Back to Black

When the leading labels such as Valentino, Fendi, Ferragamo, Dior and Gucci sent glamorous rebels and vixens, clad in glossy black leather, down the catwalks across the globe, and Chanel introduced a new fragrance, called Noir, bottled in an opaque dark flacon, the message become clear– black is back! It played on my mind when we visited Africa a few weeks ago, searching for furniture to decorate our newly acquired abode. While we were there, I noticed a lovely leather bed (black, of course!) in an Italian boutique but felt it was too bulky for our airy apartment. After a couple of days, having visited every single furniture shop in town, without a positive outcome, we knew we needed to find a local craftsman and go the bespoke route.

I am eyeing up this marvellous sofa/bench, made by world-renown artisans from Mali, which I discovered in a gallery in our African town, as my next purchase. It would add charm and finesse to our penthouse

We were lucky to discover the very same evening a fabulously loud reggae bar, on a rooftop, with breath-taking views over the ocean and the town centre; the place was so cool and slick, and decorated with shiny, black-coloured coffee tables, black sofas and loungers, and all kitted out with comfortable cushions, made of soft fabric in the same hue. A helpful owner introduced us to his Ghanaian furniture maker, who – in turn – initiated a meeting, the next morning, with a carpenter from Guinea Bissau, who agreed to make 6 pieces of furniture for us. All bespoke, carefully measured to fit specific areas of our apartment. We are very happy we are feeding money into the local community rather than forking out for hugely expensive and hazardously unreliable shipping of furniture from Europe. I can`t wait for my couture pieces!