The Dwell 24: Nifemi Ogunro

"It is interesting that of the number of hands that touch a product before it is completed, many of them belong to people of color," says New York furniture designer Nifemi Ogunro.

Ogunro often photographs her body alongside her work as a way to promote visibility and inclusion and to challenge traditional design narratives, in which many craftspeople of color are frequently left unseen."I feel like design should include more people," she says. "A lot of schooling teaches how to follow structures and orders of operation, but I want to challenge that."

The Tilt stool began as a two-dimensional form study that somehow made its way off the page and became tangible—like many of the hidden hands that Ogunro strives to disclose. The hand-carved laminate birch stool possesses body-like curvature inits bent form and is characterized by a deep brown stain over natural raises and depressions in the wood. 

Read the full Q&A with Nifemi Ogunro below.   

Hometown: Charlotte, North Carolina.

Describe what you make in 140 characters. I make objects that reimagine the design language we associate with everyday furniture. Functional sculptures.

What’s the last thing you designed? A chair.

Do you have a daily creative ritual? I try (and have been failing but when I’m consistent it’s a good month) to write everyday.

How do you procrastinate? By thinking about the task at hand, avoiding it, and it distracting me from what I am currently doing.

What everyday object would you like to redesign? Why? Chairs. I believe we are not done with them and that there is so much more left to explore

Who are your heroes (in design, in life, in both)? My parents, Michaela Coel, Manthe Ribane, Nifemi Marcus-Bello, Mac Collins, Duval Timothy, Terence Nance, Jericho Brown, bell hooks.

What skill would you most like to learn? Speed reading.

What is your most treasured possession? A mug I "borrowed" from my Dad.

What’s your earliest memory of an encounter with design? My mom filling floor cushions with our old clothes to create seating.

What contemporary design trend do you despise? My friend’s work.

You can learn more about Nifemi Ogunro on their Instagram.

Top photo by Dion Lamar Mills.      

View the 2022 Dwell 24!