Ilé Ilà (translated “House of Lines”) was started by Tosin Oshinowo in 2017 to celebrate her native Yoruba culture. It is a lifestyle furniture-line designed and hand-made in Lagos, Nigeria. We design period-conscious furniture with a contemporary African content, hand-made with love, in Lagos Nigeria.
Tosin Oshinowo, an Architect behind the design and execution of the Maryland Mall has a natural affinity towards product design. She is particularly interested in the functionality of chairs, but also placing them in a Nigerian-African context.
Ironically, her aesthetic for Architecture is minimalist using mute colours, however, her expression with the chairs is a bright explosion of colour. Her interest in West African Fabrics and Hard Woods has formed the basis in the expression of this identity. In particular, the collage of Asò Oké encapsulating history into upholstery is what makes this furniture-line exciting and different. Cultural Identity is paramount, at ile ila, each chair is named based on its aesthetic . Àràbà – aged tree, Òkín – the majestic peacock or Alààfíà – peace on this house, each chair is a proud celebration. As we formally launch the furniture-line, we are very honoured that Adekunle Gold, who is a pioneer in celebrating ‘African culture’ in an ‘Urban context’ is our Muse, collectively showing what can be achieved with the diversity of our design aesthetic and celebration of culture.
