Impact More Important Than Applause: Mabel Makun on Work, Giving

By Success Essien, Barakat Lawal, Luke Matthias, Adebisi Bolarinwa

For Mabel Makun, interior design begins where beauty alone ends. Mabel, the chief executive officer (CEO) of Midas Interiors Limited and a philanthropist, is convinced that purpose must live inside aesthetics; without it, design has failed. 

This philosophy has shaped not only the kind of spaces Makun creates but also the values that guide her life beyond her profession. To her, interior design is a careful balance of form and function, a deliberate union of beauty and usefulness.

 “You can beautify a space,” she said.

 “But if it is not functional, then to me, the space is useless.” 

Design, in her view, must serve people, not simply impress them.

That same sense of responsibility informs her approach to philanthropy, although she rarely discusses it. For Makun, giving is not a public performance. It is a quiet commitment, guided by intent rather than recognition. Many of her philanthropic efforts, she said, are deliberately kept away from cameras because impact matters more than applause.

Still, some acts of giving are meant to be seen not for praise, but for what they make possible. One such moment was her contribution to the University of Lagos (UNILAG), an institution she describes as important not just academically, but symbolically.

Mabel explains that her decision to support UNILAG was rooted in access. She wanted students to experience quality spaces without having to leave the country or encounter them only in magazines or abroad.

 “I wanted students to have access to good things,” she said.

 “To know what it feels like to be in a beautiful space that is also highly functional.”

For her, supporting a public university mattered deeply. UNILAG represents an opportunity for thousands of students navigating limited resources in a demanding system. 

Her contribution, she explained, was not just about infrastructure, but about dignity.

 “I wanted people to walk into the space and immediately feel the difference,” she said.

 “To see how much effort and care were put into it.”

The gesture reflects a recurring theme in Mabel’s work: attention to spaces often overlooked. She believes that areas considered ordinary deserve the same care as those meant to impress. Access to beauty and functionality, in her view, should not be exclusive.

This philosophy also explains why she recently organised a training programme for aspiring interior designers. The initiative, which she made public by intention, was designed to create opportunity. She noticed a growing interest in interior design, but few structured pathways for people who wanted to learn properly. Training others became her way of opening doors and creating employment, not charity for its own sake, but capacity building.

Yet Mabel is clear about one thing: philanthropy is not an extension of her career. It is a separate calling altogether. While some of her giving aligns with design, much of it does not. What remains constant is her principle. She gives where there is genuine need and where what is given will be valued and used meaningfully.

 “I must know that you are actually in need and that what I give will not be taken for granted,” the philanthropist said. 

When asked about legacy, Mabel does not speak of monuments or recognition. She instead speaks of values: hard work, dedication, consistency, and belief in oneself. She wants her work and her life to quietly remind others that they can overcome obstacles and that intention still matters.

In an age where impact is often measured by visibility, Makun’s story moves in the opposite direction. Her work speaks softly, but it lingers. In the spaces she designs and the lives she touches, purpose remains the foundation.