Tosin Oshinowo is a daring and inventive force among the modern architects reshaping Africa's architectural scene. She founded and serves as the principal of Oshinowo Studio (previously cmDesign Atelier), an architecture and design company based in Lagos, Nigeria, which she founded in 2013. Her work is renowned for its modern civic and residential designs that honour her cultural background and take a forward-thinking stance on urban planning.
The opening of Maryland Mall, a remarkable business complex in the centre of Lagos, in June 2016 marked the beginning of Oshinowo's ascent to fame. The project attracted a lot of attention and made her a prominent figure in Nigerian architecture. She had previously started to establish a reputation for herself by creating designs for well-known customers such as Ying Yang Express, Guarantee Trust Bank, CafeNeo, and Kamp Ikare Resort.
After completing her basic architectural education at Kingston University in London, she went on to acquire an AA Diploma from the esteemed Architectural Association and a Master's in Urban Design from University College London's Bartlett School of Architecture. Her academic achievements were further enhanced in 2022 when she graduated from IE University in Madrid with a Master of Business for Architecture and Design. In addition, she is a member of the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) and the Nigerian Institute of Architects, and she is a licensed architect in Nigeria.
Oshinowo has equally remarkable international experience. She had previously worked for prestigious international firms like the Office of Metropolitan Architecture (OMA) in Rotterdam and Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP in London. She was a member of the team at OMA that created the conceptual design for the grandiose Fourth Mainland Bridge in Lagos, which was envisioned in 2008 and would be a double-decker bridge with automobile lanes and a pedestrian promenade. After she returned to Nigeria, she worked at James Cubitt Architects, where she oversaw the corporate head office's master planning and design for Nigeria LNG in Port Harcourt.
Tosin Oshinowo has been open about navigating Nigeria's highly gendered workplace as a woman in a male-dominated area. She frequently considers how her upbringing in a family of three daughters gave her a strong sense of independence, which she attributes to enabling her to pursue a profession in design without any limitations. She decides to concentrate on her work and let it speak for itself rather than letting prejudice deter her.
Oshinowo has expanded her design influence beyond architecture to include product design. In 2017, she established the luxury furniture company Ilé-Ilà, which translates to "House of Lines" in Yoruba, showcasing regional workmanship. The company is well-known for their handcrafted chairs that blend modern design with traditional Nigerian textiles. These custom pieces, which are created in Lagos, have attracted interest from all over the world after being highlighted in magazines including Harper's Bazaar Interiors, Grazia, Elle Decor, and Financial Times.
Oshinowo's architectural approach is based on cultural and social awareness. Her projects frequently have purposes beyond aesthetics or functionality. For example, one of her most notable recent accomplishments was working with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), where she oversaw the planning and building of a new village for Boko Haram insurgents in northeastern Nigeria. Her strong dedication to designing architecture that addresses actual societal issues is seen in this piece.
“The work of public relations in architecture cannot be overemphasized in this ever-changing global space. People need to see what work is done and how great the work is. It is the work of the PR personnel to ensure your work reaches through the different sections of the media. Architects are expected to do things in a certain way, but if you are not strategic with what you do, your works may never be known.”...Tosin Oshinowo
Her design principles, which is frequently referred to as Afro-minimalism, combines traditional African elements with a minimalist design language. She feels that rather than merely embracing foreign models, African architecture needs to develop its own personality. This perspective guides her larger urban vision, in which she promotes constitutional and planning changes to deal with the uncontrolled urbanisation of places like Lagos. She contends that sustainable development would continue to be illusive unless inclusive, forward-looking policies are implemented.
Oshinowo is involved in cultural discourse in addition to building design. In 2019, she was a co-curator of the second Lagos Biennial, "How to Build a Lagoon from a Bottle of Wine?" which examined identity, resourcefulness, and urbanism. Under the subject "The Beauty of Impermanence: An Architecture of Adaptability," she organised the Sharjah Architecture Triennial in 2023, which featured creative solutions for resilience, sustainability, and history in the built environment. Additionally, she has written essays and thinking pieces that have been included in the catalogues of the Venice Architecture Biennale in 2021 and 2023, as well as on websites like Omenka Online.
In 2020, she collaborated with Lexus on a conceptual design project for Design Miami, and in 2017, she delivered a TEDxPortHarcourt talk on architecture and identity.In 2025, Tosin Oshinowo was selected for the prestigious Loeb Fellowship at Harvard University’s Graduate School of Design, a testament to her growing international influence and thought leadership in the fields of design and urbanism. Her efforts have not gone unappreciated. She won the Lord's Achievers Award for Creativity in 2019 and was selected Architect of the Year at the 3rd City People Real Estate Awards in 2017. In 2024, Dezeen named her one of the 50 Most Powerful Women in Architecture and Design, and she was a finalist for the DIVIA Diversity in Architecture Award in 2023. At the 19th Venice Architecture Biennale, her conceptual project "Alternative Urbanism" garnered special recognition, and her firm, Oshinowo Studio, was included in the 2025 Elle Decor A-list.
At the heart of her growing body of work is a simple, enduring vision: to use architecture as a tool to shape a more inclusive, sustainable, and culturally grounded future. Whether designing a mall, a master plan, or a piece of furniture, Tosin Oshinowo continues to push boundaries and redefine what it means to build, not just in Nigeria, but across the African continent and beyond.
