Forget the marble! What matters more is what happens before it.
On poor workmanship, imported aesthetics, and the cost of getting the basics wrong.
Photo: Steven Ndukwu Youtube Channel
Watching Arvin Haddad's home tour, American Real Estate Expert Investigates Luxury Homes in Nigeria, on Steven Ndukwu's YouTube channel brought me back to one of my biggest frustrations as an interior designer. Apparently, as Arvin mentioned in the video, there were also attempts by the developer to get the video taken offline. If true, that raises another question: why would we rather suppress criticism than address the problems it exposes?
At one point, in his review of the property tour, Arvin remarked, "Get the Mexicans." His point was about skilled labour, and while the wording was blunt, the underlying issue deserves serious attention: where is the skilled workforce required to execute the standards we aspire to?
What struck me most was another observation Arvin made: "The finish doesn't look finished." Honestly, that sentence summarises so much of what I encounter on site.
We want the aesthetics of London, the architecture of the West and the luxury of Dubai. We copy the look, the materials and the styling, but too often overlook the planning, technical expertise and workmanship required to deliver those standards. And the results speak for themselves.
The Osapa, Lagos property featured a bathroom door with a peephole because the developer apparently used a front door instead of a proper bathroom door. Haddaq found poorly aligned tiles and uneven grout lines everywhere. We constantly see uneven walls and floors across projects. Most lighting plans ignore a sensible floor plan because floor plans weren’t considered during the built. In this very estate development, the layout compromised privacy such as that window front reveal all activities to adjacent neighbours within a few meters. Or think about how many staircases have you encountered that raise serious questions about compliance with applicable building codes?
The property featured in the video was reportedly asking US$1.2 million. Yet, as discussed in the tour, concerns included the lack of a garage, inadequate privacy, questionable design decisions and finishing that fell short of expectations. At that price point, these are not minor aesthetic disagreements. They are fundamental questions about planning, functionality and execution.
Our last commercial project in a plaza in central Abuja was another reminder of how much we sometimes have to work around before we can even begin to realise a design properly. These are not decorative, but simply construction problems. And many begin long before the first tile is laid.
Why I sometimes want to start again
When I walk into certain newly built properties, my first instinct is to strip everything back and start afresh. I am very much aware of what this means as sustaionability plays a major role in our decision-making process. I do not enjoy demolition, but correcting poor planning and workmanship can be more expensive than getting things right from the beginning.
This is precisely why I prefer working with a property at carcass stage. It allows me to reconsider the layout, coordinate electrical and plumbing requirements, plan the lighting and resolve the details before the finishes go in. Interior design should not be brought in at the end to disguise decisions that should never have been made in the first place. And the problem extends beyond aesthetics.
In our rush to finish projects, or in an attempt to save money, essential weatherproofing and waterproofing measures are sometimes neglected. Exterior walls are left inadequately protected against the elements; interior walls and floors are not properly protected against moisture. With heavier rainfall and flooding increasingly affecting communities across Nigeria, particularly vulnerable ground-floor properties, these shortcuts can have serious consequences. We cannot keep prioritising the visible finish over the work that protects everything beneath it.
We need to get the basics right.
Arvin's "Get the Mexicans" comment points towards the importance of skilled tradespeople, but importing labour cannot be our long-term solution. Nigeria needs to invest in its own workforce through training, specialisation, proper supervision and a culture that values craftsmanship. Developers must plan better and contractors must be accountable for execution. Designers should be involved early enough to influence decisions. Thus, clients must understand that cutting corners during construction rarely means saving money in the long run.
I want to see Nigerian architecture and interiors compete internationally. But we cannot keep copying the aesthetics of the West and Dubai while neglecting the skills, systems and standards required to deliver them.
The real luxury isn't the marble that was specified and call it a day. What about the workmanship beneath it, the planning behind it, and the knowledge that everything has been done properly? A luxury mansion or beautiful building should not require an interior designer to undo half the work before the real work can begin.
The video that prompted this reflection: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pEPctNrY4pY
