Meet the Home Brand That Is Redefining West African Design

Home Away From Home is a series that spotlights BIPOC brands that are adding a cultural essence to everyday items. This allows anyone to always have a piece of their culture in their own space without ever feeling homesick or out of touch with their roots. We're exploring the stories of the individuals behind the brands that have touched people's hearts through their products and have allowed people to feel at home anywhere.

Isatu Funna, the founder of Dar Leone, is reimagining West African design by using a maximalist approach towards creating her home accessories. From lampshades to tableware, Funna is bringing in bold colors and distinctive floral patterns that pays homage to her childhood in Freetown, Sierra Leone.

Drawing inspiration from everyday details like local trees and flowers, Funna encourages others to welcome West African designs into their homes through her products.

What's the Story Behind Dar Leone?

Isatu Funna: Our story started when I was decorating my own home and tried to source soft furnishings that reflected my heritage. However, I only found one designer at the time doing a contemporary take on traditional West African textiles and it really spoke to me.

I, too, wanted to create a home surrounded by furnishings that resonated with my upbringing and remind me of the wonderful childhood I had in Freetown with its palm trees, the ocean, the tropical flowers, and the joie de vivre of my life there.

Where Did the Name Dar Leone Come From?

IF: My good friend Caroline is from Dar es Salaam and I combined the Dar with the Leone in Sierra Leone. 

Why Did You Choose Home Decor?

IF: I spent a ton of time reading shelter magazines online and in print prior to embarking on the design of our home in London and homeware which was a natural segue.

I also met a lovely illustrator friend, Nathalie McCubbin, who helped me translate a design I had for textiles in my home with hand drawings on paper. Since then, I have worked with several other illustrators. However, it all really started with the first illustration of our Tropic Marine design.

Are There Any Special Materials You Use for Your Products?

IF: We use country cloth known as Kpokpo in Sierra Leone as the border to some of our cushions. This helps promote the indigenous craft and the current artisans. With our collection Vessel Afrique, we chose vintage wood shea butter containers from Ghana and had them molded in translucent resin. The look is familiar and yet completely new. 

What's the Creative Process of Creating Your Designs and Choosing Color Palettes?

IF: I often go back to my first memories of growing up in Sierra Leone and the sights and sounds. For example, classic cloths from the region are woven in stripe patterns with minimal geometric patterns, and the colors are traditionally muted and made from organic, all-natural dyes.

Is There Any Meaning Behind Your Floral Patterns?

IF: The florals derive from Hibiscus, Bougainvillea, and the Bird of Paradise flowers bloom on every roadside in Freetown. I wanted to show that side of life in the Freetown streets.

What Inspires Your Collections?

IF: I've traveled more frequently in the past couple of years to Freetown. I gain inspiration from everything—the architecture of the old Krio board houses, iron metalwork on gates, the flora, and, particularly, the old vintage cloth traditionally worn in the countryside and woven on looms in striped and geometric patterns.

What Was Your Favorite Collection and Why?

IF: I think the first Tropic Marine remains a high point as it was our first commercially available print and also Ronko where we used the Hibiscus flower to inspire a sense of what West Africa looks like in bloom.

How Do Your Products Add a Cultural Significance to People’s Homes? 

IF: I hope we bring in West Africa's vivacity with our maximalist approach to color and pattern. I would also like to support the notion that West African art, craft, and design can be redefined and reimagined in the same way as any other design style.