Tosin Oshinowo

Tosin Oshinowo is a Nigerian architect, creative entrepreneur, public speaker and author.^[1][2]

Tosin Oshinowo
Nationality	Nigerian
Known for	Architecture of Maryland Mall
Notable work	CmDesign Atelier, Ile-ila: House of Lines

Known for her works on the design of Maryland Mall in Lagos, Tosin is a graduate of Architecture from Kingston College London and had her master's degree in Urban designs from Bartlett School of Architecture, University College London.^[3] Having worked on a number of projects in various Architectural firms in Europe and Africa, Tosin incorporated her own Architectural Design Consultancy firm, CmDesign Atelier in 2012.^[4][1] Tosin Oshinowo is also the Founder and Chief Executive of Lifestyle furniture line, Ile ila (House of Lines).^[5][6] Tosin is a member of Nigerian Institute of Architects (NIA) and also a registered architect with Architects Registration Council of Nigeria (ARCON)^[4] In 2019, Oshinowo was featured in the Polaris catalogue produced by Visual Collaborative, she was interviewed alongside other practitioners from around the world.^[7]

Career

Tosin's choice of career as an Architect was primarily informed by tendencies indicated at an early stage of life. In an interview she granted Omenkaonline.com, Tosin attributes her choice to self-discovery of her creativity, her success in Technical Drawing while in high school, and her innate ability to understand drawings at her tender age of twelve, as well as her exposure to site works accompanying her father to site when his retirement home was being built.^[8]

Early Practice: London to Rotterdam (2007–2009)

Shortly after her education, before leaving London, Tosin worked with Skidmore Owning and Merril's LLP London^[1] between June and October 2007 after which she moved to Metropolitan Architecture in Rotterdam from January 2008 to January 2009, where she was part of a team of six that designed the proposed double-decker Forth Mainland Bridge meant to link Ajah and Ikorodu, in Lagos State.^[9][10]

James Cubitt Architects Nigeria

In January, 2009, after training in Europe and few years of practice, Tosin returned to Nigeria and joined James Cubitt Architects where she worked on the Nigerian Liquefied Natural Gas (NLNG) projects as lead architect, a project which Tosin, in an interview granted Future Lagos' Ayo Denton, said taught her involvement of stakeholders during design process.^[9] Tosin worked with James Cubitt for four years. On leaving James Cubitt Architects, Tosin floated her own Architecture firm, CmDesign Atelier (cmD+A) in 2012, it is with this imprint that Tosin, as Team Lead designed Maryland Mall, Lagos (referred to as the Big Black Box by livingspace.net )^[11] among other projects the firm has worked on.

SHO-N-TELL

Tosin Oshinowo is the convener of Sho-n-Tell, an annual event series that creates a platform for undergraduate and postgraduate students of the University of Lagos to share the same studio with practicing professionals in order to enhance their learning through exposure to the professionals' wealth of experience. The event series held from 2009 to 2014^[12]

Ile Ila

Ile Ila (House of Lines), a contemporary Nigerian lifestyle furniture line, was founded by Tosin Oshinowo in 2017. The brand has had prominent Nigerian Entertainment acts including Adekunle Gold and Chidinma feature in different campaigns as muse.^[13][14]

While her architectural aesthetic utilizes a minimalistic approach, the furniture designs of Ile Ila draw on the opposite end of the vibrancy spectrum and are known for its bold, colorful expressions. Tosin's collections are handmade in Lagos incorporating iconic traditional West African fabrics and Nigerian teak wood^[15]

References

1. Daniel Azania (September 23, 2018). "Tosin Oshinowo: A Damsel In Men's Structural World". The Guardian. Retrieved October 27, 2018.
2. "Tosin Oshinowo: Inspired to break the glass ceiling". Guardian Woman. The Guardian. June 4, 2016. Retrieved October 27, 2018.
3. Nigeria, Guardian (2018-09-23). "Tosin Oshinowo: A Damsel In Men's Structural World". The Guardian Nigeria News - Nigeria and World News. Retrieved 2023-07-26.
4. "Why MARYLAND Mall Was Painted Black, LAGOS Architect, TOSIN OSHINOWO Reveals | City People Magazine". City People Magazine. 2017-06-19. Retrieved 2018-04-25.
5. "About – Ilé Ilà (House of Lines)". www.ile-ila.com. Retrieved 2018-04-25.
6. "ILE ILA FORMALLY LAUNCHES CHAIR COLLECTION WITH AD CAMPAIGN FEATURING ADEKUNLE GOLD | livin spaces". livin spaces. 2017-04-25. Retrieved 2018-04-28.
7. Agbana, Rotimi (2 April 2019). "Shehab, Bobby, Tosin Oshinowo, others featured on Visual Collaborative". Vanguard (Nigeria). Retrieved 2 May 2019.
8. Enwonwu, Oliver (December 2016). "Breaking the Mould with Tosin Oshinowo-Omenka Online". www.omenkaonline.com. Retrieved 2018-05-03.
9. "FUTURE LAGOS | Interview with young architect Tosin Oshinowo | Future Cape Town". futurecapetown.com. Retrieved 2018-05-16.
10. "Tosin Oshinowo: The architect through whose eyes Lagos is reinventing itself". The Nerve Africa. 2017-08-13. Retrieved 2018-05-28.
11. "BUILT: THE MARYLAND MALL (A.K.A. THE BIG BLACK BOX) IN LAGOS BY CMD+A | livin spaces". livin spaces. 2016-07-01. Retrieved 2018-05-16.
12. "WOMEN WE LOVE WEDNESDAYS: TOSIN OSHINOWO – TW Magazine Website". TW Magazine Website. 2016-10-05. Retrieved 2018-05-28.
13. "Adekunle Gold afrocentric for ilé Ilà Campaign – PM NEWS Nigeria". PM NEWS Nigeria. 2017-04-21. Retrieved 2018-05-28.
14. "Here Are The Colorful Designs From 'Àdùnní Chair' Collection By Nigerian Furniture Brand, Ilé-Ilà With Chidinma Ekile – Glam Africa". www.glamafrica.com. 2018-03-30. Retrieved 2018-05-28.
15. "From Architecture to Art: Tosin Oshinowo". www.54kibo.com. 54kibo. Retrieved 3 March 2020.