Howard Desk
Mimi Shodeinde
London, UK | Woods: Hard maple
Mimi Shodeinde is a British-Nigerian designer based in London. After finishing her studies in Interior Architecture from Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh she started her Design Studio in 2015. She has worked and collaborated on a wide range of projects both nationally and internationally, from interior architectural projects to furniture design, lighting and product design. Her work is fluid and is informed by what is around her. She seeks to imbue each project with a personality of its own.
‘Because I work alone it has been an amazing experience, feeling part of a group effort and collaborating. It has been a massive learning curve. Tomoko and Benchmark have had such as huge impact on this project from start to finish.’
The design process
‘The table is a very familiar item that I used during lockdown,’ Shodeinde explains. ‘We’ve all been glued to our desks and I wanted to design something that was familiar and comforting. I think this new post-COVID world is all about comfort.’
The making of the final piece
Shodeinde’s latest piece for Discovered is made from hard maple because, she says: ‘It can be more easily manipulated. The form of my table is quite dynamic.’ Initially, she wanted to paint areas of Howard desk black, before deciding to choose a natural finish. ‘I tend to gravitate towards heavier, bolder, colours,’ she says. ‘But because the form of the table is very strong, I thought keeping it lighter would provide a softness that it needs.
The end result
Shodeinde’s finished object is an extraordinary, curvaceous (and big) sculpture, which is accompanied by a couple of stools. ‘My design aesthetic is very fluid. I’m often drawn to organic, sinuous forms,’ she says.