African American Designers don’t often get their flowers and I wanted to take this time in the middle of Black History Month to salute them and their achievements. These are my favorites and I know there are many more, but I’ve broken up my list into Part 1 and Part 2. Sit back, grab a cup of coffee and enjoy learning about these incredible ladies and their wonderful achievements.
Sheila Bridges Design – Sheila Bridges
I consider Sheila Bridges to be the OG Black Interior Designer for me. I remember seeing her for the first time on her TV show “Designer Living” on the Fine Living Network and being fascinated that there was actually a career in interior design. I know I’m dating myself, but this was around 2002 when I first saw the show. I never knew you could make a career out of it. I know you’re probably thinking to yourself “that can’t be”, but as a woman of a certain age, I only knew the basic doctor, lawyer, teacher and business professions for black people. Of course, I knew of black fashion designers and artists, but interior design wasn’t even on my radar. So when I saw Sheila, I was smitten. She was from the Northeast (Philadelphia) like me (Connecticut) and her family was similar to mine in that they collected art and were well versed in antiques.
She was also the first interior designer I saw who created products to sell. Living and working in Harlem, she designed the Harlem Toile du Jouy pattern which takes the original French toile pattern with scenes of country living and turned it on its head by showing black people and their everyday activities like double dutch and picnics among other scenes.
I follow her on Instagram and she’s always traveling to exciting places in Europe and even has an apartment in Iceland! She has been named Best Interior Designer by Times and CNN and has won numerous other awards. It really is a beautiful life when you do what you love.
Her designs have an elegant classicism but always include a certain something that makes you smile, whether it’s art, wallpaper, or those silver pigs in the kitchen below.
This is the famous Harlem Toile which is on wallpaper, decorative accessories, soft furnishings, fashion, etc. She also has other wallpaper lines, writes books and collaborations with Williams and Sonoma, Converse and too many to name. As you can tell, she is my shero.
Malene B. – Malene Barnett
Malene Barnett is a Brooklyn-based multidisciplinary artist-designer and owner of Malene B, an art and design studio from which she produces textiles and ceramics. I first became acquainted with her by seeing some of her textile rugs
In November of 2018, Barnett founded the Black Artists and Designers Guild (BADG): a “curated collective of Black artists and designers throughout the African diaspora,” as Barnett succinctly describes the group. As a champion of black designers, she has a searchable directory of not only interior designers, but architects, fine artists, ceramicists, textile and furniture designers from North America, Africa, Europe and the Caribbean.
This living room is a neutral lover’s dream. By no means boring, the combination of her wallpaper, pillows, rattan coffee table, textural pendant in the dining room, natural rug, and the wispy plant with fluffy moss, makes this a symphony of texture. Her wallpaper is in collaboration with Lulu and Georgia.
I love this rug with the free-flowing, organic pattern designed for Kravet.
I could go on and on with her artistry, but I’ll end with one of her ceramic pieces. She received an MFA in Ceramics and this piece is absolutely stunning.
Blessed Little Bungalow – Amber Guyton
I started following Amber Guyton and her Blessed Little Bungalow brand on Instagram and fell in love with her and her colorful designs. She designs with joy, patterns and colors that you wouldn’t think to put together, but in her hands, it works. Her gallery wall game is unmatched and she’s come out with a line of wallpaper that is killer.
Based in Atlanta but born in South Carolina, Amber’s work has been featured and recognized by notable organizations and publications such as HGTV Magazine, Architectural Digest, House Beautiful, Forbes, Ebony, Apartment Therapy, Domino, Hunker, Atlanta Homes & Lifestyles, Atlanta Magazine’s HOME, Good Housekeeping, and many more. She’s definitely on the rise, but I love her for being transparent about mental wellness and how she deals with life. She’s like my daughter in my head.
Just one of the many colorful designs by Amber Guyton including her famous gallery wall. That green color on the walls just makes me happy.
This is just one of the many patterns of wallpaper she has designed for Mitchell Black. This was a natural progression for her since she’s a master at mixing patterns and textures.
Indigo Pruitt Design Studio – Marie Cloud
Marie Cloud of Indigo Pruitt is based in Charlotte, North Carolina and she’s a girl after my own heart with her love of mountains in the fall over beaches in the summer. I love her even before I’ve even met her. Her design firm is a firm believer that home design and wellness are intertwined. Her spaces are a testament to her building relationships with her customers in order to create classic and timeless designs with a modern touch. After working for Sherwin Williams before starting her own firm in 2017, she is a color expert and that’s evident in her creations.
She is a leader in her community and has led several initiatives for the homeless in Charlotte and the surrounding areas. She is also on the board for Highpoint x Design leading the movement for diversity and inclusion.
What can I say about this media room? It is stunning with the burgundy/eggplant paint going all the way up on the ceiling, the long rust couch and the sconces are just “chef’s kiss”. I could literally live my life in this room.
This teeny space off a hallway that Marie designed for the Junior League of Greensboro Showhouse is an example of making something out of nothing. It could have just been a closet, but she turned it into this fabulous nook.
Forbes + Masters – Tavia Forbes and Monet Masters
Tavia and Monet have crafted a boutique, luxury design firm that is nothing short of astonishing. I found them on Instagram a few years ago and have been impressed with them ever since. Based in Atlanta, they each had separate companies that would come in contact with each other frequently. In 2015 they decided to combine forces and become Forbes + Masters. They create bold, eclectic designs that are unique and custom to their clients.
Featured in Architectural Digest as “9 Designers on the Rise” as well as “The New Creatives”, they have also appeared in House Beautiful and Luxe among others. They are also quite the fashionistas which I appreciate; having a complete brand from head to toe complements their design aesthetic.
Check out this eclectic living room by F+M. The mix of Mid-Century Modern and Art Deco is a pairing that is unique and custom for their clients. There’s even a touch of mud cloth and a rattan peacock chair.
Design collaboration with Mitchell Black featuring the modern style of Forbes + Masters. It’s like a work of art.
The Black Home – Neffi Walker
Image via Neffi Walker Instagram
I feel like I know Neffi because she answers my comments in her Instagram account. Haha, but seriously, that just goes to show you how personable she is and how much she cares about her “people”. She’s admitted she doesn’t have a design degree, but she does have the natural ability to create modern spaces that connect her clients backgrounds to their design aesthetic. A celebrity designer, she started out designing for friends and it morphed into a full-fledged business. As a designer and an entrepreneur, she’s someone I look up to for her hustle and vision.
She was named by Architectural Digest as one of “21 Black Women Changing the Architecture and Design Space” and was featured in House Beautiful also. Her fashion and eyeglass game is also on point. Check her out on Instagram.
Here is a collaboration The Black Home did with Black Cotton for the 256 Project. Such a plant steeped in pain was made into a work of art.
Image via Neffi Walker Instagram
The Black Home is her storefront located in Brooklyn where she sells decorative accessories and vintage furniture by black artisans and makers as well as her own products.
Her gold banana leaf wallpaper in collaboration with Verna Fogg is an ode to her Caribbean background.
Well, I had to really scale this blog post down and divide it into two parts. I could go on and on about these ladies as interior designers, entrepreneurs and as people. Stay tuned for Part 2.
Let me know if you’ve heard of any of these fabulous designers. If you haven’t, I encourage you to check them out.
See ya next time.
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