London-based artist and designer Yinka Ilori shares five of his favorite things.

Photo by Andy Stagg
It’s no surprise that London-based Yinka Ilori was one of the highlights of the Shoreditch Design Triangle during last year’s London Design Festival. The heavily exhibited artist and designer studied furniture and product design at London Metropolitan University and since then has carved a much-deserved niche for himself in the design world with his upcycled furniture. With so much senseless waste he’s witnessed in the European and West African cultures, Ilori utilizes some of that waste (discarded furniture) and gives it new life by giving a fresh purpose to the reclaimed materials. Known for their bright colors and graphic prints, his signature revitalized chairs take inspiration from his Nigerian heritage, specifically Nigerian parables and African fabrics, giving each one their own story to tell. The recent Frieze New York art fair marked a global partnership with water brand LIFEWTR®, who have made a commitment to supporting up-and-coming artists, one of them being Ilori. He was one of three artists brought to New York to unveil their artwork at Frieze on the bottles of LIFEWTR’s fifth bottle series, Art Beyond Borders, with Ilori’s bottle featuring an eye-catching, colorful design. Read on to see what favorite things this emerging designer chose, in this week’s Friday Five.
1. Brompton Folding Bike

I am so attached to m...