{"id":416916,"date":"2017-09-10T22:30:21","date_gmt":"2017-09-10T22:30:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ghana-mma.com\/2017\/09\/10\/meet-the-nigerian-interior-designer-on-a-mission-to-bring-more-color-to-the-world\/"},"modified":"2017-09-10T22:30:21","modified_gmt":"2017-09-10T22:30:21","slug":"meet-the-nigerian-interior-designer-on-a-mission-to-bring-more-color-to-the-world","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2017\/09\/10\/meet-the-nigerian-interior-designer-on-a-mission-to-bring-more-color-to-the-world\/","title":{"rendered":"Meet the Nigerian Interior Designer on a mission to bring more color to the world"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><\/p>\n<div id=\"medsection1\">\n<!-- End of html generated by this->header() --><\/p>\n<p class=\"floatLeft\">Entertainment of Sunday, 10 September 2017<\/p>\n<p class=\"floatRight\"><strong>Source: <\/strong>okayafrica.com<\/p>\n<p>2017-09-10<\/p>\n<div class=\"article-left\">\n<p class=\"article-image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/ghanamma.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/99322735.295.jpg\" alt=\"Eva Falome New\" title=\"Eva Falome New\" width=\"295\" height=\"375\" \/><span class=\"image_caption\"><span>Eva Sonaike<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"noPrint\">\n<div id=\"537626303\" style=\"width:300;height:250;margin:0;padding:0\">\n\t\t  <noscript><iframe loading=\"lazy\" id=\"b2ad7fa7fd\" name=\"b2ad7fa7fd\" src=\"http:\/\/ghanaweb-d.openx.net\/w\/1.0\/afr?auid=537626303&amp;cb=149916385179598\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" width=\"300\" height=\"250\"><a href=\"\/\/ghanaweb-d.openx.net\/w\/1.0\/rc?cs=b2ad7fa7fd&amp;cb=149916385179598\">&#13;<br \/>\n\t\t  <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/ghanamma.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/1505082621_591_ai\" border=\"0\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a><\/iframe><\/noscript>\n\t\t<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p style=\"clear:right\"> Eva Sonaike is on a mission to bring more color to the world.<\/p>\n<p>What started as a home d\u00e9cor project intended to infuse some of Nigerian style into her London home has morphed into a growing design empire. The striking, vibrant designs of her eponymous luxury line can be found in the premier global department stores from Liberty to Fenwick of Bond Street\u2014and she\u2019s only just getting started.<\/p>\n<p>OkayAfrica caught up with Sonaike as she explored the Greek Isles to learn more about her journey from fashion journalist to interior designer.<\/p>\n<p>This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.<\/p>\n<p>Akinyi Ochieng for OkayAfrica: How has your heritage shaped the design aesthetic of Eva Sonaike?<\/p>\n<p>Eva Sonaike: To some extent, I think that the stories of every designer or creative come alive in their work. That\u2019s no different for me. My Nigerian background exposed me to a very strong tradition of vibrant, colorful textiles\u2014from a young age, I was introduced to beautiful aesthetics that also had a very deep meaning. I grew up with those traditions, but was born and raised in Germany in a very artistic household. Because my father was an art historian, I grew up around churches and museums. I always had a love of design, but it didn\u2019t express itself until I moved to London and spent over a decade working in media. Over time, I realized I had a strong aesthetic story that I wanted to share with the world. I think that if you\u2019re open to being influenced by every element of your own personal story, you\u2019ll create something unique.<\/p>\n<p>You left a successful career as a journalist to launch your eponymous home decor line. Was jumping into a new industry scary?<\/p>\n<p>Looking back, I was very na\u00efve, but I think that was actually somewhat helpful. I knew what I wanted to achieve\u2014I had a clear plan of what I wanted to do, and I followed that ruthlessly. During the first two years of the brand, I was still working full-time as an editor and running my business on the side. I hadn\u2019t really planned to run it full-time at that point as I loved my work, was doing quite well within the media industry, and had worked quite hard to get there. But after my second child, it became clear that I loved my design work much more than my editorial work, and I thought I could make a greater impact with that work.<\/p>\n<p>It was scary to pursue design full-time, but I made that jump just before the recession kicked in, so I think it was less daunting than it might be now. If I were in the same position now, I might have been more hesitant to make the leap.<\/p>\n<p>What\u2019s the hardest part about working for yourself?<\/p>\n<p>Knowing what to do. I run the company, but I\u2019m not a trained textile designer and I don\u2019t have a business background. I\u2019m a journalist, so sometimes it\u2019s hard to make the right decisions. The design process is a really minimal part of my work. My day-to-day centers more on the question of how to run a lucrative business. I make mistakes, but it\u2019s an organic process of trial and error. It just takes a bit of common sense to figure out what to do.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/ghanamma.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/57256946.jpg\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Any advice for juggling the parts of your job that you like with those you don\u2019t like that much?<\/p>\n<p>To run a successful business, you need to be able to cover all areas. I do everything in my business from design to packing boxes and running to the post office. Of course there are things that you\u2019ll love doing, but you need to understand all aspects of your business in order to manage a team that can deliver on your goals.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/ghanamma.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/40815943.jpg\" \/><\/p>\n<p>There are certain elements, however, which are very time-consuming that may take you as a CEO away from the tasks you need to focus on, so it\u2019s important to learn how to delegate. I know, for example, how to pack boxes and can do it if I have to, but that\u2019s time I could spend making a phone call to a retailer or interior designer. Where those marginal tasks can be outsourced, I try to delegate to a member of my team, but it\u2019s important for them to see and understand that I can do everything and that I\u2019m willing to do everything. That\u2019s the same attitude I expect from everyone.<\/p>\n<p>How did you define success when you first launched your brand? Has that definition changed?<\/p>\n<p>When I launched my brand, I was lucky to get into Selfridge\u2019s, one of the largest British department stores, during the first season. I thought it was the greatest thing in the world and that I\u2019d made it. It was a fantastic achievement for a brand in its early days, but I learned over time that a big department store may look fantastic on your CV, but in terms of volume and margins, it\u2019s challenging. In the early days, my benchmark for success was those big department stores. These days, I\u2019m more focused on continuous orders and different business channels from wholesale to online to business-to-business to business-to-consumer to working with interior designers. Success for me today means having a more versatile range of clients.<\/p>\n<p>Within that first year of launching, you were stocked in London\u2019s top department stores. How many \u201cno\u2019s\u201d did you receive before \u201cyes,\u201d and what encouraged you to move forward in spite of hiccups in the road?<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/ghanamma.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/40815943.jpg\" \/><\/p>\n<p>In the beginning, if someone said \u201cno,\u201d I took it very personally and thought I was doing something wrong. Even now, I\u2019ll go to a trade show and there will be thousands of people passing my stand. And out of those thousands, perhaps 150 people will stop by.  I had to learn that there will be people who will say \u201cno\u201d to you automatically because it\u2019s not their cup of tea, but if you\u2019re a confident business person, you\u2019ll learn that for every \u201cno,\u201d you\u2019ll eventually find a \u201cyes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Sometimes the \u201cno\u2019s\u201d are due to factors unrelated to you\u2014the economy is tough and people are struggling, for example, so they might not be willing to spend money on certain things. But the next month, you might get an order that covers your costs for the rest of the year. Business goes in circles, and you have to be equipped to ride those waves. It\u2019s not always easy, but you have to get back up on your feet and push the business along.<\/p>\n<p><!-- uploaded by: 24 updated by: 24 --><\/p>\n<p><!-- Start of html generated by this->footer() -->\n<\/div>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a style=\"display:none\" rel=\"follow\" href=\"http:\/\/megatheme.ir\/\" title=\"\u0642\u0627\u0644\u0628 \u0648\u0631\u062f\u067e\u0631\u0633\">\u0642\u0627\u0644\u0628 \u0648\u0631\u062f\u067e\u0631\u0633<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Entertainment of Sunday, 10 September 2017 Source: okayafrica.com 2017-09-10 Eva Sonaike &#13; Eva Sonaike is on a mission to bring more color to the world. What started as a home d\u00e9cor project intended to infuse some of Nigerian style into her London home has morphed into a growing design empire. The striking, vibrant designs of [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":416917,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-416916","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-entertainment"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.8 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Meet the Nigerian Interior Designer on a mission to bring more color to the world - Ghanamma.com<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2017\/09\/10\/meet-the-nigerian-interior-designer-on-a-mission-to-bring-more-color-to-the-world\/\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:title\" content=\"Meet the Nigerian Interior Designer on a mission to bring more color to the world - Ghanamma.com\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:description\" content=\"Entertainment of Sunday, 10 September 2017 Source: okayafrica.com 2017-09-10 Eva Sonaike &#013; Eva Sonaike is on a mission to bring more color to the world. What started as a home d\u00e9cor project intended to infuse some of Nigerian style into her London home has morphed into a growing design empire. 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