Portraits of Home: Kemi Lawson
african history and interiors enthusiast Kemi Lawson founded The Cornrow one Christmas a few years ago after searching (and failing to find) a Black angel for her Christmas tree. Now The Cornrow offers a curated edit of interior products, particularly items at an affordable price point, tailored to a modern Black aesthetic. She also shares snapshots of her eclectic and heritage inspired home on instagram @cottagenoir. Here Kemi talks to us about her experience making home in England and providing a safe and reflective space for her daughters to grow up in.
What does home mean to you?
Home is the place where you can be the truest form of yourself, a place where you can deeply exhale. When I consider where I feel the most like this, it has to be Lagos, where I spent the formative years of my childhood. Being in a country where everyone looks like you is subconsciously and consciously soothing. Landing at the Lagos airport, where that wave of hot, humid air hits you on the face as soon as you exit the plane, I can’t help but feel that this is home.
However Lagos fills me with such frustrations that I find myself trying all the time to develop my Black-British identity and to feel like the UK is home. It is the place where my children are spending their own formative years and the place I have invested so much of my time and energy. But that is not an easy thing to do in the UK today.
What was your home like growing up?
My home growing up was my mother. It is as simple as that. I don’t think the interiors or the architecture of my childhood home were particularly memorable, but my mother created a place of warmth, comfort and fun, so much so that home was always about her and her exuberant nature.
Were there any objects/trinkets that defined home for you?
The photographs on the wall. I remember a beautiful one of my paternal grandfather, looking justifiably proud in his barrister’s wig and gown. I remember one of my father, aged about 6, taken in London, complete with ashy knees and the cheekiest of expressions, and I remember our family photo shoot, taken by the legendary Lagos photographer Jackie Phillips, and revelling in how glamorous I and my mother looked!
Are there any rituals that your family created during your childhood that you associate with home?
My mother was and is a big Christmas person and so it was always a big deal growing up. Although we were in Lagos we tried to make it as “traditional” as possible with a Christmas tree ( sometimes fake, sometimes we found a piece of local horticulture that looked most like a Christmas tree!), turkey and pheasant to eat and lots of beautifully wrapped presents and Santa stockings. It couldn’t have been easy for my mum creating Christmas in Lagos in the early 80s but she certainly pulled it off! And I am trying so hard to do that same Christmas for my kids (with her help!) Which is why, come to think of it, I created a business to solve my greatest Christmas dilemma, Black angels!!
‘My home growing up was my mother. It is as simple as that. I don’t think the interiors or the architecture of my childhood home were particularly memorable, but my mother created a place of warmth, comfort and fun, so much so that home was always about her and her exuberant nature.’
How are you creating ‘home’ now?
By creating a warm and welcoming space which reflects myself and my family’s dual African and Caribbean heritage in the most joyful manner possible.
How has your idea of home changed from when you were a child?
Completely. For me a key part of my idea of home is centering and celebrating my Black heritage. Growing up in Lagos, this was not an issue for me, one, because I did not realise what I was missing as I happily devoured Enid Blyton books and Disney movies, but also because I grew up in Lagos and there my blackness simply was not an issue. To paraphrase Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, I did not become Black until I landed in England. Now, with my idea of home entwined with how I want to bring up my two daughters, home is about creating a space for my daughters - growing up as minorities in today’s Britain - for them to see their heritage through their home, in the fabrics in the curtains, art on the walls, books on the bookshelves, and wallpapers in their bedrooms.
What objects solidified your current space as home for you?
I consider our Ancestor wall to be the heart of our home. This is a wall which I have completely covered with photographs and memorabilia relating to ancestors, from my daughter’s grandparents, to the records detailing the enslavement of their five times great grandmother Minerva. As I learn more about African spirituality, I revere the ancestors more and more and realise that their energy did not die with their passing. Therefore I feel a tribute to the ancestors is an integral part of my home life.
What is your approach to designing and furnishing your space now? What elements are important to you in the process?
My approach is a deeply personal one. I proudly display family photographs, crafts picked up on holiday, books that I love, artwork done by my children and more. And the aim is to enjoy all these treasures in a modern African setting. A modern African setting is what I consider a setting influenced by the textiles, colours, symbolism and geometry of Africa re-interpreted for today.
Do you think your African heritage has influenced your idea of home?
Totally, as you can see from my earlier answers. I am so proud of my African heritage, and my Caribbean heritage too and find them an infinite source of influence.
What sentimental items do you have at home that you can never let go?
I display in my bedroom a hand written textile which was presented to my family by my husband’s family on the occasion of our traditional wedding. It asks my family for my hand in marriage and explains what a joyful and blessed union this would be. It is not only a beautiful piece of art, it is also a wonderful daily reminder of the prayers and ancestor energy that we were surrounded with at our traditional wedding.
Is there any Weruzo piece you are most drawn to and why?
I love the Celestine pieces handcrafted in Northern Nigeria, influenced by traditional music instruments. I have the Celestine Nta already and intend to collect them all! For me these pieces really exemplify what I mean by re-interpreting our African heritage in a modern, yet classic way.