Blossom by blossom the spring begins.
- Algernon Charles Swinburne
Ah, spring… as fresh as morning dew on your window sill… a time when nature awakes, and the earth begins to shake off the cold and to wake up from its winter slumber.
Colors of spring are nothing but reviving. Spring is the time for renewal and new beginnings. The colors of this season represent a brighter, livelier tone than the winter blues. The uncured ultra-modern hues and shades are also associated with nature, which means that they are more natural and less artificial, as opposed to their winter counterparts.
Source : Pritchett-Rapf Blog
Picture that comparison for a minute… the most popular spring colors are green, yellow, and purple… and winter hues dive into holly berry red, emerald green, cobalt blue and stark black and white, all worn in high and varying contrasts.
Image Source: Just Writing
So your friends, co-workers, family and literally almost every post you scroll through on social media show various ways to experiment with color this spring. The bursts of color trends this year lean towards soft lilac, sunny canary yellow; moody hot pink; salted caramel; bold scarlet; mystifying sky blue; rich green; neon green; and illuminating yellow. But you... you will be different because aside from changing the colors in your interior décor, we will show you how to not only bring the ring in ‘spring’ to your decor, but to incorporate all the aspects the season brings up – nature, new life, new growth, new flowers, warmer weather, and more sunlight hours. The colors of spring in Africa are very similar to the colors of autumn in the Northern Hemisphere. The leaves turn into a mix of brown and red, and the trees lose their leaves. The landscape is covered with green grasses and flowers, and the weather is usually warm. Here’s 2 clever ways to do it… African STYLE.
- Bring the Bark Back
Bringing the bark back…literally. The spring season is a time of growth and renewal. For some people, it also means the end of the dry season. In Africa, the dry season is often characterized by cold winds and dusty roads. The rainy season, on the other hand, brings green fields and lush forests to life again. The lush forests that provide strong enviable barks and logs that her people use for their crafts. The rains bring new life to Africa's landscapes, which are often dry during the summer months due to lack of rainwater.
Spring Flowers in South Africa, Source : Pinterest
Well, at a time when many animals give birth and raise their young ones in preparation for winter when food becomes scarce, somewhere in Central Africa, a country situated just above the equator… an elite group of artisans have been creating the legendary ‘King’s stool’.
Bamileke Stool, Source : Paulski Art
What better way to usher in spring the African way than with new status, a handmade throne, literally designed and fit for royalty. These hand-carved stools have long been used as ceremonial seating to indicate the status and power of tribal chiefs and kings. Each stool is hand-carved from a single piece of local teum wood and then stained.
Source : Touch of Luxe
Although the Bamileke people are renowned as skilled craftsmen, in recent times many traditional arts and crafts have been abandoned, resulting in far less diversity of furniture styles, making it difficult to precisely identify this throne.
Source : Copycatchic
I’d imagine walking into my immaculate home or office, colors of spring represented with different trinkets and accessories all around, and having the magnificent piece of art catching my eye every single time… luring whoever sets their eyes on it like a bee to a honey trap… begging not to be forgotten. Well, not this spring! This spring... we remember.
- Go Juju with Hats Décor!
Decorating for spring time has always been a favorite for many people, since it marks a change in weather into warmer notes and brighter coats. Spring is the time of year where we all start to feel hopeful and everything starts to bloom. It's a time where we can look forward to warmer weather, spending more time outdoors, and getting out of our winter ruts. This time also shows the various emotions that spring brings with it such as warmth and renewal, in our clothing, home décor, some skin care routine and others socks and tie colors! It’s the bubble of mixed ideas and creativity that unites our consciousness as one. That draws us to our unique abilities and understanding as a people.
Source : Quotesgram
In the spirit of bringing spring into our interior décor, let me make you fall in love with Cameroon once again with their high intelligence and fascinating art that highly revered respect for royalty. The Bamileke. They loved wealth and festivities, and adorned their kings with dances and praises while wearing the juju hats.
Bamileke Ceremony with man waering juju hat, Source : Tripfreakz
This ‘feather-crown’ was commonly worn by royal dancers during tribal ceremonies and royal parties. Made in a fascinating outline of feathers; a symbol of prosperity and wealth, they have passed on this tradition from generation to generation with a powerful cultural identity and historic self-identity. Much like how the winter melts away in spring, and though it froze all that crossed its path, the true guise underneath remains when it is all thawed and life gets a chance to bloom again. Picture the way the juju hat looks like an open flower at its peak bloom… they make me feel like sunshine itself.
Source: Africanologie
The juju hat from Cameroon’s Bamileke people has spread like wildfire, with different interior décor themes adapting it as a dramatic, yet striking addition to any space… and just like we said earlier, what better time than spring time! Notably, they have been used in all seasons, but what is it that makes spring time special? It denotes the blooming of a flower at spring.
Source: Audenza
The trees are green and so are the plants. In the air, there is a hint of warmth… as if it’s trying to tell you that it’s time to come out of hibernation, to start living again; evident in the way you would change up your spaces for a new beginning of creativity and inspiration waiting for you with open arms. Just like the way the juju hat feathers open up to an eccentric view of natural creativity.
Source : Housebeautiful
The world may have shifted on its axis, but you can still find beauty in it if you allow yourself to look around and see the beauty of decorating with timeless, historic and skillfully crafted pieces of art, to remind you of what has been there all along. Natural beauty. It’s just 11 days into spring… get yourself a juju hat and/or a Bamileke stool while you are at it.