Last updated: October 2026. Every piece below was in stock and live on the day of writing.
A gift for the home has one job, which is to stay on show. Candles burn down and throws end up in a cupboard. The pieces that last are the ones with enough presence to earn a wall or a shelf, and enough meaning that the person can tell visitors what they are looking at.
That is what this guide is for: Christmas presents, housewarming gifts and thank you gifts for hosts, all handmade in Ghana, Ethiopia, Kenya and Nigeria, with a note on what each one means.
Before you buy: Christmas delivery
Order by 13 November. Each piece is made and posted by an independent maker in Africa, so it needs more time than a high street parcel. The delivery price and window for your address are shown at checkout before you pay.
Two from one maker share a delivery. Two pieces from the same shop usually share one delivery charge. Every Ghanaian wall piece in the next section comes from the same workshop, which makes a pair the smartest buy in this guide.
Adinkra wall art from Ghana, and what the symbols mean
Adinkra are visual symbols of the Akan people of Ghana, each one standing for a proverb or an idea. You see them printed on cloth, carved into stools and painted on gates. These pieces are carved from sese wood and covered by hand in tiny glass seed beads, often with a rim of cowrie shells.
Sankofa Bird Beaded Wall Mask, Blue and Red, £80. About 32cm long, with the Sankofa bird across the brow looking back over its shoulder. The saying behind it is that there is nothing wrong with going back for what you left behind. It is a good gift for someone who has just moved back home, or who cares about where their family came from.
Gye Nyame Adinkra Beaded Wall Mask, Red and Green, £80. The same size, with Gye Nyame beaded in black and white. It is the Adinkra you see most often in Ghana, and it means "except for God". Choose this one if you want a single piece that says Ghana plainly.
Akofena Adinkra Beaded Wall Art, £120. About 25 by 25cm, carved as two crossed swords and beaded in red, sky blue, yellow, orange and green. Akofena means sword of war and stands for courage. Give it to someone about to do something brave: a new job, a new business, a new country.
Beaded Africa Map Wall Art, Pan African Colours, £100. About 28 by 21cm, a carved map of the continent beaded in the red, black and green of the Pan African flag, with a full border of cowrie shells. It carries its meaning from across a room.
Beaded Elephants, Mother and Child, £92. A pair of carved elephants, about 10cm and 7cm tall, each with a beaded blanket over the head and back. For a shelf rather than a wall, and a natural gift for a new mother or grandmother.
All five come from one workshop, so a wall mask and the elephants will usually share one delivery charge.
Ethiopian woven baskets: useful gifts that look like art
Ethiopian baskets are coiled by hand from dried grass, tight enough to hold their shape for years. They are the easiest home gift to get right because they are useful in any room, and the natural golden brown suits any colour scheme.
Small Ethiopian Jewelry Basket, £50. A small lidded basket for a dressing table or bedside, sized for jewellery, glasses or keys. The lid sits snug and lifts off easily.
Ethiopian Woven Serving Basket, £65. A small serving basket with leather handles for bread or fruit. A good host gift because it goes straight onto the table.
Large Ethiopian Lidded Basket, £120. Big enough for laundry, blankets or a child's toys, and good looking enough to leave in the living room. This is the housewarming gift that gets used from the first week.
All three come from the same shop, Noah's Weave, so they can share a delivery too.
A handmade Christmas decoration
Crochet Christmas Wreath, £50. A 30cm wreath crocheted by hand in Kenya, moss green with a deep red ruffle trimmed in white, a bow and three bells. Unlike a fresh wreath it comes out again every year, which makes it a gift that turns into a tradition. Order it early, because it is only useful if it arrives before Christmas.
One of a kind wall art for the home
These are single pieces. When they sell, they are gone, so if one is right, do not wait.
SIFA Blue Koi Fish, 3D Sequin and Organza Wall Art, £110. A koi worked in blue sequins with organza fins that stand clear of a hand textured board studded with pearl and gold beads. Made in Nigeria. It catches the light differently through the day, which is why it reads as art rather than decoration.
Deva, 3D Fabric Fish Wall Art, £158. Larger, at 61 by 81cm: a fish in white chiffon and gold sequins whose fins reach past the gold painted edge, so it looks as if it is swimming out of the frame. A statement piece for a hallway or above a sofa.
Both have no returns for a change of mind, so check the size against the wall before you buy.
Keep reading
- African Christmas gift ideas 2026, by budget
- How to bring African art into a modern British home
- African Christmas gifts for him
- Every giftable piece on Sokofa, £8 to £400
Frequently asked questions
What is a good African housewarming gift?
Something useful that can stay on show. A lidded Ethiopian grass basket works in any room and any colour scheme, and a beaded Adinkra wall piece from Ghana gives the new home a story to tell visitors. A serving basket is the easiest host gift because it goes straight onto the table.
What do Adinkra symbols mean?
Adinkra are symbols of the Akan people of Ghana, and each one stands for a proverb or idea. Sankofa, a bird looking back, means it is not wrong to go back for what you left behind. Gye Nyame means "except for God". Akofena, two crossed swords, stands for courage.
How are Ethiopian baskets made?
They are coiled by hand from dried grass, with each row stitched to the one below so the basket holds its shape. Because every one is coiled by hand, no two come out exactly alike.
When should I order African home decor for Christmas delivery in the UK?
Order by 13 November. Pieces on Sokofa travel from makers in Africa, so they need more time than a high street parcel. The delivery price and window for your address are shown at checkout before you pay.
