African design has been popular on and off for years now, but most incarnations of it have featured a colour story of blacks, beiges, whites and the occasional pop of burnt orange. Mix in a few animal prints, some leather and a splash of brass and you have a gorgeous – albeit subdued – African interior scheme (take a look at an example here).

But for lovers of bright and bold design (guilty!), those hues probably aren’t entirely doing it for you. Thankfully, the decor gods are feeling generous today as they present us with a gorgeous new decorating trend. I call it Colourful Safari and you’re sure to fall in love with it.

What this trend does so well is tap into our current obsession with dark walls. Paint is the easiest design element to bring in and take out of a room if you’re looking to make a dramatic impact, so you’d be well placed to splash your walls with black paint ASAP if not sooner (renters, try some easily removable wallpaper that will channel a similar look).

The trend also picks up on African design patterns and textures. A room is made so much more welcoming when you introduce texture, while pattern makes the space visually appealing. In short, they’re best friends when it comes to creating mood.

Of course, you can still rock the look with white walls, which is what most of our homes are decked out with. The trick to making the room look resolved is to ensure you take up a large amount of visual real estate with attention-grabbing colour or pattern (like in a curtain, rug, piece of art or sofa).

How to rock Colourful Safari

• Dark walls are a great base for this trend (blacks, moody blues, deep purples etc)
• If your walls are white, opt to bring in bold curtains or frame and hang colourful fabric
• Cluster African-inspired objects on your wall and create your own art installation
• Look for materials that feel organic (rattan, wicker, feathers, rope etc)
• Colour clash your decor; sit bold colours of the same tonal value side-by-side
• Hunt out decor that feels handmade, like glazed pottery or baskets
• Geometric patterns are a good idea here

The images in this post are from safarifusion.com.au and you should definitely check them out if you want to pick up some pieces from this trend.

Are you loving Colourful Safari? Drop me a comment below and share your thoughts on African design!