I never realised airers could be pretty until I spotted this colourful one from the Brabantia x Yinka Ilori collaboration – it turns everyday items into works of art
It's like adding Vitamin D to your home
When you think about the everyday items in your home - your bin, ironing board or clothes airer, for example - do you ever consider them to be beautiful?
I’ll wager you barely even notice such household items, let alone consider them beautiful. Yinka Ilori OBE’s new collaboration with Brabantia is here to change that. The collection, titled ‘There is Magic in Joy ’, takes the best kitchen bins or even the best airers and turns them into works of art.
I had the pleasure of sitting down with Yinka to discuss his latest bold and colourful collection (the Yinka Ilori x Dunelm collection impressing the Ideal Home team in the summer). After discussing the importance of colour and joyfulness in his work, I was convinced every area of your home should add joy to your life.
At an in-person preview of the collection, this airer jumped out to me. It's playful and bold, making an everyday chore that little bit more joyful. Plus, it's an airer you'll actually want on show.
Yinka told me ironing was one of his favourite daily rituals - dating back to getting ready for Church on a Sunday as a child. As a result, this colourful ironing board has been created with the sole purpose of making you smile.
It wouldn't be a Brabantia collection without the inclusion of a bin. I wasn't sure how I felt about patterned bins, but this one has won me over. I actually love how bold it is - and, it's incredibly handy for waste separation, too, with two handy compartments.
British-Nigerian artist and designer Yinka Ilori is well known for his use of bold colour and intricate detailing within his designs. He’s a master of creating a kaleidoscope of colour, and the most recent Brabantia collection is no exception.
The collection includes statement bins, a bold, colourful airer, and ironing board and lunchbox accessories. Yellow and pink feature heavily throughout the designs, with Yinka even telling me they’re two of his favourite colours to work with.
‘I was really interested in seeing how you could reimagine an everyday object into something that is a ritual that we do daily. But how can that ritual become a ritual of joy?’ Yinka told me.
‘And I think having slogans and artworks on things that we use daily within our home, I think, can really kind of shape our day, our moods, and really kind of change the way we look at kitchen utensils and kitchen objects within the home space.’
What struck me as someone who has a small home and a really small kitchen was that this latest Brabantia collection contained items that look like pieces of decor, rather than functional items. For example, I don’t have a tumble dryer, so my bog-standard grey clothes horse is on show the majority of the time in my home. Since seeing the HangOn Drying Rack (£99) in person, I like the idea of my clothes horse adding colour to my space, rather than looking unsightly.
‘I thought there’s something quite playful about the drying rack because of all the kinds of block colours. I mean, for me, I might put my socks in the yellow section, and I might put my t-shirts in the purple section. So I think there's also something quite playful that kids might find interesting about, you know, an object that we see daily,’ Yinka added.
‘People shouldn’t be nervous by color. For me, it's just like doctors saying to you, you know, you need vitamin D from the sun, right? You know, for your skin, it's good for your body. It brings you joy. It's the same thing as, you know, as if you are around colour and around affirmation, it will uplift your mood and change your home space.’
So as we head into winter, and Vitamin D starts to wane, consider finding yours in colourful and joyful home decor. I saw that the Yink Ilori x Brabantia collection is a good place to start.
