Mary Nnah
In a bold move to revolutionise the interior design industry, the President of the Interior Designers Association of Nigeria (IDAN), Ms. Jacqueline Aki, has called on designers to harness the power of artificial intelligence (AI) and emotive design to create spaces that heal, liberate, and uplift.
Speaking at the IDAN celebration of the 2025 World Interiors Day, with the theme: “Designing with Emotion; Building with Intelligence,” in Lagos recently, Aki emphasised the need for designers to lean into three powerful intersections, which are “Emotive design – the ability to create spaces that connect deeply with human emotion. Not just beautiful spaces, but healing, liberating and uplifting spaces.”
“Designers must have live experience, which is understanding how design is received, inhabited, and remembered. How does a space feel at 8 a.m. versus 8 p.m.? How it supports joy, inclusion, dignity,” she said.
Aki also highlighted the role of AI in design, stating, “AI is not a replacement for creativity, but as a collaborator and aggregator. A tool to extend our thinking, not override it. The challenge before us is to integrate intelligence—human and machine – with emotional and ethical clarity.
“To ensure that technology serves human-centred design, not the other way around.”
Aki added, “Today is more than a date on the calendar. It is a global affirmation of the value of our work – the unseen hands, the thinking minds, the empathetic hearts behind the spaces where people live, heal, gather, and grow.”
“Our theme this year, ‘Designing with Emotion; Building with Intelligence,’ could not be more timely. It asks us to consider not only what we design, but how and why. It challenges us to create with empathy, to build with insight, and to lead with the awareness that our work has consequences – social, cultural, psychological, and environmental,” she added.
Aki emphasised that these intersections are not abstract, but require every designer to listen better, share more, and co-create boldly.
“This is the spirit that will drive IDAN forward. This is the kind of leadership I am committed to advancing—with the support of our National Executive Committee, our community of members, and our many partners in the public and private sectors,” Aki stated.
Speaking on the theme, the Assistant Secretary General of IDAN, Dr. OmebaEjiogu, said, “We actually adapted this theme to make it feel more relatable to our audience here in Nigeria.
“The idea is simple: design isn’t just about how things look—it’s about how they make people feel and how well they function. Right now, it’s so important that our spaces do both – comfort people emotionally and work smartly in today’s world. That’s really what inspired us.”
On how IDAN was helping designers grow in Nigeria, Ejiogu said, “At IDAN, we’re all about building well-rounded designers. We want our members to have strong technical skills—but we also want them to design with empathy.”
Ejiogu expressed excitement about the future of the industry in Africa, saying, “I am so excited about the future. Africa is full of stories, materials, and ideas the world needs to see more of. My hope is that we keep building a design identity that’s proudly Afrocentric—authentic, bold, and innovative.”
She called on all designers across the world to keep innovating and advancing their crafts.
