We are Open to Collaboration – Gemona West Interior Designs

L -R: Deise Smith, Co-founder & Creative Director, Gemona West Interiors; Jennifer Chukwujekwe, Founder Jenniez School of African Interior Design; and Naomi Smith, Co- founder & Commercial Director during the Blueprint Conference 2019, held in Lagos, at Oriental Hotel, Victoria Island Lagos at the weekend.

The Creative Director of the International award winning design firm Gemona West Interiors, Mrs. Deise Smith has said that the interior designs industry in Nigeria must brace up to the need for collaboration in order to drive growth for the sector and create more value for all stakeholders.

She made the demand at the BluePrint Conference 2019 which held recently at the Oriental Hotels in Lagos. Smith was one of the panelists at the conference with the theme, “Collaboration within the interior design industry”. She declared that her company was open to the idea of partnering with both vendors and other interior design companies in Nigeria as long as they share in the culture and value of the firm.

Though the Interior design industry in Nigeria is relatively new to collaboration, Gemona West already established a strong track record of partnering with other companies, including sometimes competitors to execute clients’ jobs. According to her, one of such collaboration took place between Gemona West Interior Designs and Woodstyle Limited, a Lagos based a bespoke joinery and cabinetry manufacturer.

She noted that that “Working with Woodstyle was such a great experience, because it showed how we can actually help each other to achieve great things. It is excellent to collaborate not just with vendors but with other interior designers, because you have more access to ideas and other types of projects,” she said.

Speaking further on the partnership with Woodstyle, she said, ” WoodStyles actually invited us to the pitch. We were involved from the beginning. The client knew that Gemona West was the one putting the design together and Woodstyles will be the one to executing. We were involved throughout the project, and the clients was extremely happy at the end of the day.”
Gemona West has also recently been approached by an architectural firm to collaborate on another project. “They came with the shell and we helped the client to decide the finishing that they want, the layout of the wall all the way to the furniture,” Smith said.

Though relatively new in the industry, Gemona West has become a benchmark for cutting edge and innovative service offerings among its peers. The company provides the highest quality interior design consultation for discerning, quality-conscious clients that seek assistance in their design choices for their primary residences, and businesses.
Last years, Gemona West won the prestigious African Property Awards for the Office Interior Category, Africa. Gemona West Interior Designs, won the prize through its E Tranzact office project.

October 10, 2019