- Project Type
- Residential Interior Furnishing & Lifestyle Supply
- Location
- Ikoyi, Lagos
- Timeline
- 8 weeks
- Status
- Completed & Handed Over
- Services Delivered
- Interiors & Furnishing, Lifestyle & Premium Goods, Fashion & Accessories, Décor & Lighting
A statement of atmosphere
The client — a senior executive returning to Lagos after fifteen years abroad — purchased a four-bedroom penthouse in Ikoyi with a clear instruction: "I want to walk in and feel like I never left London, but I want to know I am home."
The brief was not a list of products. It was a statement of atmosphere. The client wanted a space that reflected international sophistication without losing its Nigerian grounding. British restraint in the architecture. African warmth in the materials. And everywhere, the quiet confidence of quality.
- Full furnishing of living room, dining room, master bedroom, two guest bedrooms, and study
- Curated lifestyle accessories and home essentials
- Personal wardrobe consultation and fashion accessories sourcing
- Lighting design and ambient control
- Complete setup within 8 weeks (client relocating from London)
- Full documentation and handover with care instructions
Three constraints defined this project
Timeline
Eight weeks is aggressive for full interior furnishing, particularly when sourcing from multiple countries. The client was arriving with luggage and expected a fully functioning home.
Taste Alignment
The client had lived in London, New York, and Dubai. Their taste was international, minimal, and precise. Finding pieces that matched this sensibility while sourcing primarily within West Africa and Europe required careful curation.
Quality Verification
The client had experienced luxury retail in multiple markets and had a trained eye for quality. There was no margin for misrepresentation. Every piece had to be exactly what we claimed it was.
Eight weeks, end to end
- Week 1–2
Consultation & Sourcing
A three-hour consultation at the property — measuring every room, photographing every angle, and discussing the client’s daily routine. We developed a sourcing plan across four channels: Nigeria for custom woodwork and ceramics, Turkey for lighting and soft furnishings, Italy for leather goods and select furniture, and the United Kingdom for personal wardrobe and lighting controls.
- Week 3–4
Inspection & Verification
Our sourcing team travelled to Istanbul to inspect lighting fixtures and textiles in person, rejecting three suppliers whose products did not match their samples. In Lagos, we visited five local artisans before selecting one whose woodwork met our standard — Ghanaian teak with a Danish oil finish. Every item was photographed, documented, and approved by the client remotely before shipment.
- Week 5–6
Delivery & Installation
Products arrived in three shipments, coordinated through Fitzgerald Meelk Limited. Installation ran over five days: furniture placement and assembly, soft furnishing, lighting installation and ambient calibration, accessories and styling, then final inspection and snag-list completion.
- Week 7
Styling & Personalisation
The final layer: the objects that make a house feel lived-in. Books selected for the client’s taste. A curated bar setup. Fresh flowers in hand-thrown ceramic vases. And in the study, a leather desk pad and brass accessories that would patina with use.
- Week 8
Handover
A two-hour handover walking the client through every room — the origin of each piece, the care instructions, and the reasoning behind every placement — with a complete photographed inventory, material care instructions, supplier contacts, and a 30-day and 90-day follow-up schedule.
Room by room
Living Room
- Custom teak media unit (Ghanaian teak, Danish oil finish)
- Italian leather sofa and armchairs (full-grain, hand-stitched)
- Turkish silk and wool area rug
- Brass and marble coffee table
- Curated art pieces from three Nigerian artists
- Ambient lighting system with dimmer controls
Dining Room
- Solid oak dining table (seats 8, extendable)
- Leather-upholstered dining chairs
- Hand-blown glass pendant lighting
- Complete tableware set (dinner, salad, dessert, service)
- Linen napkins and table runners
Master Bedroom
- King-size upholstered bed frame
- Egyptian cotton bedding (600 thread count)
- Cashmere throw and accent cushions
- Bedside tables with integrated lighting
- Full-length mirror with brass frame
- Walk-in wardrobe organisation system
Study
- Executive desk (teak and leather)
- Ergonomic leather desk chair
- Brass desk accessories set
- Leather-bound notebook and pen set
- Adjustable task lighting
Guest Bedrooms (×2)
- Queen-size beds with premium bedding
- Bedside tables and lamps
- Wardrobe furnishing
- En-suite bathroom accessories
Lifestyle & Accessories
- Personal wardrobe consultation (15 pieces sourced)
- Leather weekender bag
- Wristwatch (verified, documented)
- Fragrance collection (4 scents, curated by space)
- Bar setup (crystal decanters, brass tools, curated spirits)
The engagement in numbers
I expected a furnished apartment. What I received was a home that understood me. Every piece has a story, every room has a purpose, and every morning I wake up feeling that someone thought about exactly how I live. The documentation was extraordinary — I know where everything came from, how to care for it, and who to call if I need anything. This is not interior design. This is curation at the highest level.
Client, Ikoyi Residence — shared with permission, name withheld for privacy.
Four lessons we carried forward
Time pressure sharpens curation.
The eight-week timeline forced decisive choices. We could not afford to hesitate or chase perfection at the expense of completion. The result was a space that felt intentional rather than overworked.
Physical inspection is irreplaceable.
We verified 60% of this project remotely through video calls and sample shipments. The remaining 40% required physical inspection. Those 40% were the pieces that defined the space.
Documentation is part of the product.
The client referenced our documentation more than once in their feedback. For a luxury client, knowing the provenance, care requirements, and supplier contacts is part of what they paid for.
The final 10% takes 50% of the time.
Furniture placement is fast. But the styling — the books, the flowers, the objects on the coffee table — is where the space comes alive. We now allocate two full days to styling on every residential project.
The completed residence
Speak with the house
If you are considering a similar project — residential, commercial, or hospitality — we would welcome the conversation.
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