Dabi Lolomari: Redefining Interior Decor in Nigeria
Since her return to Nigeria, Ms Dabi Lolomari’s firm, Dabi Interiors and Finishings, has grown in leaps and bounds. In 2011, the serial entrepreneur and lawyer launched her career in interior decor, working for a high-end Italian luxury interior outfit and has been the brain behind significant projects and translates the same passion in creating both high-end luxury spaces, excellent quality and budget-tailored projects. In this interview, she expressed excitement about her small wins, her track record and her aspirations.
“I had always had an interest, so when I decided to move and stay in Nigeria. I got in touch with an Italian furniture company in Milan, Italy, and told them I was moving to Nigeria. I accepted their offer to work with them as my mother’s family business in Italy was interiors. I grew up watching my uncles manufacturing furniture as a child in Italy, so it has always been a part of me,” she reminisced.
For the love of bespoke and unique finishing touches, Lolomari approaches each client and project as a new, fantastic world of its own. She resiliently understands the unique DNA of the clients, their lifestyle, and their peculiarities. Hence, she approaches the projects with passion and precision.
While Lolomari, a teaching consultant, believes that your environment and spaces can conspire to elevate your mindset and lifestyle, she continues to seek inspiration from a wide range of sources, learn the ropes of the job, meet more people, and tour the world for more experiences.
She completed a course in interior design in the UK and Italy after her work experiences for two interior design companies. With this under her belt, Lolomari can humbly boast of Dabis Interiors and Finishings. “The motivation for launching my ID outfit was a combination of a genuine passion for interiors and being approached by clients who believed in me and asked me to work on their projects.
Consequently, she hopes Dabis will be known for creating aesthetically pleasant and welcoming spaces, attention to detail, quality, and reliability. “Dabis Interiors and Finishings bring my international exposure, innate Italian good taste, creativity, and commitment to deliver to the client’s satisfaction,” she expressed.
Now, the firm continues to build on its existing niche while etching its name in the hearts of decor enthusiasts at home and abroad. It also focuses on improving, evolving, developing, and perfecting its craft. “This is a lifetime process that never ends until we retire,” says the founder.
Dabis Interiors and Finishings believes that a person’s environment influences their behaviour and the perception of others. Thus, it believes in delivering a result that reflects its clients’ standards and class or their wishes and aspirations.
That is why “I am particular about my team and workers. We are committed to working with quality material. I give and seek regular feedback from and to the client. If a client is strict about the budget, I am honest about what can be obtained or expected for that particular budget,” the decor boss said.
For Dabis Interiors and Finishings, speed, and excellent delivery is its benchmark. Lolomari emphasised, “We can complete a project as fast as two weeks, but speed comes at a cost. The budget and the ability of the client to pay a good percentage for the whole project upfront (as opposed to spaced-out installments) primarily determine the production speed. Other factors are the quantity of furniture to be produced and the delivery location. Ideally, we like to complete a project within a month or two”.
On the most sought-after design, “Most people want original creations and concepts,” she pointed out. “That is why every project is a unique and peculiar journey. However, recently I noticed a lot of requests for all-white walk-in closets and furniture units. I always suggest alternatives and encourage the client not to be scared to try something slightly different. There is a bit of a fixation on white furniture with gold accents in shops, offices, and homes, but I know it is just a phase. This, too, shall pass.”
Despite the influx of do-it-yourself (DIY) videos splattered across the internet, Lolomari is confident of her firm’s competence and ability to save people time and money. “The truth is that anybody can put furniture together, but what you get when you work with an ID is the intellectual property that comes from the designer’s creativity, exposure, and experience, as well as having a team of professionals save you from wasting time and money that may happen with experimenting with DIY.
For Lolomari, part of her job is to suggest alternatives and design concepts that may have the client’s elements in mind but differently. She hinted, “Sometimes the client thinks they know what they want until I suggest an improved concept slightly or entirely different from their original idea. The difference always tells in the result.”
On how her business model and Italian designs have improved the Interior and Décor business in Nigeria, Lolomari described Italian artists and designers as known worldwide for their ability to produce aesthetically appealing results and high quality, not just in furniture but in fashion and architecture.
She highlighted, “As a result of exposure to quality Italian products over time, Nigerians have refined their taste and now have very high standards. At the same time, Nigerians are increasingly looking at home-manufactured goods to cut costs. This is great for the Nigerian economy. One of my favourite things is combining Italian flair, creativity, and materials with manufacturing in Nigeria. This way, we can cut costs while still supporting the Nigerian economy and bringing Italian flair, materials, and creativity. It’s a win-win.”
In spreading its tentacles across the African continent, Lolomari has got some plans up her sleeves. “Although not at the moment, I’m not thinking of expanding beyond Nigeria; I cannot rule out that possibility in the future.”
