UK Black History Month: 10 Black Interior Design Professionals You Need to Know
October 1st marked the beginning of Black History Month in the UK, which aims to redress the balance of storytelling in favour of a more egalitarian narrative. It’s no secret that the world of interior design has long had what you might call a diversity issue – at least in terms of visibility. So, in the spirit of celebration that defines Black History Month, here are 10 contemporary Black interior design experts making their mark on the profession.
Sheila Bridges
Photos from Sheila Bridges’ website
CNN and Time Magazine both named her “America’s Best Interior Designer.” She’s been Creative Director of her own firm since 1994. She designed former President Bill Clinton’s Harlem offices. And her work has been featured everywhere from Architectural Digest to The New York Times. Yes, if there’s one Interior Designer in America whose name you should know, it’s Sheila Bridges. Which makes celebrating her work an absolute necessity, right now, during Black History Month.
Kunle Barker
Photo from Kunle Barker's website
Property expert, entrepreneur, journalist, TV presenter and co-host of Grand Designs Live, Kunle Barker is a household name in Britain. He set up his own business, Illustrious Homes, in 2004 shortly after completing his Masters degree in Leeds and, today, has delivered over 8,000 residential refurbishments. A multiple award-winning property expert, Kunle also writes a regular construction and building column for Grand Designs Magazine.
Candace Mary Griffin
Photos from Candace Mary Griffin's website
The Founder and Principal Designer of American firm Candace Mary Griffin Interiors is a risk taker who threw caution to the wind, upped and left Michigan and headed for Chicago to make her mark as an Interior Designer. The gamble paid off and now she’s back in Detroit, rolling out an approach beloved by clients, which fuses timeless chic with contemporary cool to create spaces that ooze individuality and make a serious statement.
Dayna Isom Johnson
Photo by Ricky Restiano from Etsy Blog
Johnson is the in-house trend expert at Etsy. She’s been a judge on the NBC competition show Making It hosted by comedian and actor Nick Offerman. Her expertise runs the gamut of handmade and artisanal goods – from home décor to fashion – and she is a trusted expert who loves offering customers advice on the best products and prices that fit with their personal vision. A true guiding light in the world of interior design, right now.
Natalie Yaa Obenewa Thompson
Photo by Bespoke Binny
Bespoke Binny is a multicoloured dreamland of African textiles brought to the British market by former Cognitive Behavioural Therapist Natalie Yaa Obenewa Thompson. Natalie’s Ghanian heritage – and the memories it conjures up for her – are what inspired the business and now she’s delivering stunning cushions, lampshades, bedding, tableware and more. Not to mention running her own lampshade making classes for enthusiastic London locals.
Ariene Bethea
Photo from Ariene's Instagram
Dressing Rooms Interiors Studio in Charlotte, North Carolina, USA is an incredible vintage home furnishings boutique that brings together some of the funkiest and most stunning vintage pieces on the planet. And the brains behind it is its founder Ariene Bethea who brings to the store her own amazing sense of style and individuality. A hidden gem of a store the likes of which you wish you had in your town.
Mikel Welch
Photos from Mikel Welch's website
The second child of Michigan to be featured in this illustrious list of interior design experts, Mikel Welch got his start early – building sofas and dining tables using lego. His New York business uses somewhat more high-end materials and his home renovations featured on Murder House Flip have turned houses that, frankly, no one would ever want to live in into dream homes we would *ahem* die to own. Oh, and, as if that’s not enough, he was named one of the 2020 “NEXT WAVE” designers by House Beautiful in January.
Beth Diana Smith
Photos from Beth Diana Smith's website
New Jersey based designer Beth Diana Smith was a hotshot financier for the likes of Viacom and Johnson & Johnson, but she gave it all up to launch her own interior design firm. Bold, rich and daring in their use of colour, Beth’s designs fuse clean linearity with playful dashes and splashes of form, shape and texture. She’s been featured in the likes of Elle Décor and House Beautiful amongst many other lauded publications and she’s setting imaginations racing across New York and New Jersey with her subtly opulent approach.
Kiyonda Powell
Photos from Kiyonda Powell's website
Based out of Washington, DC, Kiyonda Powell Design Studio delivers lifestyle-friendly post-modern space planning with a flair for the colourful and a daring ability to mix-and-match to aesthetic perfection. Kiyonda, herself, has partnered with Property Brothers Drew and Jonathan Scott on their Casaza platform, her work has been showcased everywhere from the Wall Street Journal to Elle Décor.
Saudah Saleem
Photos from Saudah Saleem's website
Native New Yorker now operating out of Baltimore, MD, Saudah Saleem works with clients across every budget range to deliver interiors that offer warmth, coziness, style and vibrant opulence in equal measure. With a taste for the maximal, Saudah’s work is built around bold colour schemes, designed in just such a way to offer as much serenity as they do excitement. A rule breaker by nature, her work dares to test the sacred tenets of interior design culture, such as using dark colours in smaller spaces and fusing antique furniture with modern art.
Want to read more? Check out our article on Mexican architect Stéphanie Agostino’s Rose Beauty Salon in Valencia, Spain.