Design is all about storytelling, and Black creatives have been telling some of the most powerful, culture-shaping stories for generations - even when the industry didn’t always make room for us.
Legends like Cecil Hayes, the first Black interior designer featured in Architectural Digest, and Robert Robinson Taylor, the first accredited Black architect in the U.S., helped open doors in a field where we are still underrepresented. Did you know that even today, only 2% of interior designers and 2% of architects in the U.S. are Black? Wild, right?
That is why it is important to focus on and celebrate the history-makers, the visionaries, and the barrier-breakers who have shaped our present lives and continue pushing for more visibility and representation in the industry. Not just this month but every month.
So here’s to the Black designers, architects, and creatives making their mark. And if you don’t know their names yet, it’s time to start learning.