Lagos, Nigeria — furniture & architectural design

Objects built from togetherness.

I design furniture, lighting, and spaces that carry ideas of community, memory, and material craft — prototyped in XR before a single piece is cut.

Drag to turn the Apo Stool
Athanasius Johnson, studio portraits
Apo Lamp and Apo Stool installed in a warm-lit gallery space
Speaking at the Blueprint Conference
Athanasius Johnson at a design exhibition
Demonstrating a VR headset on stage
Apo Stools on exhibition plinths
Speaking at the Blueprint Conference
Portrait and Apo Stool detail
Interior render of The Calabash museum, sculptural archer figure
The practice

Design as a way of standing together.

Through Polar Bear Studios, I collaborate with local artisans in Lagos to create furniture rooted in symbolism and material storytelling — and with a team of XR specialists to prototype spatial concepts before physical production.

Selected work

Featured pieces

2× 2026African International Design Awards — Apo Chair & Apo Lamp
2025Fak'ugesi Award & British Council recognition
iDICEBase Grant Winner
Top 20Alumni, University of Ilorin Dept. of Architecture
Beyond furniture

Architecture & spatial design

From an award-winning museum concept to XR-prototyped interiors, the same principle carries through: design that holds people together.

Have a space, a brief, or an idea to explore together?

Get in touch