Designer Yinka Ilori Wants to Bring Joy to Work

It’s certainly food for thought: Since the COVID-19 pandemic, many of us have realized that we could work just as easily from home as in the office, and it’s now incumbent on employers who disagree to convince us otherwise. Transforming workplaces into appealing environments is essential to this—which is why Ilori’s first collection of textiles and wallcoverings designed specifically for commercial spaces feels timely.

An inspiring workplace is certainly not a given, even for creative businesses. Yinka Ilori is often struck by this when visiting the studios of architecture firms in London, with their gray walls, black chairs, and white tabletops: “I’m always like, ‘Wow, how do you guys work in this space?’ Everyone has to exercise a level of creativity, and if a circle or orange wall can spark that, it would really change the way we work.”

A New Circular Collection Debuting at NeoCon

The new collection, produced with the textiles and wallcoverings brand Momentum using all healthy or circular materials, will launch at the NeoCon contract furnishings show in Chicago in June—an explosion of bright colors, geometric patterns, and natural motifs. Names like Dreamcatcher are in keeping with Ilori’s desire to evoke good feelings in unexpected contexts. “The idea of dreaming at work struck a chord with me—we do that a lot, whether it’s thinking about our next project or our next holiday. For me, this is about trying to inspire dreamers.” Along with his trademark yellows, oranges, and blues, he has incorporated softer tones—whites and grays. “Color is such a personal thing, and hopefully I’ve offered something for everyone.”

It’s certainly personal for Yinka Ilori himself: His love of color was inspired by his family, who came to the U.K. from Nigeria. “My parents were happiest when they were wearing colors to special occasions,” he says. “My dad recently gave me a school report from when I was 8 or 9, which says, ‘Yinka has a great use of color, and enjoys drawing snails and mushrooms.’ ”

Having found this creative spark early, Ilori went on to study furniture and product design at London Metropolitan University. After graduating in 2009, he worked for the furniture and lighting designer Lee Broom, with whom he found his feet in the design industry. But he already felt like something was missing. “I didn’t see a lot of conversation about culture, heritage, dual nationality, or storytelling that I could connect with,” he observes.

A visit to Lagos shortly after graduating had solidified these thoughts. “Everything made sense to me on that trip—I was like, ‘Wow, this is who I am, this is what I want to talk about in my work.’ ” He has since become known for work that draws on his cultural heritage—taking inspiration from Nigerian textiles and Lagos life to convey his own feelings and the things that bring him joy. One of his most eye-catching projects to date was the Colour Palace pavilion, created in 2019 in the gardens of south London’s Dulwich Picture Gallery—a celebration of multicultural London that sat in glorious contrast to the early-1800s building by architect John Soane.