Tell us about your foray into interior design and publishing?
I am a mathematics graduate of Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria. Upon graduation, I worked in a furniture company for a year where my interest in interior decoration was kindled. I became curious and did some research which revealed to me that to be an interior designer, you would have gone to school. So off to Dublin I went, I attended Dublin Institute of Design where I studied interior designing for three years.
I learnt things there (at the furniture manufacturing company) but knew I still had to go to school. At that point, it was one of the pioneer companies in that industry in Nigeria and I was encouraged to pursue my interest. I followed that up with another short course in event management. On return to Nigeria, I set up my company, Essential Interiors, and added the production of a magazine named after my company. I describe the magazine as a global guide to cosmopolitan living. I have been providing bespoke interiors for clientele in both residential and commercial projects since 2000.
After I was done with school, I decided to come back to set up the association but it was just a shuttling thing until 2006/2007. I came in first and found out the people in the industry, set up the board before we launched in May 2007 with the support of IFI (international Federation of Interior Architects/Designers) of which we are members of. We are a growing association and enjoy their support.
My foray into publishing offered more opportunities than I could resist and I decided to publish books that promote Nigeria interior design, architecture, fashion and tourism. My books include Celebrating Fashion Today; Luxury Hotels and Hotels in West Africa with photography and IDEA Book of Designs – a compilation of the nominees and winners of IDEA Awards that recognises creativity of architects and designers
How do you feel about this?
I spent the last two years as co-opted board member of the IFI and had an opportunity to drill down into many things a global association does. This has helped with our national association IDAN in putting structure, tapping into the resource of the IFI and looking for ways to improve education and professionalism in Africa.
What is unique about this new board?
We just celebrated IFI’s 50th anniversary in Kuala Lumpur. This was significant because it helped to mark 50 years of design globalisation in our society and culture. Today, representing some 124 nations, IFI has helped to coalesce the Interiors community across the world. This new board is unique because we have an 8-man board with the president from the UK, the president elect from Italy and remaining board members from Africa, South Korea, China, Germany, America and Japan; a good representation of a global organisation.
For people that don’t know, what is IFI?
The International Federation of Interior Architects/Designers (IFI) is the global voice and authority for professional Interior Architects/Designers. IFI is the sole international federating body for Interior Architecture/Design organisations, and acts as a global forum for the exchange and development of knowledge and experience, in worldwide education, research and practice. Often considered as the “United Nations” of the Interior Architecture/Design field, IFI connects the international community in order to further the impact, influence and application of the design of interiors, promote global social responsibility, and raise the status of the profession worldwide.
What is IFI’s Commitment to the Profession?
Over the past half century IFI has remained committed to inspire people to bring value, relevance, responsibility, culture, business, knowledge and identity to the Interiors Profession. As such, IFI will continue well established programmes such as World Interiors Day, and the promotion of the Adoption/Proclamation IFI Interiors Declaration by cities across the globe which looks to coalesce and lead the Interior Design discipline into the future. The success of IFI WING - World Interiors for the Next Generation, Global Student Design Competition and Awards, will return this term as well as IFI CID Dialogues - Cultural Innovation Design Dialogues targeting specific regional interests relating to macro design trends.
What are the most challenging issues facing the design industry? How does IFI seek to address them?
One challenge is that while shelter dates back to the dawn of humankind, and we have been addressing issues related to this aspect of our built environment for thousands of years, ironically as a professional practice, the formalised Interiors discipline is considered to be as young as just over 100 years.
Another dichotomy is that design for interiors is the most popular of practice across the world today. However, its respect and related sense of professional confidence lags behind.
At IFI we are addressing these and other disciplinary, culture and content issues by fostering open discussion and debate. We convene the best minds from around the world to help lead important symposia in which we include all aspects of the community. We make sure to be multidisciplinary and very open minded and future focused. We research, document and publish findings. We share everything with candour and transparency.
As a global body for interior, architecture and design, how does IFI successfully address the diverse issues that may emerge in different countries and regions?
Our agenda items are generally those that percolate up from a minimum of six nations. Thus we address the pervasive issues pertinent and shared by many. We exist to most fairly address the commonalities and we do not take sides. We always aspire to build consensus.
In this case we are akin to the UN. We are high level and care deeply about quality of life impacted by and through design.
What main area does IFI seem to focus on in Africa and what does this new position portend for Nigeria?
Design and design sophistication is rapidly advancing in Africa. We know that everyone is an interior designer today in Nigeria. Our main goal is to bring education and professionalism to our industry. Beyond the ability to think and to think creatively, solve problem elegantly and to manage beauty, art, technology and science with equal ease, the contemporary designer must be nimble, versatile, cosmopolitan and totally literate. IFI seeks to help expand and deepen this knowledge while helping to foster even greater pride in the national heritage and local culture.
The new position puts Nigeria where we belong, as the leader in our continent. We hope for growth and greater collaborations.
How do you plan to improve the interior design assosciation’s communication with the public, media and Africans in the industry on the role design plays in our society?
We have a couple of things planned as an industry from our collaboration with university of Lagos to set up a department for interior design, the first department in our nation. We also have our yearly trade show in May called the GUIDE design show, Our IDEA Conference and Awards ceremony in October is the premier awards for the architecture and interior design industry and this year we have a special event called the industry night, we hope to launch the first colored directory for the entire industry with over 5,000 -isted companies from the architects, designers, decorators, suppliers, builders and real estate developers.Also read here:bridesmaid dresses
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