Yinka Ilori has definitely been busy, from his recent collaboration with Samsung at the launch of the latter’s Living Colour paints to go with its lifestyle television. He has once again translated the characteristic, joyful patterns that grace his large-scale installations into a limited-edition homeware collection.

**Yinka Ilori has launched his first homeware collection. Image courtesy of Dezeen**

The 20-piece range marks Ilori’s first foray into household items, spanning rugs, cushions, stoneware and tablecloths alongside more unexpected utilitarian items such as melamine trays, tea towels and enamel mugs. “I like the idea of turning something that we normally don’t pay much attention to in the home into something artistic, a statement piece that has a narrative behind it. I think we spend so much time being distracted by other things that we tend to not appreciate functional design as much as we could,” he says of the inspiration behind his new collection.

Rather than collaborating with an established design company to realise the pieces, Ilori took control over their creation from start to finish to maintain creative independence. The results are being released by Ilori’s newly established, self-titled brand, which will be for sale primarily on his website.

Throw pillows from Yinka Ilori's homeware collection — **Every stage of the production of the homeware collection was done by Yinka Ilori. Image courtesy of Dezeen**

“I wanted to establish a homewares brand in-house as I felt it was important for myself and the studio team here to have a complete, self-sufficient understanding of the whole process, from design concept through to production and retail. Lockdown cancelled many of our projects this year so it gave us the time back to start making this idea into a reality.”

Each piece is created in collaboration with different craftsmen and suppliers, with stoneware bowls and plates made in Portugal while rugs are hand-knotted in Nepal. Much like streetwear, they will be released in limited edition “drops”, in order to feel out where there is most demand from the public and allow this to guide the direction of the business.

The collection includes crockery — **The collection is limited edition. Image courtesy of Dezeen**

The motifs themselves were taken directly from the designer’s previous work and scaled down to fit onto the different homeware pieces, which “act as mini canvases.” A series of circular coasters and placemats are emblazoned with some of the seminal seating designs that launched Ilori’s career, while other pieces feature patterns directly transposed from his installations. Like much of Ilori’s work, these prints combine both his Nigerian roots and impressions from his childhood in north London. “The patterns I’ve used in this collection were based on the idea of a cultural exchange – a merging of African and English cultures and customs,” Ilori says.

One print, named Omi after the Yoruba word for water, nods to the river Thames and the London Docklands as historical gateways for trade, which facilitated a meeting and mingling of different cultures. This is visualised through a pattern of lapping, azure blue waves and oval rum barrels, that can be found throughout the collection.

A table cloth from the Yinka Ilori collection — **Image courtesy of Dezeen**

Elsewhere, the collection features enamel mugs, a “classic British design” that nods to the country’s industrial history, alongside household linens, which Ilori says carry a particular nostalgia for him.

The drop is currently available via Ilori’s website and is coming soon to luxury fashion retailers Browns and Matches.

Source: Dezeen