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Friday Five with David Ajasa-Adekunle

This week’s Friday Five shares the mindset of architect David Ajasa-Adekunle, whose practice, Innovation Imperative, works across many disciplines. Since 2000, Ajasa-Adekunle has worked on everything from housing, lighting, ceramic tableware, furniture, and now, even a yacht. 2009 saw him nominated for ‘Young Architect of the Year’, while his initial yacht concept was shortlisted in ‘The International Yacht & Aviation Awards 2012‘ and he later met with Porsche Design Studio’s Design Director to discuss a collaboration. Remember tetra shed®? Well, Ajasa-Adekunle is the designer behind the modular building system we fell in love with, so, let’s take a look and see what makes this designer tick.

1. Self Build
One of my ambitions is to design and build my own home – an aspiration I’m sure I share with most architects. The concept design of the ‘dream’ home has evolved over many years – an intermittent indulgence which continues to evolve within the constraints of strict, self-imposed parameters.

2. Yachting
I have no real physical or emotional ties to the sea so I’m not really sure where my love of yachting comes from but that sense of absolute freedom felt on open water is second to none. I would say that my desire to design and build my own boat is on a par with designing and building my own home; equal in the sense of fulfillment but perhaps greater in the sense of achievement.

3. Bahia
On the Northeast coast of Brazil, Bahia remains one of my favorite holiday destinations. I’ve been several times and have seen much of this vast and diverse state which, in my opinion, boasts the most spectacular natural beauty in the country. I think my experiences on each visit have been partly shaped by my appearance; most locals assume I’m Bahian and so treat me as such, that is, until I open my mouth…

4. Bespoke Tailoring
Never really been a fan of ready-to-wear suits simply because I’ve yet to find an off-the-peg suit that works for me. I had my first bespoke suit made nearly 15 years ago, and surprisingly, it still fits. I love the whole process; from the selection of the fabrics to the confirmation of design details and contrary to common belief, the whole process need not cost much more than a good quality, off-the-peg suit.

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5. Maker Faire
Such a great idea. As Wikipedia puts it: ”Maker Faire is an event created by Make magazine to celebrate arts, crafts, engineering, science projects and the Do-It-Yourself (DIY) mindset”. Great to see this ‘movement’ continue to gather momentum.

Caroline Williamson is Editor-in-Chief of Design Milk. She has a BFA in photography from SCAD and can usually be found searching for vintage wares, doing New York Times crossword puzzles in pen, or reworking playlists on Spotify.