Interior Design Has A Race Problem And It Needs To Be Addressed – British Vogue

For a world that celebrates and often steals from global culture and diversity, behind the glossy exterior, the interior design industry is ironically and startlingly uniform. From lists of top-50 UK designers to panel speakers to homes that appear in magazine shoots, those featured are often white.

Not that we really know. The industry doesnt have central statistics on its members (something some campaigners think needs to change). But for those people of colour working in the interior design world, it is blindingly obvious.

This issue, of course, is nothing new. But the shockwaves felt around the world from the urgent focus on Black Lives Matters campaigns have prompted some but by no means all to take a hard look at how the interiors world can work harder to become more diverse and tackle endemic racism at the heart of the industry.

Earlier this month, Yinka Ilori, the designer, creative director and founder of his eponymous studio, wrote a searing post on Instagram damning those in the industry who continue to pretend there isnt a problem. He pointed to the fellow Black and ethnic minority students on his product and furniture design course more than a decade ago, who studied for three years then decided not to pursue a career in interiors because they felt the industry wasnt diverse enough and they wouldnt be accepted.

The 2019 Dulwich Pavilion, titled The Colour Palace, was created by Pricegore architects and designer Yinka Ilori.

More damningly, he wrote about how last year, after unveiling his much-lauded Colour Palace commission in Dulwich, he received an email from a member of the public suggesting that the work would be better assembled in a Lagos shanty town where it might provide some shelter for the starving millions who live there. As Ilori put it: Im not going to sit here and say that racism doesnt exist because it does.

For years, under-represented designers have detailed similar experiences, ones that they still must endure today. Many of us dont feel comfortable, or feel uneasy, voicing it publicly whilst others may not even realise it, says Na Li, a qualified architect and co-founder of London-based design studio Holloway Li. But the world of interior design is currently shaped by the dominant culture of white males and white prestige. You only need to look to the popular top interior designer lists where there is a distinct lack of Black or Asian representation.

Alex Holloway and Na Li of London-based design studio Holloway Li.

Salsabil El-Awaisi, an interior designer and founder of SE Interiors, cites a common complaint: I often walk into a room and Im the only brown person in there. It did make me uncomfortable at the start of my career and it can be very draining. Ive had lots of patronising comments like, Wow, you run your own business, which, in hindsight, I realise are racist; they assume that Im not successful and well-educated, which I am. I feel that I have to work harder and prove myself a bit more, just because Im a person of colour.

Salsabil El-Awaisi is the founder of SE Interiors.

RACHEL COHEN

Meanwhile AlexandriaDauley, founder of Dauley Design and a tutor at KLC School of Design, says shes heard from people of colour predominantly young designers over the last week, who tell of turning up for interviews and being greeted with looks of surprise that they were not what the interviewer expected them to look like, or being told that they dont fit with the image of the brand. Once candidates were placed in jobs, they related experiences of being on probation [for] twice as long as white candidates and then later being passed over for promotion.

El-Awaisi adds that she rarely buys interior design magazines because they do not reflect a diverse range of designers. I find that in one month there might be a few Black or brown people, but it never feels consistent, it feels like a tick-box exercise.

The irony, of course, as Michelle Ogundehin, author, broadcaster and former editor-in-chief of Elle Decoration, points out, is that with any creative industry, great design grows from perspective and experience, so diversity is the path [by which] to reap benefits.

Michelle Ogundehin, author, broadcaster and former editor-in-chief of Elle Decoration.

Marianna Wahlsten

She says that by ignoring the wealth of talent out there, there have been missed opportunities. Ive been talking to a woman on Instagram (Laura of @NoFeatureWalls) whose home is full of beautiful William Morris wallpaper. But also, as her grandmother was a member of the Windrush generation and brought with her to England rich Caribbean influences, there is this confluence of expression that is extraordinary. I dont think that that style has been explored and celebrated. Watch this space, as Ogundehin plans to pitch an idea to the V&A for a potential exhibition that would examine the meeting of traditional British and Caribbean styles that exists in many homes around the UK, but is rarely given a platform.

But, while the conversation has moved to the mainstream, it is still not being discussed publicly by all. British Vogue contacted several designers, design schools and industry bodies, and many replied saying that they were not ready to respond to the issue; aside from a smattering of black squares, few big design studios have detailed what changes they intend to make.

Sophie Ashby and her husband Charlie Casely-Hayford, photographed for British Vogue in their home in White City.

Dylan Thomas

Sophie Ashby, creative director of Studio Ashby, is one of the few white studio directors who has made a public statement acknowledging the lack of diversity in her company, but promising to change through sponsored apprenticeships, mentoring and scrutinising her own recruitment strategy. In an honest and thoughtful Instagram post, she concluded: With what power I have, what I need to do is unlock a few doors and ensure the things I do are not transactional or token.

Meanwhile, to combat the lack of media representation, influencers have been using their platforms to amplify Black and minority voices online. Paula Sutton, who has a large, 368k-strong following on her @HillHouseVintage Instagram account, has been tagging fellow Black creators in the interiors world as part of an online challenge to build ourselves up as Black women, while Kate Watson-Smyth has used her @Mad_About_The_House account to showcase Black women and men who run interior design accounts to her 234k-strong audience.

Dauley thinks that there needs to be deeper, industry-wide change. Inspired by the Royal Ballets outreach programme, of which her 12-year-old daughter is a part, over the last few weeks she has reached out to industry bodies, publishers, design schools and studios with the aim of inspiring school students; phase two involves creating a path of paid work experience, apprenticeships and mentoring throughout their careers.She has already had a huge swell of support from prominent industry leads: I dont think Ive slept, she jokes, but now is the time to get people on board.

Two other schemes also hope to address the problem. Design Can, of which Ilori is a board member, is a campaign, tool and active-resource platform calling for an inclusive and representativedesignindustry. Meanwhile Designfor Diversity, which was launched by Rukmini Patel and Kate Watson-Smyth last week, is an initiative for brands, bloggers, designers and stylists to commit visibly to operate diverse businesses via a sticker on their websites. Brands already pledged to participate include Heals, Rockett St George, Pooky and Audenza.

Those hopeful for change dont want to see the conversation brushed back under the carpet. Im sure lots of people want it to move on, so we can go back to talking about pretty things, Ogundehin says. I love talking and reading about pretty things, but I also want change. This cant be the end.

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Interior Design Has A Race Problem And It Needs To Be Addressed - British Vogue