Ambition, Așǫ-Oke and Adekunle Gold: the Making of Ilé-Ilà
Tosin Oshinowo, principal architect at cmDesign Atelier awed her peers with the launch of her latest project, furniture line Ilé-Ilà. Translated to House of Lines from her native Yoruba, Tosin’s…
How to Protect Your Space from the Blinding Glare of Judgmental House Guests
The fall holidays are upon us and as such you are probably back home right now getting into the groove of being everyone’s public servant. Shopping for new towels, geting…
Checked In: Austere Charm at Tangiers La Tangerina Hotel
One of the best vacations was to Northern Morocco. Although I loathe the degree to which foreigners count Moroccan design as separate from rather than a subset of African design…
Companies to Inspire Africa: Azalai Hotels
It’s 11:05am and I am late for my tour of the new 4-star Azalai Hotel Abidjan. As my taxi flies over the Henri Konan Bedie toll bridge to my destination,…
When Conde Nast Sent Us An Olive Branch: My Review of CN Traveler’s 2017 Africa Issue
Conde Nast (CN) publications are notoriously tone deaf to black culture. The appointment of Edward Enninful as the Editor in Chief of British Vogue, one of the most pre-eminent brands…
Checked In: Subdued Luxury at Chedi Muscat, Oman
Some of my best vacations were overzealous escapades. Times where I went to the club with my suitcase in a FOMO-induced haze just hours before I was scheduled to catch the…
African Interiors in Fashion – House Tour with CocoLili’s Furaha Bishota
Today I invite you to the very first edition of Blueprint Africa’s new home tour series: We Live in Trees focused on unpacking ‘African inspired’ decor. It is my cheeky…
The Easiest Way to Grow Your Instagram Following…For Free
I joined Instagram 4 years ago but it was only recently that I uncovered a dirty secret about the social media app that I believe is the key to my…
Office Spaces in Africa Are Stealing The Spotlight From Google
Increased activity in Africa by multinational organizations has generated a significant demand for high quality office space in many capital cities. Likewise the lack of formal employment opportunities for Africa’s…
An Open Letter to the Boss Who Does Not Know I am a Design Superhero
Good morning, sir. Nana here. If you’ve been reading my articles, you might have noticed that I write about African design. This might appear odd since I work for you…
7 Home Design Tips Your Job Won’t Give You Before Relocating You To Africa
Akwaaba – you got the job and you are moving to Africa! In 2010, I too joined the brain gain bandwagon and moved back to Africa from Washington, DC for…
Set Design: 6 Things I Learned from Africa’s Sex And The City
An African City (AAC) premiered its second season on January 24 2016 on VHX and fans everywhere let out a collective sigh of relief that the suspense was finally over.…