Celebrating Design

The Africa Centre, a charity based in London, underwent a refurbishment last year, with new interiors completed by Tola Ojuolape Studio.

The Africa Centre is a London-based charity that celebrates the diversity of Africa. Established in 1964, the charity has been proud custodians of African culture and heritage in the UK.

June 2022 saw the opening of its new home in Southwark. The newly refurbished site offers a flexible space for events, exhibitions, pop-ups, and networking.

Multidisciplinary designer and creative director Tola Ojuolape was invited to submit a proposal for the design of the new centre earlier last year. “They were looking for a designer of heritage, a Pan-African and contemporary look and feel to create an appropriate space celebrating the soul and creativity of the continent,” she tells darc “Marrying my experience in commercial F&B design for the last 10 years in London, love and travels around the continent, I was considered a perfect fit as I was in the process of setting up my new studio and the board unanimously approved my proposal. “I recognised from the onset the importance and responsibility to consolidate ideas and themes from the continent,” explains Ojuolape. “The concept was centred around the unifiers that make the African continent special and unique, and I concluded this came from the natural essence of handmade, tactile and crafted objects seen throughout the continent. This governed all of the materials and finishes I sought to deliver in the space across all floors. We collaborated with a number of designers and makers from the continent and diaspora to achieve the look and feel.”

Discussing some of the challenges she faced during this project, Ojuolape explains that the logistics was one of the hardest to configure. “The Africa Centre had an ambition to curate the interiors with artisan and local makers from the continent. Managing the logistics of sourcing and ensuring delivery from a number of countries in Africa was challenging, however all items sourced were delivered with impeccable quality suitable for the commercial environment.”

When it came to choosing decorative lighting for the space, Ojuolape considered it one of the key components for accentuating different interior areas. “It was also an opportunity to showcase African designers,” she says. “We used lighting designers such as Hamimi from Morocco, Golden Editions from Ghana and Modern Gesture from South Africa.”

Throughout the centre, there are various mix-use spaces and a restaurant. Ojuolape used architectural lighting as the main source of light in the restaurant, bar and gallery areas. “On the ground floor, the decorative lighting has been placed intentionally to pull towards the raised floor area at the back of the restaurant,” she continues. “The wall lights have a tactile feel and complement the clay works wall finish. Feature lights on the bar area are reminiscent of clay terracotta cooking pots used across the continent.

“The architectural lighting has been specified to rescind in the space, allowing for the decorative lighting to be visible and the feature throughout.”

When it came to structural constraints faced in the refurbishment, Ojuolape explains her aesthetic preference to never have visible ductwork was a challenge. “My innate preference for decorative lighting is never to have visible ductwork, to allow for the lighting as the central feature for maximum visibility and aesthetic precence. The first floor bar has visible ductwork. We were able to overcome the ceiling constraint by painting the ceiling in a colour that allowed the ductwork to disappear.”

Overall, Ojuolape sees the lighting as a key feature in linking the interior concept for the centre. “All of the decorative lighting was intentionally sourced to complement the design intent and supports the client’s vision of sourcing from the continent,” she explains. “I’m so pleased we were able to source handcrafted, tactile pieces.

“The strong African heritage was a key driver to the success of the project, while my work always has culture and context embedded in the design, ensuring this was translated throughout was imperative.

“I particularly love the use of the indigo blue used across all levels, which was inspired by the rich history of dyeing textiles from West Africa. Indigo cloth dyeing was a highly valuable skill passed on by specialist dyers through generations up to now. I sought to pay homage to heritage with the use of the indigenous colour as an eminent feature in interiors, specifically as a backdrop to the exhibition space and stairwell areas. It also served as a contrast to the terracotta tones and timbers.

“One of the highlights of the project was working with Tapiwa Matsinde, a curator who supported on the procurement and logistics for the project. Her expertise in working with artisans from the continent was invaluable.”

The Africa Centre adds: “Our clear vision for the Africa Centre’s new home was for a building that captured the bold freshness of contemporary Africa; showcased interiors which were rooted in the colours, textures and crafts of Africa but were not bound by them; invited the visitor to dwell and relax in a timeless way. We believe that Tola has realised our vision with an authenticity that will stand the test of time.” www.tolaojuolape.com

Images: Felix Speller

Design Details

The Africa Centre, London, UK

Interior Design: Tola Ojuolape Studio

Lighting Specified: Dyke & Dean, Forestier, Golden Editions, Hamim, Light & Lamps, Mash T Design Studio, Modern Gestures, Studio Lani

Using a large collection of decorative lighting pieces from designers across Africa, Tola Ojuolape has designed a multifunctional space for The Africa Centre that celebrates African culture and heritage. Decorative lighting adds beautiful lighting layers and textures to the spaces, while also presenting an opportunity for lesser known designers to have a platform in London.

Simply Timeless

Swedish lighting studio Reform, part of Reflex Arkitekter, transformed its previous client's new office into a space designed to last the ages. Reusing some existing fixtures and fittings and adding a contemporary layer, the team has created a beautiful, inviting atmosphere.

Real estate brand Solporten recently received a new office design with lighting and interiors completed by Swedish design firm Reform. darc sat down with Maria Vrekou, lead lighting designer on the project to find out more.

Vrekou begins by explaining how the studio first became involved in the project: “We had been selected to do their previous office, that they were now moving out of. The new premises are owned by our client’s real estate agency, and the idea was to house their offices there for the next 20 years. Therefore, the main task for the lighting scheme, as well as for the interior design, was to create an office space that would last the test of time and continue to feel contemporary over the forthcoming years. The design feels a little industrial, and is elegant but not exclusive. The project started in 2019 and was completed in the beginning of 2022.”

The very nature of working on this project with a client that is wellversed in property and real estate ensured the design and construction process went very smoothly for the teams. “Our client has a great eye for design,” explains Vrekou. “As he works within the property industry, he could see the potential future challenges, so his initial brief was a very realistic one. The very tight collaboration with the architect, interior designer and of course the client resulted in the very smooth but also precise execution of this project.”

Due to this close network between all involved parties, the brief of a timeless and welcoming office environment for both employees and their visitors remained the same throughout the project. “We had agreed on the concept and scheme in the early stages, so we only had small adjustments after architectural or interior design changes that were made during the whole of the project process,” expands Vrekou. However, there were some structural issues when it came to installing lighting. “The initial choice of downlight and wallwasher was the iGuzzini Laser Blade XS. However, due to the thickness of the acoustic ceiling panels that were chosen, we had to change for the regular Laser Blade. As the optics between the two models are slightly different the placement of the fittings had to be rearranged. The good communication with the other disciplines, but also their understanding for the lighting, meant the acoustic ceiling panels could be adjusted for the fittings to be placed in the right place.”

In terms of the decorative lighting fixtures chosen, it was the client’s wish to keep the aesthetic simple and graphic. As a result, Vrekou and her team selected pieces that were simple yet put more focus on the light effect. “We used black Flauta Spiga from Flos on pillars creating a rhythm in the long corridor, and Reggiani Yori pendants in different lengths above the lounge area. From Flos, we also selected floor lights that stand in the lobby, two of the meeting rooms and the lounge area. Three of the Golpe fittings from Artemide are suspended above the table in the external meeting room and a table version sits in the reception area,” she describes.

“We had the intention to keep the list of fittings as short as possible for easier maintenance in the future. The downlights were to produce no glare and be discreet. The client loved the technical aspects of iGuzzinis Laser Blade when we initially presented a sample fitting. We continued with the same product for the wallshers.

“As we knew from the beginning that art would be a big part of the interior but didn't know the exact place of each piece, we needed to have a flexible solution to highlight the client’s collection. The fitting used for this purpose was the Reggiani Yori Semi-Recessed Precision Zoom spotlight, which gave the possibility to adjust the beam angle according to the size of the artwork. From the very first time I saw the 21-metre long corridor by the façade, I imagined a dominant narrow continuous linear light and wall lights on the pillars to enhance the length through the repetition. The linear product we used is iGuzzini’s Underscore 15 Minimal and the wall lights are Flauta Spiga from Flos (we did not use the reflector at the bottom so we have an almost symmetric up and down light distribution).

“In the office rooms we re-used the Aura Lunaria pro Pendulum pendant fittings above the desks (they were newly purchased and all users were satisfied) but we added Reggiani Yori Semi-recessed Precision Zoom spotlights towards artwork. The Gubi Ronde pendants in the kitchen area also reused from the previous office. In the big meeting room we have a Ledluks ILO pendant with direct and indirect light above the table. We wanted to continue with the same discreet lighting and so we chose the modular optics of 60°. And two Pholc Donna 7 pendants are featured above a small coffee station outside the big meeting room.”

The Galaxy range a collection of spherical shaped glasses in three size options with up to four colours. Hung on single and multiple adjustable suspensions with satin nickel or matt gold metalwork.

To adapt the various architectural and decorative lighting components throughout the office, the team installed wireless controls via Casambi, and programmed three difference scenarios for each room according to the varying functions in each space.

“Personally, I am very content with this project. The client’s clear vision helped to make the initial ideas a reality. All disciplines involved had high ambition for details but also simple and realistic proposals, which made it happen.

“The few decorative fittings contribute with task light above tables and add an overall additional layer of light at a different levels, from floor to tables for example. Most of the product selections had been decided together with the interior architect in order to make sure they fit in the overarching concept, but also serve the lighting requirement in each space.

“This proved the same with the LED stripes behind the wall panels in the meeting rooms, lounge and kitchen areas. It was clear from all sides that light would be added there. It was an element that gave a big boost to the overall atmosphere in the whole office.”

Kristoffer Wilhelmsson, Managing Director at Solporten, adds: “We had an ambition to create a warm and soft industrial feeling, but it turned out even better. Simply brilliant.” www.reformark.se

Design Details

Solporten Office, Solna, Sweden

Interior Design: Reform, part of Reflex Arkitekter

Lighting Specified: Artemide, Aura Light, Flos, Gubi, iGuzzini, Ledluks, Muuto, Pholc, Proled, Reggiani

"The feeling of a walk on the beach in the hazy morning sun. Colour, texture and light shape the space of Solporten’s new office. 'Sol' means sun, and the circle as a symbol appears in parts of the new design. Reuse of suitable light fittings and furniture were obvious choices for our team," says Beata Denton, Lead Lighting Designer at Reform.