Artist Yinka Ilori shares the story behind the development of Happiness Pillar Candles, his debut design for Areaware.

Restoration Station by Yinka Ilori

Chairs have played a central part in my works since I started in design. To me each chair can tell many stories about people, about power, about history. I like to convey this idea of a hidden narrative in all of my works - a story that can de discovered if you really want to look for the meaning in it.

When Areaware approached me about this project I was looking at some of my chair designs we have in our studio which I had created for my 'Types of Happiness’ installation in 2019. That project had brought me so much joy and I thought it would be interesting to carry this narrative over into a different form, looking specifically at the chair legs becoming the pillars of the candles.

Types of Happiness, "Strength"

Looking at the strong shapes and silhouettes of these chair legs, I started to sketch some ideas on paper, bringing in the bright signature colours that I use in my works to incite happiness and positivity, mixing them up between candle shapes. I want these candles to act as art pieces in their own right - to make a statement as part of a room and that have this story behind them to be discovered.