Projects & Events/Exhibition/Quintessence 25 -26

PROJECT: Quintessence

LOCATION: Lagos

YEAR: 2025-2026

THE COLLABORATION (EXHIBITION OVERVIEW)

FOLM’s collaboration with Quintessence reflects a meeting point between furniture design and cultural curation, representing a harmonious dialogue between modern design and cultural provenance. Hosted at Quintessence’s iconic showroom in Victoria island, Lagos. This collaboration embeds FOLM’S made in Nigeria ethos within a space built on decades of artistic reverence.

Over the course of a year, the partnership has unfolded through targeted touch points: engaging patrons through immersive viewings, exclusive auctions, product spotlights, and an ongoing spatial residency. The various exhibitions highlights that design and culture can exist within the same conversation not separately, but intentionally intertwined.

About Quintessence

With over five decades of heritage in Lagos, Quintessence has spent generations serving as Nigeria’s premier cultural platform. Quintessence is a leading art and cultural gallery in Nigeria known for curating African art, furniture, textiles, and collectible design pieces. Through exhibitions and curated collections, Quintessence continues to support and showcase African artistry in its many forms.

About FOLM

FOLM is a furniture Manufacturer & Retailer that focuses on contemporary designs, craftsmanship and lifestyle driven pieces. With a strong appreciation for form and function, FOLM’s work sits at the intersection of utility and artistic expression, creating furniture that speaks to both structure and story.

SPATIAL CURATION (SEPTEMBER 2025)

Before any bids were placed or pieces sold, FOLM introduced itself through spatial curation, a carefully viewing experience designed to let patrons physically engage with the brand’s design language. The showcase invited architects, collectors, and design purists to experience the designs.

Perception & Reception: It was received not as a standard commercial display, but as an architectural installation. The audience experienced FOLM’s furniture in context, establishing the brand’s core philosophy early on.

THE AUCTION (OCTOBER 2025)

Building on the foundation laid in September, October marked a cultural shift: Within this setting, FOLM presented a body of work that reflects its commitment to timeless, high quality furniture made in collaboration with local artisans. Each piece is shaped by a balance of traditional techniques and modern innovation. At the core of the presentation is a simple belief: furniture should do more than decorate spaces. It should shape how people live within them every day.

Quintessence’s role as a platform for exhibition and retail made it the ideal stage for this expression. Its long standing dedication to elevating Nigerian creativity aligned directly with FOLM’s own commitment to thoughtfully, locally made design.

Perception & Reception: The event repositioned FOLM’s made in Nigeria design as high value, collectible craftsmanship. The reception was electric among serious art collectors and interior lovers, proving that modern local woodwork holds the same structural integrity, narrative depth, and long term value as traditional fine art.

THE STOOL DRIVE (DECEMBER 2025)

Closing out the year, December brought a focused, object driven showcase: The Stool Drive. Shifting from grand spatial setups to an intimate exploration of a single typology, this activation put a wide variety of FOLM’s handcrafted stools on display. It showcased the brand mystery over micro architecture, how a single versatile piece can embody balance,materiality, and utility.

Perception & Reception: Patrons responded enthusiastically to the accessible yet refined nature of the collection. It demystified high end local furniture, allowing design lovers to take home a piece of functional art. It was perceived as a celebration of modern craft, showing that even the simplest everyday item can be elevated through thoughtful design.

ONGOING SPATIAL CURATION (JANUARY 2026-SEPTEMBER 2026)

What began as a seasonal activity has matured into an evolving, retail residency. Since January 2026, FOLM has maintained a living showcase within the Quintessence showroom, featuring key structural pieces, signature classics, and ongoing seasonal drops available directly to patrons.A sustained presence rather than a moment.

WHY IT MATTERS

The FOLM x QUINTESSSENCE collaboration became more than an event. By placing FOLM within that ecosystem, the collaboration connected the collection to an audience that values craft, provenance and longevity. It positioned FOLM not just as a furniture brand but as a wider cultural conversation about Nigerian design identity.

EPILOGUE

FOLM at Quintessence reflects alignment between a design studio committed to local craftsmanship and a cultural institution dedicated to preserving and elevating it. Together, they continue to shape how Nigerian Furniture is seen, experienced, and valued.

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