Global Flair from Da'Shika Street Decor
Da’Shika A. Street was seeking a way to help during the pandemic, and she was drawn to her sewing machine. She started Project Sew United in 2020 and then recruited other Black women displaced from work to make Centers for Disease Control and Prevention-approved face masks and partnered with Summit County Public Health and Project Ujima to distribute them. Street remotely taught women sewing and fell in love with teaching sewing and crafting. That prompted her to launch Da’Shika Street, an eponymous home goods company featuring her sewn items and to open Street Craftery in downtown Akron in 2022 to host workshops that teach people how to handcraft art (see sidebar).
Her home line combines different cultures she was exposed to while living around the world in places like Germany and New York. In a quiet, meditative space, she allows her creativity to flow in response to her surroundings, creating internationally influenced pillows, blankets, aprons, vessels, candles and more.
“A lot of what I’ve made lately stems from a space of appreciation, specifically appreciating the Earth,” Street says.
She prioritizes sustainable practices in her creative process, like using spare materials to make new pieces. She also sources her fabrics internationally, often using Ankara fabrics, which are traditional African wax print fabrics. The vibrant, bold patterns tell stories of history and culture.
“I try to infuse globally inspired or globally derived fabrics into the products I make as a means of sparking conversations and bringing cultures together,” she says. “They really stand out and bring focus to them.”
Here are a few items that can add stories to your home.
Aprons
Bring color into the kitchen with her aprons ($85). She mixes Ankara prints with black fabric to create full-coverage, lined aprons with five pockets and adjustable ties. There are sizes for kid chefs too. “They bring vibrancy,” she says.
Aromatherapy Pillows
These aromatherapy eye pillows ($22) are filled with natural grains and essential oils that promote self-care. Different pillows have different aromatherapy blends for calming, restorative, energizing and clarifying functions. “I get great feedback from my customers — they are absolutely amazing in helping relax or restore you or even to alleviate certain things you might be experiencing,” she says. How to Use: Warm in the microwave for 30 seconds or chill in the freezer, place over eyes and lay back as it soothes. Try placing it on the back of the neck to ease aches and pains or on the forehead to relieve tension and congestion.
Vessels
Mixed, poured and pigmented by Street herself, each of these vessels ($32-$48) varies in shape and color. “I was really inspired by how resilient Earth is,” she says, “and how it provides all the resources and things we need to sustain ourselves as human beings. So I started exploring the art of cement.” Find square, oblong or round vessels. How to Style: It can be used as a candleholder, planter or vase. Play around with positioning to create different focal points in your home.
Wreaths
Using fabric remnants from other projects, Street crafts unique zero-waste wreaths ($55). A fall variation features strips of black-and-yellow and black-and-white geometric swirls, emerald-green plaid on black and red-and-black buffalo check. “I love prints because there’s a story in them,” she says. “It’s almost like looking at a piece of artwork.”