Interiors exhibition shows great growth in sector

Senator Kithure Kindiki (centre) is shown around the expo.  [PHOTO: COURTESY/STANDARD]

By WANGECI KANYEKI

NAIROBI, KENYA: Ideal Interiors recently held its fifth exhibition at the Village Market. It attracted real estate industry players such as architects, builders, interior designers, product distributors, contractors, developers, homebuyers and owners.

Speaking during the opening of the expo, the chief guest Kithure Kindiki, who is the Leader of Majority in the Senate, said: “I have been impressed by the fact that this industry, though rarely talked about at the national level, is one of the key economic drivers of our country, with a whopping Sh200 billion injected into our economy annually. These figures are impressive, and they should inspire us to seek to grow this platform further.”

He encouraged exhibitors to partner and grow with other East African countries.

Principal of Evelyn School of Design, Jay Shree, commended the exhibitors for providing internships for students and envisioned a bigger event in the future.

Ideal Interiors exhibition was launched in 2010 as a response to the growing middle-class yearning for trendy, aesthetically appealing spaces and technologically advanced quality appliances in a market that was once saturated with low-quality products. According to Humphrey Odhiambo, Director at Real Wealth Limited, the expo organisers, this year’s event had 55 exhibitors and attended by more than 4,500 guests.

However, despite improved interior products, getting skilled artisans (fundis) to properly install the interior products such as tiles, flooring, ceilings and wardrobes, remains a challenge to developers with companies such as Basco Paints, Classic Mouldings and Crown Paints embarking on free training for artisans.

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