Picture: Shiro Muchiri, Instagram
‘My aim is to introduce under-represented aesthetics and cultures into the design world,’ says Shiro Muchiri, who has recently launched SoShiro, a five-floor craft and design gallery in Welbeck Street, W1. Having studied interior architecture in Milan, Shiro moved to London and set up her own interior-design practice in 2000. ‘I was creating a lot of bespoke pieces for clients and eventually I built up the courage to design more for my own collections,’ says the designer, who has collaborated with several workshops in Italy for her new collection, as well as woodworkers from the Ainu community in northern Japan and beadwork artisans from Kenya, where she was born.
Ranging from furniture to smaller tabletop pieces, the collection is functional yet playful, including a ‘Herbal Wardrobe’, which is designed to be filled with plants and moved around on wheels. ‘It features an abstract motif of the Ainu protection symbol – a Blakiston’s fish owl,’ explains Shiro. She hopes to add two collections every year, with the next one launching this September in collaboration with the Cuban artist Alexandre Arrechea. Until April 2, the gallery is hosting Crafting a Difference, bringing together a curated edit of contemporary craft by makers across the world. A 3D virtual version of the exhibition is available to view online until the gallery can host in-person appointments.
Written by Elizabeth Metcalfe.
This article originally appeared on House & Garden UK.
