Words by Pearl Boyd
Shoreditch House member and designer Eva Sonaike has created a collection for Soho Home and it’s a luxurious mix of earthy shades, bold patterns and contemporary shapes.
Driven by her passion for African fabrics and interior design, Eva Sonaike set up her company in 2009 with a mission to bring the vibrancy of African colours and aesthetics to the home-décor and interior design market. Her signature print and pattern-heavy pieces are characterised by their African feel and bright colours.
The Soho Home collection focuses on Eva’s distinctive West African aesthetic and unflinching use of colour and pattern with exclusive Soho Home pieces, reworked in Sonaike’s Ijoba and Okan fabrics. The collection includes hand-knotted rugs, Panama cushions, travertine lamps and House classics in joyous print which recall the tropical greens and rich tones of Aburi botanical gardens in Ghana.
Eva founded her eponymous homeware brand in 2009 with a dream of ‘bringing colour to life’, an ethos that’s reflected in her array of vibrant, patterned pieces. Throughout her childhood in Southern Germany, Sonaike was inspired by her family home, a space alive with eclectic furniture, art and artefacts from her parents’ native Nigeria – something that heavily influenced her signature aesthetic.
Each design represents a time, place or feeling
– Eva Sonaike
Sonaike elevates each hand-drawn print with vibrant colours and lively geometrics, taking elements from African clothing and European antique furniture traditions. She says: “I think every creative is a storyteller. Each design represents a time, place or feeling, and the prints I’ve used for this collection are inspired by a visit to the Aburi Botanical Gardens in Ghana. It’s a different take on the idea of floral.”
The collaboration between Eva Sonaike and Soho Home, is available to shop online at sohohome.com
