Finalists emerge for IO Furniture Limited 2015 furniture innovation award

IO Furniture Limited, an indigenous interior design and furniture manufacturing company, has released the names of four finalists for its 2015 IO Furniture Innovation Award.

The Chief Executive Officer, IO Furniture Limited, Mrs. Munira Shonibare, said the innovation award was aimed at promoting the raw, untapped talent of the youth through a competition that required them to showcase their creativity in furniture and interior design.

According to Shonibare, the platform will start a conversation that will inspire and motivate the youth in the design industry and show them the endless possibilities of design and manufacturing in the country.

“We believe that this is the time for the youth, the time for their voices to be heard and their talents seen. We cannot wait for the world to promote us; we must do it ourselves and by so doing, we create a ripple effect of empowerment so that each aspiring designer knows that there is a light at the end of the tunnel, thereby forcing them to aim higher,” she said.

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Shonibare added that the judges, made up of the President, Association of Consulting Architects of Nigeria, Mr. Tayo Babalakin; Chief Executive Officer, Ruff ‘n’ Tumble, Mrs. Nike Ogunlesi; Creative Director, MOE+, Mr. Papa Omotayo; and Head of Production, IO Furniture Limited, Mr. Steffano Moretti, chose the four from the numerous applications received.

“Each judge was required to pick their top five entries; they then debated on each entry and by elimination, they agreed on the final four: Yinka Dayo-Adepoju, Damola Rufai, Nafsat Dada and Babalola Ishmael,” she added.

The IO Furniture boss noted that the judges were impressed by the efforts the applicants put into their entries, adding that the finalists had been asked to start working on their prototypes in preparation for the exhibition scheduled for September 30, where the winning design would be decided.

• Punchng