Spotted: In Nigeria, it is estimated that women’s earned income is 65 per cent of men’s, due to fewer work hours and the fact that women dominate the lower-paid, informal job sector. This means they have fewer opportunities for networking and fundraising than men. Now, an app called Herconomy, is helping to bridge that gap.
Herconomy began as an Instagram page, created by entrepreneur Ife Durosinmi-Etti, who showcased local and international opportunities like grants and fellowships available to entrepreneurs in Africa. The site soon became a hub for thousands of female entrepreneurs looking for information.
The page eventually became a Telegram group, but scaling was an issue, as the team behind it found it difficult to coordinate the large number of conversations on the site. So, the team has now launched a subscription app (which also has a free tier). The app gives members access to a community and opportunity board, grants, weekly capacity-building workshops, and discounts from over 60 brands.
In June this year, Herconomy announced that it was receiving backing from Google for Startups, as one of the recipients of Google’s Black Founders Fund, which will help the femtech startup accelerate its mission.
This is not the first bank Springwise has spotted targeting an underserved market. Other financial innovations in the archive include a banking platform for workers in Africa’s informal sector and nano-credit for low-income entrepreneurs.
Our latest lookbook showcases eight home interiors that make a visual statement by revealing their services, including wires, cables, ducts and plumbing.
Stripping back interiors can expose services including pipework that runs along walls and ceilings to provide heating, water, electricity and airflow to our homes.
This roundup features homes with industrial and unfinished appearances that make a feature of exposed services, including a Parisian studio that uses copper pipework as hanging space and a stripped-back apartment in Brazil with blue-painted pipes.
This is the latest in our lookbooks series, which provides curated visual inspiration from Dezeen’s archive. For more inspiration see previous lookbooks featuring Milanese home and hotel interiors, living rooms decorated in the primary colours and terracotta-tiled kitchens.
Photo is by Fran Parente
Gale Apartment, Brazil, by Memola Estudio
Brazilian studio Memola Estudio renovated this São Paulo apartment to better suit the owner’s tastes, stripping back finishes on the walls and ceilings to expose the building’s concrete structure, piping, wiring and ductwork.
The studio contrasted the industrial look of the apartment with warm, earthy-toned furniture and contemporary artwork.
Find out more about Gale Apartment ›
Photo is by Cyrille Lallement
Shakers Studio, France, by Ariel Claudet
A network of copper pipes snakes around the perimeter of this studio apartment in a 17th-century Parisian building, which architect Ariel Claudet added to make it stand out on Airbnb.
Informed by traditional Shaker peg rails, the pipes conceal electrical cables and double as a hanging rail to display ornaments and household items.
Find out more about Shakers Studio ›
Photo is by Maíra Acayaba
RF Apartment, Brazil, by SuperLimão
Located inside a modernist São Paulo building completed in 1958, Brazilian studio SuperLimão exposed the pipes in the RF Apartment and painted them a pale shade of blue-green that was in keeping with the period the building was constructed.
SuperLimão also painted the ceiling a burnt pink colour and peeled back the edges of the entryways to reveal large chunks of plaster and brick.
Find out more about RF Apartment ›
Photo is by José Hevia
NZ10 Apartment, Spain, by Auba Studio
Spanish architecture firm Auba Studio transformed a former bakery in Palma into an apartment, stripping back the interior to reveal the building’s high ceilings and bare structure.
Auba Studio added a stainless steel kitchen island to complement the industrial look of the exposed ductwork and light fittings.
Find out more about NZ10 Apartment ›
Photo is by José Hevia
10K House, Spain, by Takk
10K House is a 50-square-metre Barcelona apartment that Spanish studio Takk renovated, adding rooms nestled inside one another to maximise insulation.
Water pipes and electrical fittings were left exposed to allow free passage between the Russian-doll-like rooms and to keep material costs down.
Find out more about 10K House ›
Photo is by Tim van de Velde
De Lakfabriek apartments, the Netherlands, by Wenink Holtkamp Architecten
Eidenhoven studio Wenink Holtkamp Architecten converted a 20th-century factory in Oisterwijk, the Netherlands, into apartments that maintain the industrial character of the building.
The apartments have an open-plan layout with the building’s raw concrete structure, metal ductwork and wiring left visible.
Find out more about De Lakfabriek apartments ›
Photo is by Takumi Ota
Fishmarket, Japan, by Ab Rogers Design
Fishmarket is an artist’s studio and residence in Kanazawa, Japan, with an interior that was stripped back to its industrial shell by London-based studio Ab Rogers Design.
The studio added a series of fluorescent rotating partition walls that transform how the space is used and add bright pops of colour that stand in contrast against the grey concrete and metal pipework.
Find out more about Fishmarket ›
Photo is by Lorenzo Zandri
Earthrise Studio, UK, by Studio McW
London-based architecture practice Studio McW transformed this London warehouse into a studio and office that enhances the building’s original features.
The practice removed some of the redundant overhead services that were restricting the ceiling height. The remaining exposed services add to the industrial look of the property, while custom oak joinery adds warmth to the spaces.
Find out more about Earthrise Studio ›
This is the latest in our lookbooks series, which provides curated visual inspiration from Dezeen’s archive. For more inspiration see previous lookbooks featuring Milanese home and hotel interiors, living rooms decorated in the primary colours and terracotta-tiled kitchens.
