My name is Sofia Hilmi and I am a furniture and interior design graduate with a strong interest in cultural storytelling through objects. I enjoy working directly with materials and value the process of making pieces as much as the final outcome. My recent collection Aeolian explores how thoughtful decoration carries cultural meaning, drawing from both my Irish and Moroccan influences.
During a six-month Erasmus placement in Valencia, I developed a deeper understanding of cultural exchange in design. This experience informed my thesis, Moroccan Influence in Global Furniture Design: Cultural Exchange or Exoticism Disguised as Appreciation?, where I examined how to engage with cultural references respectfully and thoughtfully.
I aim to continue exploring this area, creating work that balances meaning, function, and accessibility. I am particularly interested in reintroducing ornament into contemporary minimalism, while designing pieces that are both meaningful and attainable, alongside more bespoke furniture that allows for deeper material and cultural exploration.
Aeolian
Aeolian is my final year furniture collection that responds to modern minimalism’s tendency to strip away cultural identity through the removal of ornament. Drawing on both Irish and Moroccan design traditions, the project combines symbolic motifs from each culture into a unified pattern that reflects storytelling, heritage, and exchange. Rather than treating decoration as excess, this collection uses it with purpose, integrating meaning directly into function.
The designs explore this idea across a range of pieces. A five-tier modular lamp uses coloured resin tiles to diffuse light through the pattern, creating a warm, atmospheric glow. A cabinet features etched, textured plywood, where the pattern enhances both surface and structure. A woven lampshade incorporates terracotta ceramic tiles, offering a more subtle and accessible piece while maintaining the same narrative depth.
Together, these works celebrate ornament as an essential and functional part of contemporary design.
Interlinked
Interlinked is a low-profile lounge chair that bridges Moroccan tradition with modern ergonomic design. Inspired by the floor oriented seating culture of North Africa, it sits significantly lower than standard European furniture, fostering a grounded, relaxed posture.
The sculptural red steel frame features an integrated rear stabilizer, allowing you to rock and shift safely without the risk of tipping. For the seat, a loose weave of thick black leather straps creates a flexible, reactive surface. Unlike rigid upholstery, this leather conforms to your unique weight and shape over time, evolving into a piece of personalized "pure comfort."
This chair is more than a piece of furniture, it’s an invitation to reject the stiffness of mainstream seating and rediscover the intuitive, grounded comfort of a seat that moves with you.
