Kehinde Wiley, the globally recognized artist, offered Compound an exclusive look inside his six-bedroom Victoria Island residence, revealing a carefully curated space that serves as both a vibrant artistic sanctuary and a thoughtful nod to Nigerian post-independence style. The home, which Wiley refers to as his "compound," was designed to be a dynamic fusion of history, natural refuge, and international influence.
The design philosophy centered on preserving the building's original details, including intricate woodwork and a color palette that Wiley identifies as unique to the post-independence era of the 1960s and 70s. This aesthetic incorporates references to Japanese color and patterns, reflecting an intersection between "Nigerian traditional insular culture" and a "fascination with the outside world". This mix represents "architecture and style on an international scale".
The physical structure of the Compound is essential to Wiley’s vision, which required creating an "inside outside conversation". Upon acquiring the home, Wiley removed a wall closed off with small windows, blasting it opens to flood the space with natural light. This light highlights pieces like contemporary photography, complex beading work from southern Nigeria and Cameroon, and a striking metal piece derived from the oil industry, featuring recycled oil bins transformed into "fashion pieces".
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Inside Kehinde Wiley’s Art-Filled Lagos Villa
Crucially, the Compound’s garden acts as a refuge from the "big busy concrete spaces" of city life. Located in an equatorial area blessed with "amazing humidity and rain and fertility," Wiley cultivated lush greens and vines to climb the walls, creating a feeling of being embraced by the environment—a "big hug from nature".
The internal layout of the Compound establishes distinct "zones of formality". The living room, or parlor, is a "chill space" for friends and family, dedicated to showcasing "great African design". Much of the furniture comes from the studio of Isa Dion from Dakar, Senegal, who keeps alive the weaving traditions of West Africa. Wiley pointed out wooden pieces from her studio that achieve a balance between a "kind of brutality of wood" and the "grace of a delicate handline". In keeping with traditional Nigerian architecture, the house features two parlors, allowing for "two distinct entertainment spaces". The upstairs parlor is a space for "a little bit more play" and features more colorful paintings.
The structural arrangement of the Compound is an L-shape, separating the main house from the guest house, which features free-standing apartments with their own living spaces and kitchens, granting guests autonomy while keeping them part of the household. Wiley also consciously reintroduced an "old school move": a wine cave, intended as a space for people to enjoy cigars and wine, harkening back to a "much more poetic romantic sensibility".
The woods used throughout the six-bedroom Compound are native to Nigeria. Wiley celebrated the textures and staining of the wood that came with the house, simply cleaning and polishing it to allow its natural vibrancy to show through, ensuring that "nothing was damaged in the making of this house".
The final space is Wiley’s painting studio on the third floor. He described the studio as "completely divorced from the rest of the house," providing its "own sense of creative autonomy". Reflecting on building his home in Lagos, Wiley affirmed that the city is a "work in progress," dynamic, and full of creativity. His Compound represents these core components, embodying a sense of play, dynamism, and the spirit of being "yet to be," which he views as the strength of Lagos and Nigeria—a place that can "rise beyond expectations".
