Avoi Sonaike’s make of vibrant interior textiles and accessories was created from the desire ‘to bring homes to existence with color’ as well as in celebration of the vibrant African aesthetic.
Launched within the United kingdom in ’09, her products happen to be stocked at Selfridges, Liberty and Fenwick and therefore are now offered worldwide through boutique stores in countries including Australia, France, Nigeria, USA and Hong Kong.
She describes her signature interior planning look as ‘African, particularly west African: a glance of luxury modernism having a high dosage of color’ and she or he references the means by which being born and elevated in Germany and finding pleasure in her own Nigerian heritage has inspired her to fuse individuals cultural influences and make the type of uplifting products she wanted but was not able to source on her home.
Today, in addition to selling soft furnishings including cushions and rugs, Avoi Soniake also designs wallpaper and fabric ranges and it has collaborated along with other interior specialists including bathroom experts C.P. Hart and also the design course Domestika to create her colorful aesthetic to some widening audience. She from time to time offers interior planning web hosting clients and it has another exciting but because yet key collaboration because of launch in 2022.
FROM FASHION TO INTERIORS
Avoi Sonaike’s first career was like a journalist. After studying for any BA in Journalism in the London College of Printing as well as an MA popular Journalism in the esteemed London College of favor, she labored with German national television across different systems, then spent six further years like a Fashion Editor in publications editorial at titles for example German Elle, In Fashion and concentrate.
The transfer of focus from fashion to interiors came although refurbishing her very own London Docklands apartment. Avoi thought it was difficult to source luxurious homeware having a wealthy African aesthetic so when she go about designing her very own fabric for cushions the spark was ignited on her business enterprise.
‘My husband and that i are generally of African descent, so we aspired to high finish, quality products to the taste but there is very little available on the market which i found appealing. I produced a very small assortment of cushions in my flat so when my buddies all loved them I began to consider maybe I possibly could start a small company quietly,’ Avoi explains. ‘In hindsight, establishing a business would be a very brave factor to complete. I had been youthful coupled with a significant stable career in journalism and it was really busy, enjoying my job however i desired to work more creatively.’