Writer

Walking around the peaceful roads off Thornton Heath, it’s hard to imagine the colourful art-filled haven that lies behind the front door of the home of Yomi Adegoke.

As soon as you step inside you’re hit with a warm earthy scent of sage, walls of bold statement artworks and a ceiling-high bookcase befitting a multi-award-winning journalist and author.

Her home is the type of place where you could spend hours looking at any small detail. Surreal dream-like tapestries, portraits made by friends, and statuettes from the Lekki Arts & Crafts Market in Lagos all tell stories of joy, strength and creativity.

Yomi Adegoke is a columnist for The Guardian and British Vogue as well as a passionate advocate for accessibility in the arts, working as a trustee for the charity Arts Emergency. Her passion for art and platforming diverse voices made it a no-brainer that we would invite her to be part of our Artist Open Call selection committee.

We hope you enjoy this chat in Yomi’s beautiful home as she talks us through what she wants the art in her home to reflect, her prized possessions, and her secrets to a happy home.

I live in… Thornton Heath, Croydon. I bought my first place during lockdown and I’ve lived there for just over a year now, so it’s finally starting to feel like a home. It’s a stone's throw away from where I grew up and I live across the road from my sister - our postcodes literally differ by two letters!

My work inspires my home… by making me strive for both comfort and practicality, since my home is both my office and space for downtime. I’ve tried to create my home in opposition to my work, which is high-pressure and often fast-paced.

I’m freelance and have been working from home long before the pandemic, so I have always wanted it to feel like a sanctuary. Most of this year has been spent working on my debut novel, The List, which is the first fiction book I’ve written and the first book I’ve authored on my own. It's about a soon-to-be-married journalist whose picture-perfect life with her Insta-famous fiancé is upended by a viral social media post. It's focused on secrets, lies, and our lives online and it’s been a very rewarding but very stressful process writing it, so I’m thankful that my house is a place I feel able to unwind.

My first art purchase was… So the first piece of art that I ever received and hung up in my house was actually a portrait of me by the supremely talented Rosso Emerald Crimson. She contacted me on Instagram asking if she could paint me and ended up sending me one of my favourite pieces to date.

Portrait by Rosso Emerald Crimson

Tapestry by Charlotte Edey

The first piece I actually bought was a large tapestry by Charlotte Edey I’d been eyeing up for a while, called ‘Found’. There was a delay with the delivery so it ended up taking months to arrive but it was well worth the wait! It features this beautiful, dream-like landscape and whenever anyone comes around or it pops up in the back of my zoom calls, they always comment on how lovely it is. Funnily enough, it's one of two Edey pieces I have - a print of hers called ‘Whorl’ I got from Partnership Editions is also up in my living room.

I want the art I hang on my walls to… reflect who I am as a person. I’m Nigerian-British, and think Nigerian artists are some of the greatest in the world. My sister lives there and brought me back these stunning statuettes from the Lekki Arts & Crafts Market in Lagos that frame my fireplace and I have a pair of Yoruba Ibeji (meaning ‘born two’ in the language) twin figureheads on my console table.

Art was very much for first love before writing - I’m a ‘self-taught’ artist insofar as it’s something I’ve always done instinctively since I was a child. I reconnected with painting during lockdown after a long, several-year hiatus and now have a few pieces that I did myself on my walls, as well as a sculpture I did during lockdown. I’d never sculpted prior, but found an old wig head, bought some air dry clay, and made a bust that now sits above my fireplace. I also love art by black artists, especially women, so I have work by Lady Skollie and Nathalie Jolivert that I got from Partnership Editions, Shannon Bono, Erin Beatrice Williams, and a recent piece by Esiri Erheriene-Essi too. 

Artwork by Lady Skollie and Charlotte Edey

Artwork by Hester Finch

If I could hang any artwork in my collection it would be… The answer to this question would change on a monthly basis, but right now I’ve been eyeing up a Kwesi Botchway piece called ‘Lady with a Tampi’ and trying to find space for it somewhere! Also, anything by Sahara Longe or Lynette Yiadom-Boakye would be a dream.

'Lady with a Tampi' by  Kwesi Botchway

My prized possession is… Probably a tie between two very special pieces. There’s the Groucho Maverick award that sits above my fireplace which me and my best friend Elizabeth Uviebinene won in 2018 for our co-authored book Slay In Your Lane. It is a sculpture by Gavin Turk, so it doubles up as an ornament and Elizabeth, knowing my love of art, very kindly let me keep it.

Then there’s the portrait of myself that hangs in my bedroom by my friend Ian Brennan. He also reached out to me on Instagram (I’ve been very lucky in that regard!) and asked if he could paint me and the result was a beautiful, poignant piece, as well as a wonderful friendship. 

Art by Cecilia Reeve and Ian Brennan

When decorating my home I like to buy from… Partnerships Editions (the first piece I got for my bedroom was a wall hanging by Cecila Reeve from the site) and Avant Arte. I also recently bought my first piece from Saatchi Art, a vibrant piece by Vincent Keele which has transformed the guest room. All my curtains, many pillows and a lampshade in my place are from Archive by Sanderson Design which has really iconic bold prints that add an immediate level of drama to a room. Glassette is always a great shout too - Laura Jackson has impeccable taste so it's wonderfully curated. I haven’t actually managed to yet, but I also hope to make it down to the Affordable Art Fair this year as I’ve heard great things!

Artwork by Vincent Keele

My recipe for a happy home is… laughter, food and a nice-smelling space. I am as obsessed with making sure my house smells good as I am with making it look good. I love burning sage, candles, incense, and Palo Santo a few times a week (often meals also, but the less said about that the better…)

I’ve currently got my eye on… A gorgeous, statement Dea Domus vessel currently on the site of Studio Ashby’s spinoff homewares brand ‘Sister’. They have the most stunning pieces and they go quickly, so I hope I can get it before it's too late!

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