Nestled within the historic Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood of Brooklyn, the Akwaaba Mansion is a mattress and breakfast that gives luxurious lodging whereas honoring Afrocentric tradition. The 1860s Victorian residence stands out as a landmark, providing company a singular mix of class and cultural reverence.
With 4 uniquely embellished bedrooms, cozy non-public baths, a glass-enclosed solar porch, and different facilities, the Akwaaba Mansion caters to each customer’s want.
“You already know you’re strolling right into a mansion,” says Innkeeper and Director of Operations Randy Fraser. “Virtually like they’re anticipating a grand individual—and we’re. We’re anticipating our company and we take into account them royalty, and deal with them as such.
“We hope after they come, they really feel luxurious, and [that] it’s okay to spend a while away from residence in a lovely house.”
Video by Leah Mallory
Laura Pegram, who has been visiting Akwaaba for practically 25 years, echoed this sentiment.
“While you stroll into Akwaaba, you are feeling spoiled from the second you step via the door,” she stated. “You are feeling as if this can be a haven for luxurious; your each want is met earlier than you even articulate it. Music greets you the second you stroll in. I at all times suppose I’m residence. The second we stroll via the door, we really feel this peace. If there have been stressors that impacted you previous to your arrival, all of it falls away.”
Central to the expertise at Akwaaba Mansion is its design, which options Afrocentric artifacts and parts.
Inside images courtesy of Akwaaba Mansion (Leah Mallory images)
“When our company come, in the event that they occur to be African American, they actually can establish cues that replicate who they’re, and make them really feel seen,” stated Monique Greenwood, CEO of the Akwaaba Mansion. “These may very well be issues just like the mud-cloth lamp cowl, a throw that has African artwork in it, or a mixture of books we are inclined to put round. It offers individuals a way of this being a spot the place you’re celebrated and never simply tolerated. And for these not of the tradition, they see magnificence, and that works as effectively.”
Greenwood stated that the title Akwaaba itself—which implies “welcome” in Twi, certainly one of 4 main dialects of the Akan individuals—holds cultural significance.
“I selected the title as a result of it’s lyrical and has that cultural reference,” she stated.
“As quickly as I step via the door, I really feel at residence and welcomed. It’s nearly as if I transfer right into a sanctuary of kinds, the place I’m surrounded by objects that assist me really feel extra impressed,” stated Pegram.
For Greenwood, Akwaaba represents an escape from life’s stressors, and a spot to kind connections.
“As soon as they stroll in these doorways, they will depart the remainder of the world outdoors,” she stated. “It’s a serene house, an area that lets you end up once more, and there’s so many individuals who want that.”
With its distinctive mixture of vintage Italianate options and African affect, the Black-owned mattress and breakfast assortment is redefining the notion of luxurious – making the expertise actually certainly one of a sort.
For more information, go to www.akwaaba.com/akwaaba-mansion.
This story is a part of the Digital Fairness Native Voices Fellowship lab. The lab initiative is made attainable with assist from Comcast NBCUniversal.
