Art and culture in motion

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Art and culture in motion

Depictions of African wildlife and beauty, and African-American culture grace most every wall and nook in David DeCuir's airy 4,000-square-foot home.

Depictions of African wildlife and beauty, and African-American culture grace most every wall and nook in David DeCuir's airy 4,000-square-foot home. This installation is enriched by an original sculpture by Woodrow Nash who is among the distinguished talents who exhibit in the International Marketplace at the National Black Arts Festival in Atlanta this month.

Caterer and interior designer David DeCuir says this nook in his living room is his favorite spot for unwinding after a long day while watching his favorite reality TV shows.

An oversized mirror in the foyer reflects the scale of the space that DeCuir's design ideas had to cater to.

"If you look throughout the house I have a ton of things that have movement to it to keep your eyes going," notes DeCuir. The section of his sitting room and foyer pictured illustrates this idea.

A sculpture crafted in the likeness of a wise Haitian elder rests atop a cabinet from Mexico and beside a tribal sculpture from Indonesia that is actually a CD holder. DeCuir sourced the slick decorative plate set over the fireplace at the Lion's Den. "It's perfect because it connects well with the burnt orange wall color."

A grouping of decorative chests with large plants adds interest to a nook behind the sectional in the great room.

In each sitting area DeCuir incorporates warm, plush textures and pillows to accentuate comfort. "I like to bring the outside in, I like a lot of woods and always suggest having plants in your rooms," shares DeCuir, who has a cluster of large plants with meticulously polished leaves in his great room.

"You don't often see a cabinet like that, it's from Mexico ... it has its own world," explains DeCuir of the stately piece in his sitting room. "It's from a private warehouse in the city for whom I sell furniture and can get wholesale prices for anyone through my design company DeCuir Design." The silk ceiling-to-floor curtains were made by Rocendo.

DeCuir crafted a mixed-media vignette with Haitian masks, an African sculpture and a Haitian guitar to give three dimensions to a sliver of wall near the entry to the great room.

"Georgia is one of my favorite pieces of art, it's created by Gerald Ivey. I have a couple of pieces of his work in my home," shares DeCuir. "This piece was part of his work on strong women and is the inspiration for the color theme throughout my house. Every single color in that painting is represented in the house. It's mounted on the balcony overlooking the sitting room. It's made with plaster and oil, it has a lot of movement, that's what I love most about it."

"When I'm feeling really good or I'm stressed out I do work myself, I did all the tiling of my kitchen backsplash. I wanted to have a rustic look, this particular tile is a slate with brown and gray - it came out just as I wanted."

To achieve decorative touches commonly seen in kitchens in the countryside in Italy and Spain, DeCuir bought a variety of loaves to cluster with faux vine, platters, garlic and wine bottles above his kitchen cupboards. "I applied polyurethane to the breads for about a week, it hardened the breads and protects it forever."

DeCuir says the dining room table is one of his favorite pieces. After he found the table it took a while to find the right chairs. Forest Johnson created the abstract faux finish on the ceiling by tracing a picture frame with four different colors in a somewhat random pattern.

David, who operates DeCuir Gourmet, poses in the formal dining room of his spacious home in the Haynes Creek subdivision.

DeCuir says he aims to deliver an end-product that makes his "client's home an original, not a showroom knock-off." A visit to the DeKalb Farmer's Market garnered these coconuts that he incorporated into a centerpiece for the formal dining table - and can eventually add to a shrimp dish.

DeCuir's eye for detail is tuned to textures as illustrated by the place settings on his breakfast table.

The breakfast table seems set at the center of the home, each seat offers a view into the great room, kitchen, formal dining room, backyard and the home's foyer.

The eye-catching tapestry draped on a wall at the staircase near the foyer is from Africa and bears depictions of strong soldiers. DeCuir demonstrates how cheap can be chic by filling a tall vase with real bamboo rods and five "witches brooms" he sourced at Big Lots!

A huge tapestry draped in a stairwell near the foyer depicts African soldiers and helps bridge DeCuir's Afrocentric decor theme between floors.

An original sculpture by acclaimed Ohio artist Woodrow Nash is displayed in the upstairs corridor. Nash is among the celebrated artists who are fixtures at the annual National Black Arts Festival hosted in Atlanta this month.

"I love African art, it's something I'm totally drawn to," admits DeCuir. In the upstairs corridor he's created this engaging mixed-media vignette to bring interest to his spacious upstairs corridor.

A beautiful and complex abstract made of thick silk thread by Maladi brightens a passageway.

This Haitian drum constructed with real horse hair is a gift from the owner of African Galleria.

Many of the crosses in DeCuir's home were sourced at Hobby Lobby. "This one I got today at Garden Ridge. They bring a nice Spanish look to the house. And as you see, I believe in having a little anointment over each doorway."

DeCuir envisioned having a "talking piece" in his master suite so he commissioned faux finisher Forest Johnson of Beyond Expression to design some "house art" for the ceiling.

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Depictions of African wildlife and beauty, and African-American culture grace most every wall and nook in David DeCuir's airy 4,000-square-foot home. This installation is enriched by an original sculpture by Woodrow Nash who is among the distinguished talents who exhibit in the International Marketplace at the National Black Arts Festival in Atlanta this month.

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