A studio tour with designer Yinka Ilori

A man sitting in an artist studio smiling at the camera

Yinka Ilori has been garnering attention for his bold furniture and art installations exploring the notion of community. Pre-lockdown, the award-winning London-based member gave us a tour of his compact and colourful workspace

By Becky Sunshine   Images by Dan Wilton   Sunday 29 November, 2020

It’s been a year of ups and downs, but Yinka Ilori, the 33-year-old, London-based artist and designer, is feeling particularly positive about what lies ahead. The homewares collection he developed during the first UK lockdown is ready to launch at the beginning of December, large-scale murals are popping up in and around London, and a huge window display at Selfridges department store was revealed in October – part of an initiative promoting sustainability through upcycling. He’s also selling limited-edition prints of his brilliantly pattern-embellished slogans, such as ‘Better Days Are Coming, I Promise’. And that’s just for starters. 

‘I lost quite a few projects this year, and like everyone, I was home and was getting quite stressed and demotivated,’ Ilori explains from his North London studio, where, in normal times, he works alongside five colleagues (who are now working from home). ‘So I learned to slow down my process and really take time to develop, and design, and think about materials and techniques.’ We’re drinking tea from prototype mugs from his new collection and admiring some brilliantly patterned rug samples.
colourful trays and plates.
A man sketching in a brightly coloured studio
His compact studio is surprisingly ordered for someone so busy – but then Ilori is meticulous about detail, so perhaps order is to be expected. A floor-to-ceiling wall display of his reimagined pre-loved chairs – the designs that first made his name five years ago ¬– dominates one side of the room. The other has a large painting of his late grandmother looking over him, like a wise and loving sentinel. There are plants dotted around the place, and neat piles of reference books. There’s always a soundtrack playing, too: ‘I have to design with music on,’ he explains.

Ilori studied furniture and product design, and officially set up his studio in 2017 (having started a practice in 2011). He’s known for his furniture, product, and installations that connect people and bring communities together. Everything is rooted to memories, storytelling and human interaction; all of it wrapped up in what has become a trademark use of rich colour and pattern. His work feels clever and intuitive, inviting and dynamic.
Spokes on the back of a brightly coloured chair
Projects are broad ranging: an interior design installation with Magnum Photos for the art platform Plinth, a sculptural piece for Adidas, a playground installation for CitizenM hotels, idents for ITV, and graphics for Universal Music. The Colour Palace – a wooden pavilion inspired by markets in Lagos and co-designed with architecture practice Pricegore – was installed in the grounds of the Dulwich Picture Gallery during the London Festival of Architecture in 2019. He also designed an immersive exhibition at Somerset House in London for Get Up, Stand Up Now – a show celebrating 50 years of Black creativity in the UK. Happy Street is a permanent installation in what had been a somewhat-dangerous underpass in Battersea, featuring colourful enamel panels that make passers-by feel safe.

Regardless of scale or medium, what knits everything together is Ilori’s own heritage as a British man with Nigerian parents. His father is a manager for B&Q, and his mother cooks professionally for large events, having previously run a corner shop (‘I was very popular with my friends as we’d get our sweets after school.’), and worked as a hairdresser; they raised Ilori along with his two brothers and a sister on an estate in North London. There’s a sense of joy, colour, and sunlight in Ilori’s work, which seem directly connected to his Nigerian heritage.
a man in a tshirt in a artist studio.
colourful tables with abstract shapes.
‘I grew up in London and you have this British-Nigerian culture. You’re told you are Nigerian at home, but then you go to school and you’re British,’ he says. ‘I lived in Essex Road in Islington, which is a really multicultural neighbourhood and that was nice, so I had the best of both worlds. When I visit Nigeria, I get it. I get it that respect is hugely important for my parents; I get the culture, I get the language. I get why my parents wear a lot of colour. I understand their journey, their graft.’

He’s clearly absorbed that work ethic, judging by the pace at which he’s making strides in the design world. The homewares collection is an idea that has been percolating for a while, and thus far consists of hand-woven rugs, socks, sateen cushion covers and enamel mugs and trays in melamine, as well as tea towels and tablecloths in a woven jacquard. ‘This year has given me time to research and source the best possible manufacturers and producers. I have a great team who are helping with manufacturers and producers: the finer details. If I buy something I want it to feel good, so with things like the socks, I’ve gone for the best quality I can – made in England, which is great. Same with the jacquard weaves [which I’ve used] instead of printed cotton. We might do candles at some point – but let’s see how this goes for now.’
underneath of colourful tables.
A man stood on a chair in a brightly coloured studio
Next year will also see Ilori take on more public projects: ‘There’s lots I can’t talk about yet, but there might be something in Mayfair – an installation based around wellbeing and community spirit,’ he reveals. And potentially a solo exhibition? ‘I’m going to do a big install that’s a retrospective of my chairs,’ he says. ‘That’s where I started; this is me. I’m not sure where or when yet, but I want it to happen.’ And knowing Ilori, it definitely will.

yinkailori.com 
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