Lagos-based furniture designer, Lani Adeoye, is on a roll. With her work being heralded in the world’s top design publications, she has released a new collection, EKAABO, which adapts historical design traditions for modern living. “EKAABO means ‘welcome’ in Nigeria’s Yoruba language, echoing West African hospitality at its finest,” she says. The engaging collection’s biomorphic forms evoke an organic rhythm, while its use of materials from the earth offer a sense of warmth together with contemporary interpretations of heritage materials, like Adire, Aso-oke, and Benin bronze. The collection was inspired by the Nigerian city of Abeokuta (which means “under the rock”), the undulating topography of which merges organically with the surrounding architecture. It celebrates black heritage and elegance, welcomes new futures and imagined possibilities, and presents a pleasing mix of philosophies intended to celebrate traditional Nigerian craftsmanship in a modern-day context.
SOURCE: DESIGN INDABA
More Stories
Lagos Rising: Meet the African Designers Who are Ushering in a New Guard of Fashion
My Life in Food: Idris Elba on African Cuisine and Cooking with his Mum
In His Imaginative Debut Feature, Walé Oyéjidé Brings Together Elements of His Life’s Work
What is Zellige Tile?
Ousmane Sembène at 100: A Tribute to Senegal’s ‘Father of African Cinema’
Inside an Ultra-exclusive Lodge on the Fringe of Etosha National Park
Tourists Flock to Nigerian Cave And Waterfall For Its ‘Healing Powers’
Morocco is Just as Worthy for a Sun Trip
African Markets Offer Unique Goods and Experiences
Get to Know East Africa’s Art Scene
Mo Ibrahim’s Index Looks at Africa’s State of Governance
France to Give Burkina Faso What It Wants