FIVE MINUTES WITH KUNLE DINA
Luxury they say is for the discerning man or woman and a growing number of affluent Nigerian consumers are viewing luxury purchases as “lifestyle” rather than “celebratory” acquisitions. Kunle Dina a born artist and interior designer also known as the ‘Kitchen Guru’ for almost ten years, has been bringing luxury to people’s homes through his interior designs providing luxury fixed finishing and kitchens. Kunle’s progression into the design world was natural. After 12+ years working for top local and global corporations, Kunle acquired a rare grounding in execution structure and discipline, which, combined with his natural flare for style and detail, earned him a unique MO. This MO has become the hallmark of all Luca Visage projects, from the classic, to the avant-garde, he is an interior designer extraordinaire.
What is Luca Visage?
Luca Visage is an Interior Design company. We are actually an Interior Design and Execution company. We have been in business for quite a few years going to ten years now and, basically, what we do is in two divisions. We have a contract division, where we do planning, procurement and project management for everything that has to do with the interiors of a building, usually at the construction stage and usually for large projects; then, we have a retail business, where we are the dealers for some very important brands, including, Scavolini, the number one Italian kitchen brand for over thirty years.
There are quite a number of divisions within Interior Design, so to speak. We just specialize in Fixed-Finishes, which occur mostly during the construction phase versus soft finishing, or furnishing, which actually happens afterwards. So we are more focused on elements such as tiles and slabs, kitchens, bathrooms, lighting, and the likes. We design the space for the client and subsequently help to match materials, confirm that the materials can be executed, that they are within budget, easy to maintain and safe. These are parameters that are crucial in Design versus in Decoration where we are mostly looking at the aesthetical quality of a concept. And, to that extent, Design is closer to Architecture and inherently more technical. Over the past nine years, we have been involved with more than a thousand units of housing, in various capacities.
At what point did you know and decide to make this a business?
That’s a good question. I have always wanted to do business. I have always been an entrepreneur by nature and having worked with some very good companies for quite a number of years, doing Relationship Management, Strategy & Business Architecture, Supply Chain Management and Corporate Performance Management work, I realized that I was ready. But I was also quick to realize that, if I was going to start a business, I had to do something that I was inherently designed to do exceptionally well; at least exceptionally better than the average. It was clear at that point that design was the area. Most creative people like to be in a place where there is minimal structure and boundaries. But one needs to have structure in order to operate a business and be able to meet your customer’s demands consistently. I realized I had gone through the discipline of working in business. I had the luck to have acquired some qualities that are necessary for success in enterprise. And therefore, I felt I was in quite a unique place to be able to provide services, where we can understand the designs, the styles, the colours and concepts; but also execute to specification and on time, consistently.
How receptive has the Nigerian market been to this luxury brand of kitchens and bathroom?
We have been on a journey as a people when it comes to luxury products, and the same applies to premium kitchens and bathroom. 50 to 60 years ago, kitchens were built outside the building or next to the staff quarters, even in some of the most exclusive homes at a time in the GRAs. But over the years, the kitchen has found its rightful place. In this age of the Internet, easy travel, cable TV and Social
What kind of kitchens from your experience are Nigerian putting in the houses these days?
Various people have attained different levels of appreciation and sophistication when it comes to their kitchen choices. If you google “the most import room in a home”, the kitchen will overwhelmingly come up, because it has become the most important room in a home. In many part of the world, from the Scandinavian to North America, for example, the kitchen has become the number one status symbol, even beyond the car in some cases. The kitchen has also become a living area, a family rendezvous, a social space and an entertainment Centre. In the world that we now live in, with the Internet, cable TV and more, many Nigerians are in tune with the prevailing trends all around the world. So there is a bourgeoning group of Nigerians, regardless of income, who have come to attain that level of appreciation and sophistication. We are very happy with this group. There are also other groups that are gradually getting there. What we have learnt is that, people catch up rather quickly and it’s amazing how quickly this new reality has evolved here. So I would say that, overall, we’ve been very happy with the reception. This had also been made quite easy because we have a broad range of products for our customers. With forty distinct kitchen models, our portfolio is significantly accessible, regardless of the fact that we are dealing with fairly exclusive brands. So the market has been quite responsive and we are quite happy with the patronage. recently, for example, just to feed off the creative energy of some other people out there.
Any last words for inspiring interior designers and those who want Luca Visage to work on their space/ Projects?
We always say that the criterion for owning our products and designs is the ability to discern; the ability to tell the difference between A and B. Once you have that ability, then, we would be able to find something that suits you; something that suits your style and also your wallet or Gold Card as the case may be. The bottom-line, however, is that, you can rest assure you will always get exceptional value for your money. All our details are available online. And for the people who want to go into design, I’d say, there’s no better time than now. Primarily, because if you look at the life cycle of our industry, we could say that interior design is at the growth stage, if not the embryonic stage; meaning that, it is technically just starting and there is a lot of potential for growth. So, it is a good time to be in this profession but there’s no opportunity for the average or the mediocre.