Black interior designers and artists you should be following
Over the past several weeks, the interior design community has been examining the overwhelming racial disparity within the industry. A shockingly small percentage of interior designers are Black. Changing this requires thoughtful, informed, and deliberate action. We need to not only support Black interior designers and artists, but also create more space for them to promote their work, take the lead on industry panels and in showhouses, and be featured in print and digital media.
This week, we want to use the blog to share some amazing designers and artists and encourage you to follow them on Instagram! We’ve also linked to their websites and Instagram accounts so that you can explore their work for yourself.
Black interior designers and artists you should be following
Gray Space Interiors
Fellow Philadelphia designer Rasheeda Gray helms Gray Space Interiors. With her team, she crafts contemporary designs using neutral color schemes with punches of pattern and thoughtfully chosen details to add drama for one of a kind spaces. Check out her just-completed One Room Challenge and prepare to be blown away by the transformation! (Click on the photo to go to her IG.)
Ron Nicole
We have to tell you about local artist Ron Nicole and her incredible, one of a kind Floral Inspired Fossils. Using botanicals foraged from her property, she artfully creates molds from clay in which to cast floral plaster reliefs. Recently, Ronni Nicole introduced a line of floral papers that she plans to produce in small batches. Here’s the most important part: if you want a chance to purchase your very own unique Ron Nicole work, you must get on the waitlist. These beauties are worth it! In the meantime, follow her on Instagram to see her magical work.
Chansaerae Designs
Sarah C. Wilson helms Chansaerae Designs based in the D.C. area, and shares our love of wallpaper and tile. Her Instagram account is a mix of moody inspiration, works in progress, and a love of details. Her work shines in beautiful kitchens and baths – like this kitchen featured in KBB! – and she’s not afraid to push the envelope with interesting lighting and bold accents.
Glenyse Thompson Contemporary Art
Glenyse Thompson is a contemporary visual artist who makes her home in St. Petersburg, Florida. There, Glenyse creates inspired, fluid abstract designs working in acrylics, pen, and ink. We love the washes of color and precise, sinuous lines that give her artwork such a striking and unique vibe. You can shop her available works here and follow her fabulous IG account here!
Leyden Lewis Design Studio
New York designer Leyden Lewis combines modernist vision with textural details and a global sophistication to design enviable interiors. In addition to his interior design projects, Lewis is a fine artist whose work has been featured in a number of exhibitions. His art background allows him to assist clients in building their own fine art collections as well. We love how he uses design elements in unconventional ways, like this untanned leather floor! Keep up with his residential and commercial projects, features, accolades, and art exhibits on Instagram.
Janine Lecour
Janine Lecour is a surface pattern designer and graduate of Savannah College of Art and Design who resides outside of Atlanta. With bright colors and graphic prints, her patterns are available on everything from wallpaper and fabric to scarves and apparel on her shop page. We love these fun throw pillows available from Roostery! Keep up with new patterns on her Instagram account.
We hope that you’ve enjoyed “meeting” these designers and artists, and we’ll have another blog soon with even more incredibly talented and inspiring Black design pros!
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Glenna Stone Interior Design is an award-winning Philadelphia interior design firm serving Philadelphia, the Main Line, and surrounding cities. Utilizing her background and training in interior design, architecture, and engineering, Glenna specializes in creating interiors for residential and commercial design settings. We invite you to visit our website, view our portfolio, and catch up on the latest interior design concepts on our blog!