For Ajiri Aki, founder of the lifestyle brand Madame de la Maison, the roots of creating a beautiful and welcoming home run deep. She credits her mother, aunt, and grandmother with instilling in her a love of fellowship and joyful gatherings. “Our house was always full of fellowship and joy,” Aki recalled. “I didn’t realize how much it meant to me until my mom passed away when I was 12, and that slowly all ended.” This early experience shaped her understanding of home as more than just a physical space, but as a vessel for connection and community.
That understanding blossomed further when Aki moved to Paris from the United States 15 years ago. Far from family, she became “much more intentional” about cultivating a home that reflected her identity and provided a grounding force. “Being far from my family made me desire to create a home that represents who I am,” she explained. “I wanted a comfortable place to raise my family and experience grounded. When you’re far from family, gathering people at your table is how you build it. Hosting is how I’ve made new connections and created a real community here. I’m always having people over.” This intentionality speaks to a larger movement of Black individuals reclaiming the act of homemaking and redefining it on their own terms.
However, Aki resists the traditional label of “homemaker,” finding it carries baggage from a time when women were often confined to domestic roles. She aligns more with Zadie Smith’s concept of “creating an architecture for life,” a phrase that speaks to the deliberate and expressive nature of crafting a personal environment. This tension highlights a crucial point: for Black women, the act of creating a beautiful home has historically been complicated by societal expectations and systemic limitations.
The very idea of cultivating a home for pleasure, rather than necessity, was often an indulgence denied to Black people. Historically, Black labor was frequently relegated to maintaining the homes of others, preparing food they couldn’t enjoy themselves, and setting tables at which they weren’t permitted to sit. This historical context underscores the significance of the current movement to reclaim and redefine homemaking as a powerful act of self-expression and cultural affirmation.
Fortunately, over the decades, trailblazers like the late Barbara “B.” Smith, a celebrated entrepreneur and lifestyle guru, began to challenge these narratives. Smith, and others before and alongside her, paved the way for a new generation of Black voices in the home, hospitality, and lifestyle spaces. Their work created space for a broader vanguard, encompassing both women and men.
Interior designer and lifestyle content creator Alvin Wayne agrees that homemaking is undergoing a powerful reclamation. “Black homemakers have always been cultural architects, even when that work was not formally recognized,” Wayne told EBONY Magazine. “The way we curate our homes tells stories about legacy, resilience, joy, and aspiration. In today’s culture, being intentional about our spaces is powerful because it pushes back against the idea that beauty, rest, and luxury are not meant for us.”
