And Now for Some Good News: Designer Mira Mikati’s Colorful New “Happy House” Is Open in London 

Mira Mikati is in great spirits. Even in the midst of a global pandemic and the mass panic it’s spreading, the designer calls herself “a naturally positive person.” But today her mood is positively celebratory. Mikati has just opened the doors to her first flagship store in London’s Chelsea neighborhood, a rainbow-splashed space that she’s calling “Happy House.”

The shop riffs on the Miami pop-up she opened for Art Basel in collaboration with Colette founder and Just an Idea creative director Sarah Andelman. Happy House will stock Mikati’s spring 2020 collection, as well as customizable L/Uniform accessories; juices, energy bars, and powders from Parisian juicery Wild the Moon; CBD skin care by Superflower; and a selection of books and home decor. “The idea around the concept of Happy House is to engage each season with a different artist and reimagine the store completely in order to give people a totally different experience,” Mikati told me.

The first “artist experience” features the British Nigerian multidisciplinary talent Yinka Ilori, who is known for his vibrant use of color and for upcycling vintage furniture with an almost psychedelic touch. Inside the store, Ilori added his whimsical vision to the graphic patterned floor and outside in the back garden he’s responsible for the sculptural yellow seesaw. “I’ve been in love with his work for years now,” Mikati notes. “Our worlds are somehow very similar in that they are playful, happy, and colorful.”

No doubt about it, Mikati’s new space sparks joy, but the project is about more than endorphin-enhancing visuals. “Eventually,” she says, “we’ll also be organizing some sound baths, meditations, and yoga workshops, as well as some discussions around positivity. The Happy House is a playground where shopping and discovering and sharing will provide a constant supply of happiness.” It all starts tonight. For the official store opening, Mikati has invited the Dream Catchers Academy, a youth dance group based in Lagos, Nigeria, to perform.

Here’s a first look inside the smile-inducing Happy House.