It's all about creativity! Everything is not money

Glo. This thread just reminded me of an interior design I created for a client.

He saw it and went on and on about the cost, tried calming him down but the paranoia got to him.

He eventuality went with boring and depressing. here's the impression for that design.

The Tiler he wants to use claimed the design for the second design wasn't possible. I laughed tire that day.

We are all you need

Hmmmmmmmmm

[size=14pt]I totally agree with you OP, for me it's not just the interior,but most of the exterior facade of buildings in Nigerias' high brow areas are really very poor in architectural design[/size]

Remember we have security challenges here in dis part of the world. If you build your house in a way it attracts people's curiosity.....Be ready for visitors of the night. I kinda like all d fancy designs, but fear no go let u try am. Meanwhile, there are some nice structures in banana island na.

OP, I had wanted to agree with you u til I opened your trend and saw the pictures you were posting.

I Hope you realise that most of the pictures you posted are actually vray rendered images.

now, don't get me wrong, there are interiors as beautiful as those ones, But unless people don't actually live in them, there are hardly any picture perfect residences like that, maybe except hotels.

clients and architects will have to share the blame for how our cities resemble bombed-out locations from aerial view.

the client wants the best for nothing, and the architect will take the job because he has to survive.

But when you are paying me peanuts to give you a design like that of the Buckingham palace, That's when you know that you are joking.

there simply is no motivation.

there's a way your brain will just open when you are confronted with huge fees staring at you. Lol.

Love this.
Nigerians have mostly never heard of sconces, floating shelf, open plan kitchen, landscaping, downlights, and even inspiring pop designs.

For furniture, Chesterfield sofas, death star lamps or even minimalistic furnishings.
The level of artisanship is poor and mostly left to those who picked up their knowledge from one older person in their community.

Quite a few are trained up to graduate level for these sorts, but their services are yet to trickle down to a point most Nigerians can afford.

Thanks to the Mod that brought this to front page.
2014 thread still making sense...

Am a builder/civil engineer,Just download the app call "Houzz" it has millions of interior design and exterior design with dope architecture view to it but note you must be online to see all what u want because it's an online app.To the extent once you show your client,they get confuse on the ones they want

its well. I don't have to introduce my job again cos am sick of doing that. am into interior designs also. I try fixing my own kinda idea into something that will make interior looks good and classic. buy Nigeria are not buying from me. FACT. I personal goes into what I called painting designs. designs that appeared more or less like wallpaper, I developed designs and pattern by myself and Nigerians are not buying from me. simply because they do not know the basic knowledge of how good interiors looks like.

Ioannes:
OP, I had wanted to agree with you u til I opened your trend and saw the pictures you were posting.

I Hope you realise that most of the pictures you posted are actually vray rendered images.

now, don't get me wrong, there are interiors as beautiful as those ones, But unless people don't actually live in them, there are hardly any picture perfect residences like that, maybe except hotels.

clients and architects will have to share the blame for how our cities resemble bombed-out locations from aerial view.

the client wants the best for nothing, and the architect will take the job because he has to survive.

But when you are paying me peanuts to give you a design like that of the Buckingham palace, That's when you know that you are joking.

there simply is no motivation.

there's a way your brain will just open when you are confronted with huge fees staring at you. Lol.

It's not about the pictures the OP posted, the truth is that anybody that has taken note about the finishing of houses in South Africa for instance,is miles ahead of the ones in Nigeria's high brow areas.

Morewealth121:
its well. I don't have to introduce my job again cos am sick of doing that. am into interior designs also. I try fixing my own kinda idea into something that will make interior looks good and classic. buy Nigeria are not buying from me. FACT. I personal goes into what I called painting designs. designs that appeared more or less like wallpaper, I developed designs and pattern by myself and Nigerians are not buying from me. simply because they do not know the basic knowledge of how good interiors looks like.

Don't take this the wrong way, but that paint job you posted is horrendous. Clashing colours and the pattern is too busy. It looks like you were replicating a cheap copy of a fashion designer's main pattern and colour. Please try and study Paint and Colour under a visual artist. Please

Client meets an Architect for the kind of designs OP posted. Architect gives his price and the Client claims he has someone who will do it for less than half the price.
After the job has been done, Another person like OP will come to generalise after seeing the "clients" house.

Willow08

Some of us don't really like Modern Contemporary (though I love the use of light). For me, I would pay an interior designer well to give me an African Colonial house, complete wih a blend of African and English furnishings, natural materials mostly and of course glass. I want my home to be out of the ordinary and i would prefer natural grass than artificial. I wish I could post a pic of my sister's lawn as it's so nice (Lekki). Also I rarely see Landscape architects here.

And there are some stunning houses in Lagos, but you haven't been inside to appreciate them.

Morewealth121:
its well. I don't have to introduce my job again cos am sick of doing that. am into interior designs also. I try fixing my own kinda idea into something that will make interior looks good and classic. buy Nigeria are not buying from me. FACT. I personal goes into what I called painting designs. designs that appeared more or less like wallpaper, I developed designs and pattern by myself and Nigerians are not buying from me. simply because they do not know the basic knowledge of how good interiors looks like.

There is a clear reason why people do not like your work. Because u do interior design for your self and not for your client that gives you the project. Maybe schools will buy into your ideas

Willow08:





My brother, You shouldn't give up, if you want to build your house to your taste, you need to get an architect that is like minded. choose a very easy to understand but beautiful house design, there should be less wall but large spaces,instead of demarcating the kitchen why don't u leave it with the lounge. thereby reducing expenditures. I saw a post by a man who claimed that such designs led to technical problems...what technical problem? we always want easy things which is not helping at all. we also have abundance of wood so i think buying cheap shouldn't be a problem. while building always inspect and correct few mistakes made here or there. And God bless if you are an interior designer. it will be quite easy to in corporate designs found on-line.

Glass! , many people don't know what beauty beholds a house with glass walls and frame-less doors. the figure below shows example of smart designs with cheap expenditures. polished wooden glass walls and windows and doors will do, especially if you are building a bali styled house (fig Unit12 voor) . cheap but beautiful,you don't need curtains rather go for window blinds. by the way, do we use window blinds in Nigeria?, its definitely alien to most Nigerians (smh)

@fastshipping. can't you replicated this bedroom if you were to supervise a carpenter? (Fig 4-Bedroom-design) .There is nothing special there. its just the choice of design that made the bedroom stunningly beautiful with simple details. as you can see, the light made it more rich in colours. we must incorporate all these elements when designing a house. don't be afraid to try new things.

Well, i can't speak for others but as for my family mansion, the living room is a blend of wooden walls, glass wall and window blind. But the insecurity that comes with it scares alot of Nigerians from this window concept. Me self fear before I no go lie.

The first is just the replica of the living room but with wooden walls.

skimanski:



There is a clear reason why people do not like your work. Because u do interior design for your self and not for your client that gives you the project. Maybe schools will buy into your ideas

I work with my client to get the best result. I give them room to think on what the idea of theirs homes will be like. bro u won't understand.

meanwhile...

Onegai:


Don't take this the wrong way, but that paint job you posted is horrendous. Clashing colours and the pattern is too busy. It looks like you were replicating a cheap copy of a fashion designer's main pattern and colour. Please try and study Paint and Colour under a visual artist. Please

when it comes to interior works am guru.
I create my own designs and patterns. am not limited to what I learn. I go extra mile and do things in unique way. studying paint and colour under visual art... is like following someone idea.
can't I create some thing differs? you said my works are too horrendous.
what about this?

Willow08:


Glass! , many people don't know what beauty beholds a house with glass walls and frame-less doors. the figure below shows example of smart designs with cheap expenditures. polished wooden glass walls and windows and doors will do, especially if you are building a ....

Do you know how expensive it is to replace glass walls/doors if they get broken?

How about constantly cleaning them?

If you live or want to build outside the cities, do you know how hard it is to find professionals that can fix these things if they go bad?

You think your designs are cheap... In the short run they may be cheap... But in the long run, the cost of maintenance can drive one mad.

How practical is it to use wall papers in a house with 3 or 4 young children? How many times will one change wall papers after children have written graffiti on them or torn them?

Is it only well educated people that will be living the house? Neighbours nko? If people from village or outside town come to visit you and stay a while, your house will be a mess...

I know wat I'm talking about ... We have those soft fancy double/hot-cold taps installed at home.... I can't count how many times I have to call plumber to replace the taps when they begin to leak cos of soft seal or get broken when overturned by visitors.

Since then I have been replacing the soft fancy taps with those strong cast bronze-iron taps.. I can't remember the last time I called plumber.

Those bedrooms with lot of space in them... A typical Nigerian woman cannot live there... You see the kinds of luggage Nigerian women carry when traveling ... At home, where do u think they keep all those things? That is why bedrooms are always stuffy.

You designs look cheap and simple ... But in the long run, they are expensive because they are not durable and will need to be replaced at least every three years.

We don't sit on chairs in Nigeria we sink into chairs. If naija children jump on those ur simple /soft foreign bed and chairs, u will not recognize them again wen u com bak from work.

One man's poison is another man's meat. Do u know if people in other countries find Nigerian architecture beautiful and appealing?

How will your designs add value to the economy since everything is imported?

What about weather ... Humidity ... Heavy rain fall... Terrain factors? In areas with heavy rainfall /water/humidity ... U can't just build des types of house except u want problem.

Morewealth121:


when it comes to interior works am guru.
I create my own designs and patterns. am not limited to what I learn. I go extra mile and do things in unique way. studying paint and colour under visual art... is like following someone idea.
can't I create some thing differs? you said my works are too horrendous.
what about this?

You know what, never mind. I just re-read your comment ans you boldly stated that Nigerians don't know good interior design. Well, there's no point continuing the conversation. Take care, all the best.

Onegai:
Willow08

Some of us don't really like Modern Contemporary (though I love the use of light). For me, I would pay an interior designer well to give me an African Colonial house, complete wih a blend of African and English furnishings, natural materials mostly and of course glass. I want my home to be out of the ordinary and i would prefer natural grass than artificial. I wish I could post a pic of my sister's lawn as it's so nice (Lekki). Also I rarely see Landscape architects here.

And there are some stunning houses in Lagos, but you haven't been inside to appreciate them.

I think that is the knowledge that is usually lacking amongst most Nigerian designers & their clients; oftentimes they both do not even know the design style they are working towards. You walk into a space and you can't tell if it is Contemporary, Classical, Art Deco or any other style for that matter. The designers & their clients just lump together different elements from all the styles they can think of, hence the spaces end up having no character at all. A classical design, must be a classical design, and all the elements therein must reflect this reality. For instance, Cornices have no place in a Contemporary interior - they belong to classical design; just the way the artichoke lamp or a Barcelona chair will look out of place in a Classical interior.

I don't trust south Africa cause of their xenophobic behavior.. I like your presentation but no to south Africa...

Willow08:
oh!...good, i plan on getting a house plan here in s.a, by then a year must have been spent doing the design courses which i haven't chosen yet. The guy recommended to you, can he handle south African bali designs? because i'll need someone with some sense of creativity, even if it takes 3 yrs to build and design a house. it will be worth the wait.

U talking abt full glass doors. What abt the children, wont they skata the door for you?

skimanski:



It boils down to what I said about the contractor that does your house. Because people have done bad jobs in the past, others are then scarred of involving in brave architecture. My advise for people like that is make sure you are involving in someone that has proved to you already that he can deliver. Talking about Cantilevers, I'm sure this building below has enough Cantilever to scare you. But its a Cantilever thats save because the length of the Cantilevered porting is less than half of the full beam body

Bros, the cantilevers in our house are many and it looks like the ones below(in your post). I can see this house made use of the space below with nice designs but ours don't have any design. It's just space.

However, what do you think can be done to a house that has a licking rooftop made of cements.

Will the licking roof cause damages? What kind of damages?

Can one build on the deck with this kind of roofing style (below picture) or with whatever you think is best?

We may require your service to design, for reconstruction and interior design. Thanks

since1914:


I think that is the knowledge that is usually lacking amongst most Nigerian designers & their clients; oftentimes they both do not even know the design style they are working towards. You walk into a space and you can't tell if it is Contemporary, Classical, Art Deco or any other style for that matter. The designers & their clients just lump together different elements from all the styles they can think of, hence the spaces end up having no character at all. A classical design, must be a classical design, and all the elements therein must reflect this reality. For instance, Cornices have no place in a Contemporary interior - they belong to classical design; just the way the artichoke lamp or a Barcelona chair will look out of place in a Classical interior.

Thanks for this. I'm baffled to see cornices in them. And I'm no architect but an Art lover so I've studied a bit on buildings and design. I already have an architect in mind for when I'm ready to build. At least I'll get what I want.

I'd to encourage landscape designers as well to step up their game. Lagos is changing and there is a need for them. Some few people are in it quietly making money because their clients are the elite and upcomers wanting to take their place in society.

since1914:


I think that is the knowledge that is usually lacking amongst most Nigerian designers & their clients; oftentimes they both do not even know the design style they are working towards. You walk into a space and you can't tell if it is Contemporary, Classical, Art Deco or any other style for that matter. The designers & their clients just lump together different elements from all the styles they can think of, hence the spaces end up having no character at all. A classical design, must be a classical design, and all the elements therein must reflect this reality. For instance, Cornices have no place in a Contemporary interior - they belong to classical design; just the way the artichoke lamp or a Barcelona chair will look out of place in a Classical interior.

Can you please show me a picture of a classical design, contemporary designs and medieval design(are they called classical)

OP, I agree 100% Nigerian architectural style is rubbish. You see people building all sorts of hideous structures, no style. Even the so called super rich. Clutter is all you see in their homes.

Again, lighting and wall colour choices (interior and exterior) are the worst I have seen anywhere in Nigeria. Good lighting can make ugly/inappropriate colours better, creating a good ambiance. Bad colours and lighting alters your mood and makes you want to kill sb! How do you decide to paint your home blue or red for heavens sake?

For things to be better, government needs to step in and partner with the artisan unions. You can't learn/pick up masonry, carpentry, painting or any other trade on the roadside anymore! We need training institutes and certifications for such people.
This will address the cause of this issue and other bad jobs that causes building collapse.

AsAPRocky:
This house is in south africa, when can we start seeing houses like these in Nigeria: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/travel/travel_news/article-3092888/Every-room-view-360-degree-panorama-mountain-sea-deluxe-South-African-mansion-built-landscape.html

This building was built by soata. A South African architecture based firm.. I love their work and going to work with them soon

Architects who will give you these and much more are within Nigeria. Architects' services are underrated and that is the major reason you have all sorts of buildings around. I am an architect with about ten years experience and have first hand experience on why our built environment is below par.

BlackBaron:
Love this.
Nigerians have mostly never heard of sconces, floating shelf, open plan kitchen, landscaping, downlights, and even inspiring pop designs.

For furniture, Chesterfield sofas, death star lamps or even minimalistic furnishings.
The level of artisanship is poor and mostly left to those who picked up their knowledge from one older person in their community.

Quite a few are trained up to graduate level for these sorts, but their services are yet to trickle down to a point most Nigerians can afford.

check your average architecture faculty building in universities and see how uninspiring their buildings are. The kind of teaching materials and methods used.. Is way behind the world War 2 era.. We are losing creativity. ... Education these days is themed towards getting good grades to secure a good job rather than Unlocking your hidden talents and developing on what you have learnt.