By Chinenye Anuforo
In a journey that began during a period of personal reflection, Kehinde Fadahunsi, the Managing Director of Ellarose Interiors and Custom Rugs Design, has carved a remarkable story for herself. What started as a quest for purpose during maternity leave blossomed into a thriving business is now making waves both locally and internationally.
Fadahunsi shared how a simple passion for interior décor, coupled with the strategic power of social media and technology, propelled her from sourcing unique home accessories to establishing a leading name in custom rug design and interior solutions.
In this interview with Daily Sun, she unveiled the pivotal role of online platforms in her company’s growth, the challenges of navigating the Nigerian manufacturing landscape, and her plans for the future.
Can you share your journey so far and what inspired you to go into this field?
Interestingly, I wasn’t exactly inspired to start this business in the conventional sense. At the time I began, I didn’t even know such a business existed or what it was called. It wasn’t a strategic plan; it was more like a burden laid upon my heart.
During my maternity leave, I was trying to find my purpose. I knew I wasn’t returning to my previous job, so I started speaking with people who knew me well. They suggested things like hair-making, cooking, and so on, things I was naturally good at. One person, however, asked me, “What gets you really excited?” I remembered anytime my husband gave me money, I will head straight to interior decor stores, spend everything on home accessories. That is when it clicked. I had a genuine passion for interiors.
I told her I wasn’t sure I had what it took. I didn’t know carpenters or artisans. I only liked accessorizing and decorating. But, she encouraged me to start with what I had.
While in the U.S. for childbirth, I began visiting home stores, looking for unique items that interior designers in Nigeria couldn’t find locally. I sourced exclusive pieces I believed people would be willing to wait two weeks for, something special enough that they wouldn’t sleep without getting it. I started posting them on social media, and interior designers began reaching out. Eventually, they didn’t mind the wait.
By the time I returned to Nigeria, I had saved up enough from sales to redesign my home. People who visited loved it, and that’s how client interest began. For the longest time, I didn’t even promote the sourcing and procurement side of the business. I wanted to focus solely on interior design. But in reality, sourcing sustained us. Interior projects are less frequent, but sourcing is consistent.
Eventually, some of my designer friends asked if I could make rugs. They believed I could do anything. The first rug I ever made looked more like a blanket, I didn’t know the materials or quality standards. But the client accepted it anyway because it was from me. That experience made me curious. I started researching rug materials, understanding what made some better than others, and sourcing quality suppliers.
Just six months in, we received a bulk order of 170 rugs. That order funded our first showroom. From there, clients began to find us. And that’s how our journey into interior design and custom rug making began.
What were some of the early challenges you faced, particularly in custom rug production?
The biggest challenge was artisans. When we first hired them, none had experience in rug making. We had to train them from scratch, not just the skills, but also their mindset. Attention to detail is critical in our work. For example, color blending has to be perfect. We had to teach them how to pay attention to such details.
Another challenge was raw materials. Our rugs are made from wool, acrylic, and other specialty yarns in hundreds of colors. Unfortunately, in Nigeria, color variety is extremely limited. I visited a yarn factory that has been here for 30 years, but they only produce about 30 colors. Meanwhile, our designs often require a broader palette. So, we still import a lot of our materials, especially for custom requests.
Power supply is another major hurdle. Our factory in Ajah is supposed to be on Band A, yet we get light for one day and it’s gone for two. Worse, we didn’t have a meter at the time, yet we received inflated electricity bills. These issues can easily cripple a small business like ours.
How has social media contributed to the growth of your business?
Social media has been instrumental. Before engaging with the press or media houses, I relied solely on social media for about eight years. All our clients came through there. Sponsored ads helped, but even simple posts could go viral.
For example, when I visited the yarn factory and shared about it online, we got an influx of followers, including from people in the textile industry who had been looking for that kind of information. It just shows how powerful social media can be for visibility and business growth.
What trends are you noticing in the interior design market, and how are you positioning your brand to meet them?
More homeowners are beginning to value personalized spaces. In the past, only hotels or schools aimed for international standards. Now, individuals want bespoke, well-designed homes. This shift favors us.
To meet this demand, we are strengthening relationships with key stakeholders, real estate agents, interior designers, hotels, who have always been core to our business. Many hotels still import their rugs, but we are engaging them directly to promote locally made alternatives.
Let’s talk about creativity and innovation. How do these play into your work?
Not everyone can be an interior designer. It goes beyond aesthetics, project management and having an eye for designs are critical. I believe I have that designer’s eye, whether it’s God-given or a result of growing up in a well-decorated home. I always ensure no two client projects look alike. Each client has a unique taste, and my job is to reflect that. Replicating designs is not true interior design. That is just copy and paste. I tell my staff: always look for unique pieces that clients have never seen in Nigeria. That uniqueness justifies our pricing and builds clients’ trust.
What keeps you going and what can the government do to support entrepreneurs like you?
One of my biggest motivations is creating jobs. We are not just selling rugs we are on a mission to show the world that Nigeria can produce quality rugs that compete internationally. Seeing my clients’ reactions when they realize a beautiful rug was made in Nigeria keeps me going.
As for the government, they can do a lot: improve access to funding, stabilize power supply, and help us gain visibility. Many of us don’t know the right channels to reach out through. We’ve tried working with institutions like the Bank of Industry, but there are bottlenecks—especially since commercial banks often refuse to collaborate with them.
What is next for your organization, is there any exciting projects or expansion plans?
We will be eight years in business this year. Looking ahead, we are planning a major recreational arts and crafts center, something that allows people to experience rug making, much like the “tufting” experiences available abroad. We want both Nigerians and tourists to visit, experience our craft, and leave with a product they made themselves.
What’s the current level of local content in your production, and do you have export plans?
Currently, our local content is about 20%. While we no longer import finished rugs, we still import materials due to the limited yarn options in Nigeria. However, we’re working to change that. We do plan to expand. We have leveraged Shopify to serve our international clients, who’ve always purchased from us, unaware of whether the rug was made in China or Nigeria. Now, they’re buying Nigerian-made rugs and the quality speaks for itself.
We will also be showcasing our work at an exhibition in Dubai this November to increase international awareness.
Finally, what role does technology play in your business?
Technology is central to everything, from sourcing and marketing to customer engagement. Social media is a big part of it, but beyond that, platforms like Shopify have allowed us to scale and go global. It’s a vital tool for business growth today.
We are also looking into automation, a key technological area we plan to explore once we secure special funding or our order volume justifies the investment. This move towards robotics for production promises faster turnaround times and consistent quality, ultimately reducing our production costs. While we’ll continue our current work, upgrading our capabilities is essential.
Securing funding will also allow us to venture into machine-made rugs. Currently, custom rug production is expensive. By introducing machine-made options, we can offer more affordable rugs to a broader market. These machine-made rugs will replicate existing designs, shifting from bespoke, tailored pieces to accessible options for every family through mass production. This expansion will enable us to cater to a wider customer base.