Yinka Ilori creates space with a sense of warmth and optimism for Veuve Clicquot
British-Nigerian designer Yinka Ilori has created a colourful installation at Milan design week to mark the launch of his Chasing the Sun gift collection for champagne brand Veuve Clicquot.
Set within a baroque former church, the installation combined Ilori's playful, colourful style with Veuve Clicquot's signature sun-colour featured on its champagne labels since 1877.
At the centre of the installation is a mono-colour seating area topped with a sun-like globe, which was designed as a space to retreat from the bustle of the design week.
"During Salone, there's so much energy, movement, and stimulation everywhere, so this was about offering a counterpoint to that, a place to slow down, breathe, and reset," Ilori told Dezeen.
"The installation is about creating a space you can step into and instantly feel a shift," he continued.
"I'd love people to feel like they're stepping into a bit of a journey, not just mine, or Veuve Clicquot's, but their own as well. More than anything, I want it to feel calm."
Surrounding the central seating area were a series of orange columns topped with lights framed with open hands.
"At the centre is a large sun-like dome, holding that sense of warmth and optimism," said Ilori. "Around it, you'll see hands coming together as symbols of connection and community."
"There are also quieter moments designed for pause and reflection. It's ultimately a space to stop, take a moment for yourself, and feel a sense of calm and togetherness within all the excitement," he continued.
The space also includes a display area for a range of gifts Ilori designed for the champagne brand, along with a cafe and outdoor seating area – all decorated using the same colour palette.
Both the installation and gift collection were named Chasing the Sun, which alludes to the idea of searching for joy.
"The space is about happiness and optimism, something we're all searching for in our own way," said Ilori.
"I think we live in a world where everyone's chasing something, success, validation, the next thing, and I wanted this installation to shift that focus towards chasing joy instead," he continued.
"For me, joy looks like brightness, it's the colour yellow, it's the sun. It's something that really connects back to my experiences growing up and spending time in Nigeria, where that warmth, light and energy are just part of everyday life."
The installation was created to mark the launch of the gift collection for Veuve Clicquot designed by Ilori.
Each of the pieces in the collection and the wider installation shares the same visual language, which was partly informed by Ilori's Nigerian heritage.
"They share the same visual and emotional language," he explained. "Both are grounded in joy, optimism, and warmth, expressed through those bold pinks, oranges, and yellows that evoke sunlight, energy, and celebration."
"There's also a strong continuity in the symbols used across both. The hands speak to making, craft, and togetherness, while the circles reference the sun, something constant, cyclical, and life-giving," he continued.
"My Nigerian heritage connects the two as well. The calabash was an important influence in the thinking behind both the collection and the space. In Nigerian culture, it's both a vessel and something people gather around, so it carries ideas of function, community, and shared experience."
The collection itself includes a curved champagne bucket and carry case that recall the form of the calabash, while a bottle stopper features two hands cupping a sun.
It also includes a bottle tin in the form of an arrow with a location printed on it, along with the distance between that place and Veuve Clicquot headquarters in Reims, France.
"I was hoping to invite people to stop for a moment and remember what brings them joy," said Ilori. "Life moves quickly, and it's easy to lose sight of the things that make you feel happy, connected, and alive."
"Through the collection, I also wanted to create pieces that bring people and communities together, to spark those moments of joy in shared space and experience," he continued.
Previously Ilori designed the Man of the Match trophies for Africa Cup of Nations, a clothing collection for North Face and a Courvoisier bar inside Selfridges.
The photography is by Bruno Vegetti.
Chasing the Sun took place at Mediateca Santa Teresa, Via della Moscova 28, Milan during Milan design week. See Dezeen Events Guide for more architecture and design events around the world.
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