Ini Archibong presented the second instalment of his Below the Heavens furniture for Sé during Milan design week. In this interview, the designer says his aim is make objects that help you "escape your mundane reality".
Archibong debuted the first half of the 22-piece collection in 2018. Designed to reference elements of both heaven and earth, it features lights that evoke cloud formations and a table that references the sun rising up from the horizon.
The second series, unveiled at Spazio Rossana Orlandi in Milan this month, continues this theme, with tables that look like groups of rocks and a sofa that references flowers.
Ini Archibong makes furniture to help you "escape your mundane reality"
"I really can't make anything until I have some kind of visceral impetus, something pushing me, and something that I want to express and translate to people," explained the designer, who is also a Dezeen Awards 2019 judge. "Below the Heavens is a collection of pieces that allow you to escape your mundane reality while you're still here on earth, in your home," he told Dezeen.
Design "to elevate your soul"
Archibong is based in rural Switzerland, although he grew up on the outskirts of Los Angeles, with parents who had emigrated from Nigeria. Having started out in architecture, he moved over to industrial design, although he identifies more as an artist.
"I don't like the labels," he said. "I make emotional thin...