My London: Artist Yinka Ilori

Home is…Acton, north-west London.Where was your first flat in London?Essex Road in Islington, where I grew up. It was amazing. I had the best people in the world to grow up with. I grew up in the 1980s and 1990s, and community meant something then. It’s not the same as it was. Yinka Ilori lives in Acton, north-west LondonGettyWhere would you recommend for a first date?It’s not there anymore but it would be Georgie’s fish and chips on Essex Road. I spent most of my early teens there. He did the best fish and chips and you got such good energy from him. Which shop would you visit to buy a present for a partner?Honestly, it would be Dover Street Market. They’ve got the best jewellery, a real curated selection of rings, necklaces, pendants.Which shops do you rely on?M&S. I need my all-white boxers, I need my jelly. They just do such good food, they have an amazing bakery, the most amazing wagyu steak, Venetian biscuits. And the Old Cinema in Chiswick, which is a really cool antique shop. Then maybe a gallery, like Victoria Miro. And I love oysters! So Whistling Oyster. Also my barber, who’s in Camden. I’m loyal man, you can’t cheat on your barber. Yinka IloriGettyWhat’s the best meal you’ve had?At Straker’s on Golborne Road. I get the steak in there, medium rare, cut up super finely, and I have it with chips. Steak is big for me. I was in High Road House in Chiswick and I had an infrared sauna and then a steak.“When people get road rage at me, I blow a kiss at them. I always get weird reactions”What would you do if you were Mayor for the day?I would make everyone find their nearest playground and spend the whole day playing. We don’t play enough. Who is the most iconic Londoner ? Beckham’s a f***ing G. Idris as well man. And James Bond. Where do you go to have fun?New Forms, it’s a listening bar in Chelsea. I love a nice drink in a listening room. What’s the best thing a cabbie has ever said to you? I actually drive myself everywhere so I don’t really interact with cabbies or Uber drivers, but one thing I like to do when people get road rage at me is to blow a kiss at them. I always get weird reactions. The launch of the public art installation by artist Yinka Ilori at Piccadilly Circus in 2024PA WireWhere do you exercise? I recently started doing callisthenics at Push N Pull Fitness in Shepherd’s Bush. I also go to the gym at Soho House in White City. And sometimes I go to the gym at 180 Strand. I’ve got really into infrared saunas; they’re just good for your blood pressure, any inflammation, and you sleep really well. Who do you call when you want to have fun?I call up a friend of mine, Walle Adeyemi. He’s an amazing menswear designer, he’s like a mentor to me. He’s got a brand called B-side. I call out my brothers sometimes, I saw them last week for a barbecue, which was nice. And I also call out Foday Dumbuya, a good friend, he’s got a menswear line called Labrum, and Julianknxx, who’s an artist and designer.What’s your biggest extravagance?My car! I have a G Wagon Mercedes. I live in this car. I think because when I was a kid, my dad was really strict with me about buying a car. He was worried that I wouldn’t focus on my education and I’d get lost driving my car around, but all my friends had cars when I was 18. So I waited and waited until I was 35 and I finally got one. Now I think that my parents being so tough on me about not getting a car was the best thing ever.What’s your London secret?Racketeer in Acton, where I played padel for the first time, and Banya, the Russian baths in Belgravia. You have some tea, do the cold plunge and after that you feel amazing. What are you up to at the moment for work?I recently collaborated with Bupa on a mural on the South Bank that was a very personal piece. It was a love letter to my late mother, who I lost nearly three years ago. It’s called Under Your Umbrella, and it’s kind of a reminder that she’s still here, and wherever I move around, she’s always guiding me, protecting me and my siblings.I’m also so excited to have just launched my new collection with Dunelm, which is available now. It’s inspired by community, craftsmanship and the stories that shape our homes, and includes everything from furniture and lighting to bedding and soft furnishings. I wanted to create pieces that feel joyful, full of character and bring colour and personality to everyday spaces, while making great design accessible to as many people as possible.