MIMI SHODEINDE THE MAVERICK IN INTERIOR ARCHITECTURE & DESIGN
Designed for the City: In Conversation with Mimi Shodeinde
Mimi personifies the quiet confidence and finesse of the Terra Nova Jumping Hour 35mm. One of Britain’s foremost contemporary designers, Mimi combines her Nigerian heritage with a chic, minimalistic architectural discipline to create spaces and collectible furniture that are striking and yet pure in form.
Through her studio, Minimat Designs, she brings this vision to life across architecture, interiors, and furniture. Like the Terra Nova Jumping Hour, her practice is a study in precision – carefully honed, yet unafraid to challenge convention.
READ THE INTERVIEW
We caught up with Mimi Shodeinde at her studio in north London to explore her design philosophy, her instinct for materiality, and the fine details that make her work unmistakably her own.
Where does design begin for you?
It always starts with feeling. I want to understand how a space should make somebody feel before I think about how it should look. From there, the materials, proportions, and forms begin to reveal themselves.
How do you approach materiality?
I’m always looking for honesty. Materials should age beautifully, tell a story, and have depth. I love the tension between refinement and rawness – the most beautiful interiors aren’t built from expensive materials, they’re built from materials chosen with intention.
What makes a pairing of materials interesting?
It’s about weight. Pairing something heavy, like metal, with something visually lighter, like glass – that’s when the fun and the magic happen.
Your definition of statement design?
A statement doesn’t need to be loud. It should be beautifully proportioned and stay with you. The strongest statement is often made through restraint rather than excess.
Mimi Shodiende
"A statement doesn’t need to be loud. It should be beautifully proportioned and stay with you. The strongest statement is often made through restraint rather than excess."
What does precision mean to you?
Care. Obsessing over the details most people won’t consciously notice but will feel; the alignment of a stone joint, the softness of a curve. For me, luxury lives in precision.
How does the city inspire your work?
Through contrast. History sits beside innovation, tradition beside experimentation. Being surrounded by so many cultures and ways of living pushes me to design spaces that feel timeless rather than trend-driven.
What are you looking for in your next project?
Clients who want to create something enduring and special. Projects where we’re given the freedom to shape architecture, interiors, and furniture into one complete story – those are the ones that excite me most.
What does Bremont’s mantra, “Take it further,” mean to you?
Never settling for the obvious answer. Every project is a chance to push further – to refine an idea, challenge a process, or create something that hasn’t existed before.
What makes a designer a maverick?
Someone confident enough to trust their own point of view. A maverick challenges convention, but always with intention – the work should come from conviction, not ego.
Why conviction over ego?
When you lead with conviction, you see and hear more. Ego just gets in the way.
Ultimately, Mimi Shodeinde is a natural fit for the new Terra Nova Jumping Hour 35mm collection because her work reflects the same tension at the heart of the launch: tradition alongside progression, discipline alongside experimentation, and confidence without excess. She doesn’t challenge convention simply to be different, but to refine established ideas with purpose until they become something distinctly her own.
That mindset mirrors the spirit behind Bremont’s new Jumping Hour 35mm range. Set against London as its landscape, the collection celebrates people who see exploration as more than a physical journey – those driven by curiosity, independence, and the instinct to take an idea further. The Jumping Hour itself does much the same, rethinking familiar horological codes through its distinctive display, compact new proportions, and a more expressive approach to colour and finish.
In summary, Mimi’s conviction, precision, and willingness to push beyond the obvious make her an ideal ambassador for a watch designed for those who approach the city – and their craft – on their own terms.
Interested in learning more about the Jumping Hour watch? Don’t forget to also read our article explaining exactly what a jumping hour watch is and how the complication works.
TERRA NOVA 35 JUMPING HOUR FROSTED
Explore the Terra Nova Jumping Hour 35mm collection worn by Mimi Shodeinde, including the frosted and frosted pink variations.
