traditional craft and fair trade principles come together to bring you beautiful hand woven baskets and other goods. Tackussnau’s fundamental belief is that every person has the right to safe jobs and fair, livable wages. Your purchase provides jobs and opportunity for those women in rural areas of Ngaye, Senegal.

Black-Authored Cookbooks and Recipes

Images (left to right): Grandbaby Cakes by Jocelyn Delk Adems, Afro-Vegan by Bryant Terry, Afroculinaria by Michael J. Twitty

Grandbaby Cakes - Jocelyn Delk Adams started her blog to share her grandmother’s classic desserts and other recipes. She was inspired by visits to her grandmother in Mississippi at a young age to watch her bake where she would marvel at the neighbors line up around the block for a taste. A couple of our favorites include the Lemon Pound Cake and Jollof Rice recipes.

Afro-Vegan - Chef and food justice activist Bryant Terry gives fresh takes on his favorite staples, ingredients and classic dishes of the African Diaspora. Learn about the history of food that has traveled from the African content and recreate with them in over 100 creative and healthy ways. Afro-Vegan was named one of the Best Cookbooks of 2014 by Shape, Serious Eats and Mother Jones.

Afroculinaria - Michael J. Twitty runs the first food blog dedicated to education about food culture in Africa and her Diaspora as well as that of the American South. His book, The Cooking Gene, was awarded 2018 James Beard Foundation Book of the Year and noted as “Fascinating” by The New York Times. Learn from Twitty’s extensive research into recipes in his journey of what he calls “culinary justice”. One recipe high on our list is the High Holidays Apple Barbecue Sauce.

Multimedia Art

Images (clockwise from top left): An untitled work from Kah Yangni, "i love you too much" print from Amina Mucciolo, "Kingston" stoneware by Malene Barnett, Lovely Earthlings' "Shades of Legs" print, "Balloon Key" print of Taunes Bunny

TAUNES BUNNY - Nigerian-American artist Abi Salami creates Surrealist paintings that “fuse the mundane and the extraordinary in complex, whimsical worlds.” Abi’s brand TAUNES BUNNY spreads positivity and encourages wonder through blending pop art and surrealism.

Malene Barnett - Barnett creates clay sculptures, paintings, prints, and tapestries that reflect on her modern-day interpretations of the African Diaspora. Barnett uses natural materials in the form of wools, silks, pastels and clay to construct her pieces which have been featured in Elle Decor, House Beautiful, and more.

Lovely Earthlings - Karina Daniel Parris creates designs for multimedia surfaces including prints and on canvas. Her family immigrated to the U.S. from Panama and settled in Atlanta, GA. Since then she's used her experiences living in Miami and New York to capture tropical scenes of fashion and diversity in her art.

Amina Mucciolo - Mucciolo is an artist and decorator most known for her rainbow home in Los Angeles. Her rainbow style emanates in everything she touches - from multicolored furniture to unicorn-themed accessories. Shop her original art here.

Kah Yangni - Yangni is a Philly-based artist and muralist that creates “Art to heal”. Having recently lost their library job due to reallocated city budgets, Yangni has continued to use their page to be vocal about queer, femme, and justice topics through sharing original designs, prints, and murals.

Black Home Decor Bloggers

Image courtesy of: @alexanderreneedesign

Ashley Dixon - Ashley is an Atlanta-based, self taught interior designer, wife and a mother. As an interior designer, her goal is to enhance your quality of life with a beautifully designed home. She often shares unique home finds on her page that blend beautifully in her own home.

Image courtesy of: @onepearcourt

One Pear Court - Peggy is a glam home blogger based in Ohio with enviable skill. You can find her scurrying across your screen on IGTV in hyper-speed mode as she shows amazing and inspiring videos totally constructing a fabulous room scene in her home in a matter of minutes right before your eyes. 

Caption: @sandramorganliving

Sandra Morgan Downie - Sandra is an esthetician by trade and founder of clean beauty brand @amendabeauty. On her feed, she covers a range of lifestyle topics including decor inspiration with a focus on textures and tones - to body positivity. Learn about new ways to entertain in style at home from Sandra and get a confidence-booster while doing so.

Image courtesy of: @bemyguestwithdenise

Denise Copper - Denise is a home decorator based in Florida with her husband and son. Denise loves all things thrifty, diy, home décor, organizing and entertaining. With her blog having started since she purchased her very first apartment in 2014. It’s no wonder Denise has over 200K+ YouTube subscribers who love tuning into her new home tips.

Image courtesy of: @TarynNewton

Glamorous Versatility - Taryn is a Dallas-based blogger and soon-to-be mom of 5 kids. Her goal is summed up on her Instagram bio as “helping busy women live life to the fullest,” however, Taryn wants new readers to follow her not only because she’s a woman-of-color blogger, she is looking to build a judgement-free community. Follow her as her and her husband work on building their dream home #2 and learn more about her here.

Image courtesy of: @tamarabradshaw_home

Tamara Bradshaw - Tamara is a home decor blogger and founder of dance fitness course, Brukwine. She shares videos and tips of how she beautifies her home with DIY projects and new furniture and decor arrangements that look totally glam. Follow her personal page @tamarabradshaw_ for fun dance videos and style inspiration or her home page @tamarabradshaw_home for home decor. 

Image courtesy of: @houseof.lais

Camille Lai - Camille’s home reflects the latest in modern style mixed in with a little boho flair and moody colors. Follow her for inspiration on #smallspaceliving as she shares corners of her 1,150 sq. ft. home with every nook and cranny carefully curated.

Image courtesy of: @jasicamille_

Jasmine Dore - Jasmine is a soon-to-be mom of four who shares snippets from her day-to-day life in between diaper changes and shopping trips. She shares some of her favorite mom purchases as well as chats with her followers about self-care and confident motherhood to generate positive conversations around female empowerment.

 Image courtesy of @jnaydaily

Janea Brown - Janea is a ball of sunshine. Those who discover her page are immediately pulled in by her magnetic personality as she shares moments of how she makes ordinary moments extraordinary and shares honest yet positive moments in her home, which she gorgeously decorated in neutral and earth tones. Try not to smile when browsing her Instagram or YouTube.

Image courtesy of @madebycarli

Made by Carli - Carli is a mom and blogger based in Rhode Island. Carli shares updates on the ongoing DIY projects as she renovates her 140 year-old home as well as other “shenanigans” with her four kids. Be sure to watch her beautiful home renovation recap here, tour here, and follow her page for more dreamy design inspiration!

 

Shopping Black-owned is one of the most direct ways to support the Black community, many of which we featured here are small businesses that may have been affected by the pandemic. After all, designing a home can be a reflection of how you see the world. The more intentional you can be about decorating with pieces that represent inclusion, diversity, and love - the more you will be creating an environment with the same principles. Have any more brands or voices you’d like to amplify? If so, let us know in the comments below!