The architectural interior designer Tola Ojuolape is about to make 2025 her year. “I’ve been busy, trying to get to the next level, to reach success,” she says, of a hustle that, from the outside, looks to the world like she has already achieved it.
She set up her own studio in 2021, having previously worked for the primarily-commercial design agency Blacksheep on hotel projects around the world, and then grabbed attention with her overhaul of the Africa Centre in Southwark.
Daubed in textural Clayworks finishes and using designers and makers from Africa and the diaspora, it’s a soothing haven that at once champions the culture of the continent it’s named after and also cemented Tola as a force to be reckoned with. “I was surprised how visible it made me,” she said, of a job that quickly led to many more. “In itself, it was a symbol of positivity, and suddenly everyone wanted to talk to me.”
Tola’s design of The Africa Centre in London’s SE1 has helped raise her profile no end.
(Image credit: Tola Ojuolape)
Like all the work Tola has completed since — a luxury show apartment in the Nine Elms estate in Battersea, the Spanish London restaurant Boca A Boca in Fitzrovia, and Odo, her own mini-line of vessels — the African Centre shows how she is able to blend luxury sensibilities with a homely, cozy touch.
“Comfort is always king,” she says. “And it’s the earthy palettes I’m drawn to that provide that coziness, lifted with pops of bright color. But the real key comes from how I source materials, and how much thought goes into how pieces will sit next to each other, how the textures and finishes will work. That element of curation is integral.”
The dining area in Nine Elms is beautifully composed.
(Image credit: Tola Ojuolape)
Having grown up mostly in Ireland but with Nigerian parents, Tola is part of a growing band of British-based designers with similar heritages who are transforming decor with their modern take on decorating with color. Yinka Ilori and Eva Sonaike are both regulars on these pages, and Tola says she’s not surprised that African decorative flavors are starting to take hold over here.
“When I think of Nigeria, it’s the drive and ambition I see in the country’s people that is the most inspiring to me,” Tola says. “But aesthetically speaking, I think of my influences as being African rather than strictly Nigerian. The richness of the tones in the clay seen in Namibia; the use of blue dye in the woven, textured fabric of Mali — they all work so well over here.”
She is just as informed as a year spent studying in Milan while at university, where her taste for refined luxury began. “The Italians have a sharp eye, everything is so thoughtful and considered, and that’s something I’ve carried with me,” she says, citing ateliers such as Artemest, Cassina, Poltrona Frau, and Hermes as particular favorites.
The bedroom in the show home at Nine Elms in London that Tola worked on.
(Image credit: Tola Ojuolape)
But following the recent unveiling of Bloom East at Nine Elms, Tola is primed to take on more residential projects, imbuing them with her luxe and liveable lightness of touch.
“A home should make you feel looked after,” she says. “It should be the perfect combination of functionality and beauty, and you should be able to reach the things you need.” She’s particularly into oxblood at the moment. “It works in both matte and glossy finishes, and manages to be warm during the day and very cozy at night.”
Tola’s cozy design for the living area at Nine Elms.
(Image credit: Tola Ojuolape)
And so to next year, and two brand partnerships she’s itching to talk about but “can’t reveal quite yet,” along with a hoped-for revival of Odo, her product line, turning it into a full collection. A Yoruban word for both mortar and stream, it has so far included some sensually beautiful pots inspired by the everyday bathing rituals of African women.
“I loved learning about how women traditionally looked after their family, and how tactile that experience was,” Tola says. Feeling looked after, and wanting to touch the things around you? This could easily sum up the effect all of Tola’s room schemes have.
“I want quality and craftsmanship to be visible in all my projects,” she says, citing Ilse Crawford as a role model for the way she leads and drives a brand, and Nigerians generally , for “making their mark everywhere they go.” An approach you can guarantee Tola will be doing this year.
Find out more at Tola Ojuolape‘s website.
