Lifestyle Archives - atelier 55 - The Curator of Contemporary African Design

All-Natural, Zero Toxin Eco-Luxury Skin Care Inspired by Africa

Unless we protect it the changing seasons can have harmful effects on the long-term health of our skin. This was the experience of Ms Akosua aka Ms Kosi, a US-based entrepreneur who started creating her own skincare products using shea butter to protect her skin from harsh weather. Born and raised in Ghana shea butter was essential to Ms Kosi’s everyday skincare rituals. Used on her skin from birth to protect it from the sun, when Ms Kosi’s family moved to the UK in her teens she continued to use the butter to protect her skin, this time from the […]

Burkina Faso Lifestyle Well-being

A Holistic Well-Being Brand Inspired by Wisdom and Ancestral African Traditions

While doing some research for a magazine article I came across Maison Dassam, a holistic well-being brand inspired by wisdom and ancestral African traditions. The company was founded by Wend-Kuuni BONCOUNGOU, a French-born marketer turned entrepreneur of Burkinabé heritage. Having visited Burkina Faso many times Wend-Kuuni’s wanted to focus her attention on a project that would enable her to share the beauty and riches of her African roots.

Interiors Lifestyle Senegal

Tour the Home of Photographer Delphine Diallo

French-Senegalese photographer Delphine Diallo has created a sanctuary that honours her creativity and celebration of womanhood. In an interview for Moyi magazine, I got to chat with Delphine and discover what inspires and motivates her.

Africa Interiors Lifestyle Read

Moyi Magazine Issue 5 Celebrates Colour-Filled Homes

The latest edition of Moyi Magazine is out, and firstly what a stunning cover! Apt for our times the colourful cover features artist and activist Malene Barnett founder of Malene B Studio and Black Artists + Designers Guild (BADGuild). This issue celebrates the colour-filled homes of Malene in New York and textile designer Eva Sonaike in London. As a contributing editor for Moyi magazine, I had the pleasure of directing the photoshoot for Eva’s gorgeous, colour and plant-filled home.

Africa Books Culture Lifestyle

Little Africa Paris An Alternative Cultural Guide to the City of Light

As its name suggests Little Africa Paris is a handy pocket guide that connects you to Paris’s thriving African culture and communities in Paris. The guide was created by Jacqueline Ngo Mpii who wanted to reveal and highlight the contributions Africans have made to the city, and country in the past and continue to do so in the present.

Books Kenya Lifestyle

Fashion Book Questions The Phrase Not African Enough

What does it mean to be an ‘African designer’? Is it the fabrics you use, or earthy colour palettes, perhaps it’s traditional references or ethnic motifs? This is a question designers from the continent grapple with when presenting their work to international audiences and if their aesthetic does not fit into the perceptions of African design often find it being critiqued as not being African enough. Who gets to decide what it is to be African? The creator or the critic? This is the question posed and explored by Kenyan-based The Nest Collective in their book Not African Enough, which […]

YSWARA Tearoom in Ghana With Luxury Living

Ghana Interiors Lifestyle

YSWARA Brings Their Elegant Tearoom Experience To Ghana

The launch of luxury tea brand YSWARA’s Johannesburg tearoom has been joined by the opening of one in Accra, Ghana. The YSWARA tearoom and boutique is part of a collaborative space shared with local retailer Luxury Living and Akrafo, YSWARA’S sister brand of gourmet condiment’s, bringing gourmet and interior decor experience to the city’s stylish residents.

Africa Lifestyle Read

Modern Afro Style Inspiration Moyi Magazine Winter Issue

Looking to be inspired by some modern Afro style goodness to set the tone for the new year ahead? Then Moyi magazine is just the thing. The winter issue is out now and I am loving the cover which features South African actress Nomzamo Mbatha wearing a dress by fashion designer Joel Jansen Van Vuuren in the sophisticated surrounds of Saxon Hotel.

Decor Design Interiors Lifestyle South Africa

Drink: YSWARA Unveils A Tranquil Tearoom To Savour Precious African Teas

There is nothing I love more than a good cup of tea, the stronger the better. Anytime is teatime as far as I am concerned, so you can only imagine what I think about those who take their tea as seriously as I do. Like YSWARA for instance, the luxury tea brand championing made in Africa, who are reviving the ceremony of ancient African tea-drinking rituals with its offering of specially blended teas and accompanying accessories. And now you can immerse yourself fully in the YSWARA brand experience with the launch of their flagship tearoom and store in Johannesburg.

Lifestyle South Africa

Lifestyle: Luxury African Brands Marianne Fassler And YSWARA Collaborate For Orange Babies

[Image credit: Marianne Fassler x YSWARA Aromatherapy Candle for Orange babies – via hot919fm.com] Legendary South African fashion designer Marianne Fassler has teamed up with luxury made in Africa tea and lifestyle brand YSWARA to create a limited-edition scented candle for Orange Babies, a Dutch HIV NGO with a local South African branch that works to reduce mother to child transmission of HIV as well as helping children affected by HIV/AIDS to live a better life.

Africa Books Design Fashion Lifestyle Read

Books: Africa Rising Fashion, Design and Lifestyle from Africa

Africa Rising is a new book edited by publishers Gestalten and South African based design platform, Design Indaba, which spotlights African design, fashion, photography, architecture, and lifestyle. Africa Rising was launched in September 2016 in London as part of a programme of events for the inaugural London Design Bienniale at Somerset House.

Africa Lifestyle Read

Read: Moyi Magazine Shining The Light On Modern Afro Lifestyle

If you are a lover of beautiful design, inspirational editorials, peeps into other peoples homes for a dose of African inspired interior design inspiration and boundless African creativity then make room in your life for Moyi, a brand new quarterly modern Afro lifestyle magazine that curates the best in design, decor, architecture, arts, travel, beauty, fashion and food showcasing and celebrating the work of talented individuals of African heritage. Moyi means sun in Lingala, a language spoken in Central Africa. And through its colourful, elegantly designed pages Moyi shines the light on the exceptional creativity and lifestyle defining a modern Africa. […]

Africa Inspired Lifestyle

Lifestyle: M Project by Baobab Collection, Interior Accessories Inspired by Africa

M Project by Baobab Collection [Inspired by Africa] [Image credit: Mena Max 24 Candle -M project by Baobab Collection – Delyss] Belgian interior fragrance brand, Boabab Collection recently launched a new range of scented candles that celebrate exquisite African craftsmanship, natural materials, and invigorating scents. [Image credit: top, Mainty Max 24 Candle; bottom Mena Max 16 Candle –M project by Baobab Collection – Delyss] A limited-edition of five candles in the M Project collection is produced in collaboration with artisans in Madagascar, which sees each candle encased in an elegant woven organic raffia finish that comes in either black and beige or red […]

Lifestyle Nigeria South Africa

Lifestyle: Designer Journals and Notebooks by Clinton Friedman, Eva Sonaike and Urban Africa

Journals and Notebooks [Nigeria / South Africa] [Image credits: Clinton Friedman – Purely African] When I started this blog I never anticipated how much writing I would end up doing; making notes on paper, on the computer as I’ve let all my thoughts flow out. One thing that strikes me is how ideas for posts and perfectly formed snippets of sentences often appear at the most inconvenient of times when there isn’t a paper, pen or pencil to be found within close range and by the time you’ve found one the moment is lost; the thought evaporated like a puff […]

Lifestyle South Africa

Lifestyle: Taunina’s Adorable Soft Toys

Taunina [South Africa] [Image source/credit – Taunina Skyler Bunny Rabbit – Positive Luxury/Taunina] Displayed on one of the prettiest websites I have seen in a while, is an adorable, colourful range of soft toys that have been exquisitely handcrafted by a group of talented artists in Woodstock, Cape Town. Taunina is a company that produces an enchanting collection of one-of-a-kind collectable teddy bears, bunny rabbits, and puppy dogs; each a precious gift designed to be passed down the generations as future heirlooms. Individually crafted, comprising of more than twenty panels, each soft toy takes around four to seven days to complete, in a process […]

Africa Lifestyle

Lifestyle: Africa Documentary BBC ONE

Africa – David Attenborough/BBC ONE I have been watching Africa, the new documentary series by veteran British presenter, Sir David Attenborough. Filmed over four years, so far five episodes have taken viewers through the Kalahari, Savannah, Congo, Cape, and Sahara, with the sixth and final episode next week looking at the Future of Africa, in terms of what is being done to help preserve the Continent’s precious biodiversity, including how local communities are helping in the war on poaching.

Africa Inspired Lifestyle

Lifestyle: Decléor Madagascar Scented Candle

Decléor Voyage – Madagascar Scented Candle [Africa Inspired] [Image credit: Decléor Voyage – Madagascar Scented Candle] Premium aromatherapy skincare specialists Decléor introduces a relaxing candle infused with 100% natural essential oils, whose scent and packaging evoke the rich and diverse eco-system found in Madagascar. Tonka Bean, Vetiver, Vanilla, Ylang Ylang, and Grapefruit are combined to create a blissful luxurious fragrance that naturally perfumes your living space whilst contributing to your wellbeing.

Decor Eswatini Lifestyle Swaziland

Lifestyle: Colourful Uniquely Patterned Swazi Candles

Swazi Candles [Swaziland / Eswatini] [Image credits: Swazi Candles] In the mountainous countryside of the Kingdom of Swaziland a disused cowshed in a former dairy was turned into a candlemaking workshop that has become a local tourist attraction as visitors from all over the world stop by to see the production process and an array of unique candles. Whether round or triangular, animal or fruit; carved or hand-painted Swazi Candles are created and finished by hand meaning no two will be the same.

Competitions . Offers . Giveaways Lifestyle Nigeria

Lifestyle: Bibi Invitations Reader Offer

Bibi Invitations [Nigeria] [Image credits: Ifenkili – Bibi Invitations] Spotting a gap in the market after an unsuccessful search to find modern invitation designs that showcased her vibrant Nigerian heritage prompted designer Ify Ojo to seriously consider creating her own range and led to the founding of Bibi Invitations; an exquisite range of wedding and special occasion invitations designed to capture the vibrant celebratory spirit of Nigerian, and indeed many African special occasions. The company was officially launched in 2012 by three friends; Ify Ojo and Omena Babalola who are based in Canada, and Chinelo Agazie who is based in the UK. […]

Congo Fashion Lifestyle Menswear

Books: The Gentlemen of Bacongo

Gentlemen of Bacongo [The Congo] [Image credit: Gentlemen of Bacongo – Daniele Tamagni] Every time the ‘Gentlemen of Bacongo’ photographic exhibition came to London, I always managed to miss it, so whilst I was in Dakar I finally got to see some images from the book; on display as part of a wider exhibition on contemporary African photography entitled ‘Africa See You See Me’, that was being held at the Goethe Institute, during the Dak’art 2012 Biennale. Since its release in 2009, the book and accompanying exhibition have delighted and captivated audiences across the world, taking them on a fashionable journey […]

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