The Melting Pot of Multicultural Designs
Excellence from diversity
The World’s 50 Best Restaurants in 2025 was announced recently. The top-ranked UK restaurant, at number 15, is not by a celebrity chef like Gordon Ramsay or Heston Blumenthal. Instead, the accolade went to Ikoyi, a convention-defying two Michelin star restaurant. Founded by a Hong Kong-Canadian chef and a Nigerian front of house, serving dishes with West African influences using British produce, it is no surprise that Ikoyi is in London, perhaps the most cosmopolitan city in the world.
The diversity of the culinary scene and the pre-eminence of London as a global city are not the only examples of multicultural success in Britain. The Premier League, which runs the best football league in the world, may be British (English to be precise) but is dominated by international players. From banking and professional services to arts and culture and higher education, many of the most successful aspects in Britain are also some of the most cosmopolitan. The common thread running through them is people. To succeed in today’s globalised world (especially in the service industry) you need to attract the best talent from around the world. The best international talent are attracted to places that are stable, open-minded and cosmopolitan - melting pots where diversity engenders excellence. You can see the same effect in the world of design, where some of the most interesting and thought-provoking works have strong multicultural influences.
London-based Anglo-Indian duo Nipa Doshi and Jonathan Levien are masters at combining the rich visual culture of India with the precision of industrial design. The My Beautiful Backside sofa for Moroso and the Shanty Cabinet for BD are great examples of their work.
Yinka Ilori is another London designer with an eye for colour. His bold and colourful patterns, which draw on his British and Nigerian heritage, have adorned everything from graphics and architecture to tableware and fashion. These works proclaim his cultural identity with great elan and are infectiously joyful.
Artist and designer Mac Collins channels his Afro-Carribbean heritage and British upbringing to create highly refined works with a raw, almost primitive edge. He first caught the design world’s attention with the Iklwa Chair, which he created for his university graduation project. The chair, with its grand sunburst seat back, is inspired by tribal thrones and is designed to make the oppressed feel empowered.
If African style seems to be having a bit of a moment, it is at least partly due to the influence of British-Ghanaian architect David Adjaye. Despite his personal reputational issues, Adjaye remains hugely influential for his ability to address complex historical and cultural issues through architecture. Buildings such as the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture and the 130 William residential tower in New York are masterclasses on how to showcase diverse cultural influences, especially from Africa.
New York based Chris Wolston is also inspired by non-Western cultures. After studying in Ghana and Columbia, he opened a second studio in Medellin where he collaborates with local artisans. His furniture and other objects have a unique contemporary figurative style that evokes the spirt of indigenous South American traditions and magical realism.
Last but not least, Asian art and culture has long inspired design. A new generation of Asian designers are able to interpret Eastern influences in a contemporary setting without any hint of pastiche. A great example is Neri & Hu, who run a thriving architecture and design practice in Shanghai after training and establishing their careers in the US. The furniture they design, such as the Cabinet of Curiosity for Stellar Works, are infused with motifs and references from Chinese culture but yet feel utterly contemporary.
Hong Kong based Andre Fu is perhaps the most in demand interior designer from Asia. His signature style blends Oriental and Western ideals of luxury, creating spaces that are effortlessly elegant and timeless.
In addition to these designers, a new breed of Asian furniture brands, such as Stellar Works from China, Ritzwell from Japan, District Eight from Vietnam and Eastern Edition from South Korea, are leading the way to bring this modern Asian aesthetic to a broader international audience. Expect to see them making a bigger splash on your Instagram feed soon.
For more inspiring products with multicultural design come visit us at www.do-shop.com.
BEAUTIFUL !
As for Ikoyi ... at £350 for the tasting menu dinner and £150 for the "shorter lunch": plenty of choice for (almost) any purse size 👛 !