AphroChic Magazine: Issue No. 10

THE BLACK FAMILY HOME
Like every part of a culture, design is
shaped by history. The shape of American
history has created a set of needs for
African Americans, which are reflected
in our homes. Much as we have with food,
music, and dance, African Americans
have used design as a way of meeting
those needs. African American design
is uniquely experiential in that it isn’t
defined by look as much as it is by feel.
There are no defined color palettes or
furniture styles. Instead, it uses a diverse
array of approaches to craft environments
that evoke feelings such as safety, control,
visibility, celebration, and memory. Each
of these plays an important role in the
feeling of home that these spaces convey.
When asked what their homes mean
to them, “safety” was the first response
of every homeowner in this book. Life in
America is not safe for Black people and
never has been. While the sense of safety
our homes provide is not the same as
physical security, home is a respite from
the psychological pressures of the outside
world. For that reason, Black homes are
filled with comfortable things and things
that comfort.
Control, as an element of African
American design, is about the ease with
which our creative decisions are made.
Home offers a space that doesn’t have to
be carved out, contended for, or defended
once won. It doesn’t ask us to explain
ourselves, speak for our race, ignore
its microaggressions, or be on call for
teachable moments. No one ever asks to
touch your home. In place of all that, home
gives us the control we need to express and
represent ourselves freely.
Visibility and representation are
constant social battles for African
Americans — as much a question of how
and why we’re seen as when and where we
are seen. Home is a place apart from the
scrutiny and stereotypes of white gaze.
And if we struggle to separate who we
are from how we are seen, designing our
homes can give us the space and means to
address those issues in ways that not only
showcase our stories and cultures but
celebrate them as well.
Celebration may be the most
important element of African American
interior design. We do not define our
culture by tragedy and oppression but by
enduring hope, creativity, and joy. The
embrace of color, art, and culture in our
design creates a joyful place where the
stories of a person, a family, and a people
are celebrated and remembered.
Memory is the root of soul, and a vital
part of African American design. Through
design we both retain the past and contemporize
it. Our designs recall the places
we grew up in, our ancestral homes and
“For too long, the Black
family home has been left
our of the story of America -
a missing character. It's time
to write the full story.”
18 aphrochic