Self-introduction has always been a difficult task for me. I am that person that clams up at a party and really does adhere to the hashtag #nonewfriends because it’s safer.
I am however passionate about two things (amongst others)…interior design and writing. Needless to say, when the opportunity to merge both passions at BellaNaija Style came up, I was pleased to oblige.
Did I actually introduce myself?
My name is Titi Fowora and I am an interior designer. Sounds simple enough right? Well, the course of true love never did run smooth and interior design was my midsummer night’s dream.
I have a background in economics and tax consulting (which comes in handy with the business end) but like I said, design is my passion.
Passion, passion, passion…I go on about passion when talking to young designers as it is indeed what kicks you out of bed in the mornings: particularly those mornings when you question the meaning of life, the universe, your career path and ultimately yourself!
Whilst I enjoy most aspects of design, the past year has seen me directing my passionate energy towards a lot of commercial design: making office spaces work (get it?) I’m a trained interior designer with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics from The University of Kent at Canterbury as well as a full Interior Design Diploma from The Design School, London.
Inu Design Ltd is my interior design practice: it was set up 14 years ago in the UK and moved its headquarters to Lagos, Nigeria about 11 years ago. In the course of its existence, we have worked on interior design projects all over the world, bringing creative solutions to a variety of spaces and clientele. My return to Nigeria had a lot to do with my desire to bring home the skills, knowledge, and experience I had acquired and apply all of those here. It would also bring with it many opportunities to give back. I am one of the 4 founders of Careers in Interior Design, a non-profit organisation created to educate & empower interior design professionals in Nigeria and I also head the committee of Continuous Professional Development Programmes at the Interior Designers Association of Nigeria (IDAN).
In 2016, I created Interiors by Design; West Africa’s first interior design reality show. The goal was to find the next interior design star whilst educating viewers on primary principles of design and introducing them to amazing interior designers.
The show was a whole lot of fun to work on and our winner had an amazing time during their trip abroad, amongst other prizes. You can watch Interiors by Design on YouTube. Well, clearly I’m on a crusade to educate the world on all things interior design.
I hope this becomes a space and place where we can make interior design more accessible. In the coming weeks, we’ll be exploring various aspects of design…and decorating (we’ll discuss the difference soon enough), whilst also taking time to tackle some of your specific design questions as they arise… I am Titi Fowora and I am an interior designer; it was lovely to meet you and see you next week.
