Rising stars

In the coming months, we'll be spotlighting the winners of our Next in Design initiative which champions fresh talent and diverse perspectives – all of these exciting creatives will share how they got here and where they see design going

- PIP RICH

Adura Design

'I gravitate towards brass and rust colours,' says Anu Akinyemi, founder of Adura Design. 'I like interiors to make you feel something as you enter them.' Hers is a rich take on decor, one that has seen Anu turn a plain five-bedroom house in St John's Wood, London, into a trove of deep colours, sumptuous textures and vividly patterned textiles. 'I was given four weeks to do that project, but instead of worrying about how I just got on with it,' Anu says. 'It felt like my big break.'

A career in design wasn't always going to be Anu's path. Growing up in Nigeria, local culture perceived creative careers as hobbies, something that wouldn't make you any money. 'But I loved reading floor plans even at a young age, working out how rooms could be improved.' She moved to Bournemouth to study architecture and interior design, and has since found ways to fuse her Nigerian and Cameroonian heritage with what she's learned in the UK. 'Africa is all about colours and how they can be layered sumptuously, while British design exposed me to materials like ceramics and how to curate them to create personality.' With two more London-based projects about to complete, Anu's goal is to bring African craftsmanship to the global stage. 'I want to show people how beautiful it can be,' she says.