On October 17th, 2019, Decor Nigeria hosted its first Emerging Designers Roundtable discussion at Miele showroom, Lagos. 12 designers- new and old engaged in a lively, open conversation on design collaborations, paying it forward in the design industry, creating a vibrant design ecosystem, supporting each designer in various possible ways, positioning for changes in the industry, designing in an emerging market and dealing with client peculiarities.

It was an engaging and interactive conversation with designers sharing their design experiences in Nigeria, challenges, thrills and their hope for the immediate future and the long term. At the beginning of the discussion, each designer gave a brief introduction about how they work, their best practices, their growth over the years whilst also providing insights into where they think design is today compared to when they first started. 

In a country like Nigeria, where very few people are bothered about the design face of their homes or commercial spaces, questions like how might we enlighten and educate more people about the importance of design and the overall effect on their well being were raised and different suggestions were chipped in. 

Mainstream design in Nigeria is nascent, and we hope to see more appreciation and regard from clients and collaboration between many more designers. Though collaboration already exists, but there is always room for more. We also believe conversations like these will help boost awareness of the importance of design and designer’s morale. 

Once again, we would like to say a big thank you to our host and to every one that took out time to attend. Until next time…..