Design is Her Game

Omolola Itayemi

She has spent the past few days with software engineers and system administrators working on re-launching her website and Essential Interiors magazine. A perfectionist, Titi Ogufere sees to every little detail involved. She’s definitely earned her stripes in the industry as president of IDAN and one of the top 100 women in Interior Designs in the African continent. She understands the power of the internet and that is why she is inviting visitors to explore this new website and Online Store. The new website has been designed to provide the ultimate user-friendly experience with improved navigation and functionality throughout.

She took me on a visual tour of it and I was impressed, she’s definitely taking no prisoners. She read my expression and offered to enlighten me more. “The website is an extension of the quality content Essential interiors Magazine has been known to curate. I find that Africa is not properly represented globally when it comes to Architecture, Interior design, luxury living and lifestyle, that was what birthed the magazine and with this website we are reaching out to the world on a larger platform to show what we have in the African design, art, luxury, hospitality and lifestyle landscape and we are telling our story ourselves”. The website was launched March 17, 2018 and has garnered amazing response especially with people in the diaspora.

“The website also have an online store which is also an exciting feature for interior design enthusiasts and clients; the store will curate select pieces from top suppliers/manufacturers in the interior design industry and this will connect clients directly to the best suppliers/manufacturers for quality product designs. You see… oftentimes we have this misconception, especially for the Interior design industry; that in order to create beautiful interior designs for our homes/commercial properties we more often than not have to travel abroad and go through the stress of shipping…because we believe these products cannot be easily sourced locally. So the store is an offshoot of the Magazine blog, and the idea is to connect buyers to top suppliers and dealers of premium product design in the interior design industry.

To tap into the large market share and forge a formidable synergy between key players in the industry supply chain and their clientele locally and internationally. The store will be integrated in the website and this will enable and foster easy navigation and access for potential buyers from anywhere in the world. The blog will offer rich contents in Architecture, Interior design, Art, Travel, Hospitality and Fine dining through carefully edited selections with striking visuals and elegant prose that will fascinate our readers with treats and wonders from African living inside Africa.” she further revealed.

IDAN has achieved so much under her stewardship such as Made by Design, IDEA and The Buyer’s Guide initiative. And all these will be incorporated in the website. “The IDEA conference and awards was launched in 2012 by Essential Interiors Magazine to recognize excellence and push the standards for consciousness in design trends in the architecture, products and interior design industry, under the frame work of sustainable designs. Although brought to a hold briefly in 2015 due to the quality of submissions we received, but with the development of the industry and new projects of repute coming up we have decided to proceed with the 5thedition of the awards for the coming month of May in 2019.The Made by Design exhibition is an annual expo crafted specifically for industry practitioners and interior design enthusiasts; with an aim to bring together the nation’s most prized and unique collection of products, services and experiences for the world’s most discerning clientele. Now in its third edition, the event has garnered international recognition alongside the likes of Salon de mobile, Design Indaba, Design expo etc on the global scene. The event is tailor designed to attract a community of interior design practitioners and enthusiasts alike for authentic peer group collaboration and networking experience. The event is backed by the powerful legacy of Essential Interiors Magazine, our gold standard events and years in interior design business ensures that this experience fills the particular needs relevant to the growing industry in a most eloquent and powerful way.”

The Interior Design Buyers Guide Nigeria is the essential business listing for the entire real estate and building industry in Nigeria, detailing over 5,000 listed companies from architects through designers, decorators, suppliers, builders, building consultants, real estate developers, structural engineers, construction firms, product manufacturers, project managers and contract administrators to asset managers including key contact information and direct line. With over 350 pages of endorsed professional service providers of the real estate industry in Nigeria the interior design buyers guide is an essential comprehensive source book for use by professional and aspirant designers, decorators and home owners.

As key players in the new media, the Essential Interiors website will be synchronized across our different social media platforms, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Youtube to keep our readers easily updated with our contents. The Essential Media team has worked so hard on this project with one thing in mind. She concluded with this, “Our readers deserve the best.”