Two years after their acclaimed book, AphroChic: Celebrating The Legacy of the Black Family Home, Jeanine Hays and Bryan Mason are launching AphroChic Home – a global collection of furniture and decor. As the first major brand focused on Black design, AphroChic Home features collaborations with artists from the African Diaspora, such as Jessica Jean-Baptiste, Fares Micue, and Dounia Tamri-Loeper, many of whom appeared in AphroChic. This collection provides a complete home solution with a range of furnishings, including sofas, beds, dining furniture, lounge chairs, lighting, and tabletop items.
AphroChic Home: Reviving Product Design and Celebrating Black Heritage
AphroChic Home, founded by Hays and Mason, is not just about their carefully curated collection; it marks a return to product design roots with their first new collection of wallpaper and soft goods in seven years. This exciting new range features modern interpretations of traditional home decor, including the Black Love Chinoiserie and Tremé Damask wallpapers. Hays explains, “This collection has been crafted to immerse you in a narrative, providing both foundational and accent pieces to help you create your own unique portrait of home.”
For Hays and Mason, AphroChic Home represents a reclamation of the Black presence in home, furniture, and design, which has largely been overlooked in design education and the home decor market. Mason emphasizes, “Over the past 18 years, we’ve realized that many brands at furniture markets or in local malls feature pieces rooted in Black history, yet this history often remains invisible. Our presence is felt in every piece of furniture in this country and in every crafted vessel or created light fixture.” He adds, “It’s time for our stories to be shared, pushing for an inclusive vision of home and design that reflects the natural diversity and expanded understanding of what it means to feel at home, as well as who deserves that experience in America and beyond.”
Consumers will find an inviting and celebratory atmosphere in the online shop, which boasts a gallery-like aesthetic. Here, they can not only browse beautiful pieces at AphroChic Home but also uncover the rich histories behind them in Editors’ Notes that accompany technical product descriptions. Each item connects to aspects of African Diaspora histories, enhancing the shopping experience with deeper narratives. As visitors explore the site, they will discover captivating stories, such as that of Devonshire, one of 76 enslaved Jamaican metallurgists whose innovations changed the global wrought iron trade, or Sogata, the enigmatic Trinidadian-American designer who influenced Harlem in the 1920s and 1930s. The collection also highlights Senegalese sheep pageants and the contributions of trailblazing African American female architects like Amaza Lee Meredith, Elizabeth Carter Brooks, and Norma Merrick Sklarek. Mason notes, “This collection serves as a living archive of Black design legacy, tracing its roots from antiquity to the present.”
Additionally, the collection places significant emphasis on art, a vital aspect of home decor and a critical element in discussions surrounding the inclusion of Black voices in cultural memory. Alongside the works of AphroChic’s artisan collaborators, AphroChic Home showcases prints from both renowned and emerging artists. The initial offerings explore “Black Expressionism,” featuring well-known artists like Henry Ossawa Tanner and Boscoe Holder, as well as emerging talents such as Mark Chandon and Patricia Brintle. While studies of Black art often focus on figurative works, this collection broadens the discussion to include striking figures alongside sweeping landscapes. Hays observes, “The art in this collection transcends genre. By combining Henry Ossawa Tanner’s 19th-century works with Boscoe Holder’s 20th-century portraits and Patricia Brintle’s 21st-century landscapes, we highlight the depth of Black involvement in impressionism and the ongoing tradition among Diaspora artists today.”
The collection aims to embrace the vast spectrum of the global Black community while presenting its pieces in a gallery-like manner. Mason remarks, “This is a time when many home and decor brands are publicly retracting their commitments to diversity while still expecting to profit from Black consumers who feel they have no choice.” He explains that the community continues to voice its dissatisfaction, but what is truly needed is an alternative that not only allows consumers to avoid brands that devalue their community but also challenges the trend of erasing Black histories from the conversation about design—whether it be in interiors, architecture, or decor. Inspired by the discussions prompted by the success of AphroChic, this new venture seeks to illuminate lost histories while providing a collection specifically curated to celebrate the diverse aesthetics of the African Diaspora.
AphroChic Home’s inaugural collection is set to launch on Thursday, March 27th, coinciding with the brand’s eighteen-year anniversary. Hays shares, “AphroChic is turning 18, and in many ways, we are just beginning. We are more determined than ever to ensure that home is a beautiful and safe space for everyone, and we are excited to open wide the doors for more Black designers and artisans to be recognized and celebrated, while honoring the rich legacy of Black furniture and design throughout the Diaspora.”
In addition to their new collection, AphroChic will introduce a suite of services aimed at helping individuals create authentic homes. These will include one-on-one design consultations, a trade program specifically for engaging African Diaspora interior designers and architects, and a new registry program catering to everyone from engaged couples to new homeowners.
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