Adedayo Lawal and Christopher Altman blended her Nigerian roots and his Midwestern upbringing in their home in Atlanta’s historic West End.
The budget-conscious couple scoured outlets, Facebook Marketplace and Lumber Liquidators for materials, furniture and accessories. When they couldn’t find exactly what they wanted, they made or modified the pieces to fit their “Afro chic” farmhouse style.
Now, African prints and art join wood furniture in the Craftsman bungalow, which is on the June 23 Historic West End Tour of Homes.
“Our very limited budget guided the design of the home,” Lawal said, who estimates they spent about $6,000 on furniture, art, accessories and fabrics. “We are both naturally minimalists, so neither of us brought much to this home from our former homes. So we literally started from scratch.”
Credit: Text by Marena Galluccio/ Photos by Christopher Oquendo
Credit: Text by Marena Galluccio/ Photos by Christopher Oquendo
Snapshot
Residents: Christopher Altman, Adedayo Lawal and his daughters, Malahni and Samorah Altman. Altman is a machine learning engineer for Emcien and Lawal works in sales.
Location: Atlanta's West End neighborhood
Size: 2,400 square feet, three bedrooms, three baths
Year built/bought: around 1911/2017
Architectural style: Craftsman bungalow
Favorite architectural elements: 10-foot ceilings, loft, six-panel doors, coal-burning fireplaces
Renovations: Energy Conservation Solutions did the foundation and insulation work. They installed hardwood stairs and hardwood floors (purchased from Lumber Liquidators) while they kept the original espresso pine wood floors in the living room, kitchen and a bedroom. In the kitchen, they added molding to the cabinets and lighting. They spent about $4,000 on the updates.
Design consultants: McNeal Walker Interiors, Southwest Paint & Decorating Center
Interior design style: "Afro chic" farmhouse
Favorite interior design elements: The mustard chairs the couple painted and the Indian mango wood farmhouse-style dining table.
Favorite artwork: African women tapestries by Mario Gerth, a painting by Mario Sánchez Nevado, and baskets, masks and fabric from London, Côte d'Ivoire and West Africa.
Favorite outdoor feature: The front porch. "It is perched above the street, so you have a magnificent view," Altman said.
Resources: Furniture from Timbergirl, Pottery Barn Outlet, Overstock.com, Ross, Facebook Marketplace, World Market, the letgo app, OfferUp and Furniture Liquidators of Georgia. Lighting from eBay and 1000Bulbs.com. Accessories, artwork and rugs from Ikea, Etsy, T.J. Maxx, HomeGoods, Lamps Plus and Wayfair. Fabric from Fine Fabrics. Blinds from Bargain Mart.
Tip: Be willing to adjust your interior design style if your budget doesn't allow for it. For example, the living room chairs were reupholstered with mustard fabric because the terracotta fabric the couple said they originally wanted would have been six times more expensive. The decision changed the style from a Moroccan look to an African-themed room, they said.
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