LGBTQ Interior Designers
The interior design profession is a relatively new career profession that is closely associated with the LGBTQ community. This is not surprising given that the founder of the profession is generally recognized as New York lesbian socialite Elsie de Wolfe in the 1920s. Tired of the old, staid Victorian look, de Wolfe introduced the public to the concept of designing their homes and accessories with a lighter and more colourful touch.
Many of the early interior designers were also architects, and the two professions are often closely intertwined. As the business expanded, so too did the sphere of influence for its top designers. Many expanded their expertise to include furniture design, fabric design, and other home accessories. The earliest innovative business-person to expand his design business includes the legendary gay British designer John Beresford Fowler who co-founded the famous Colefax & Fowler design firm and is noted for his support in renovating and rejuvenating the old manor homes of England.
The profession has grown rapidly since that time and now envelopes the developed world's lifestyle. Many of the contemporary LGBTQ interior designers are well known to the public through their television shows (such as 'Million Dollar Designers', 'Savoire Faire', and 'Color Splash'), books, and magazines. Others, such as Jonathan Adler, have extensive stores and an online presence for their uniquely designed home furnishings and design services.
We have identified a large number of global LGBTQ interior designers. These individuals hail from Ireland, France, Great Britain, Norway, Canada, the United States, the Netherlands, Puerto Rico, Australia, and Brazil. Read their biographies for interesting stories about a fascinating, and relatively new, profession.
- Jonathan Adler, United States
- Francis Bacon, Ireland
- Billy Baldwin, United States
- Nate Berkus, United States
- Jeremiah Brent, United States
- David Bromstad, United States
- Martyn Lawrence Bullard, Great Britain
- Ross Cassidy, United States
- John Chute, Great Britain
- Nigel Coates, Great Britain
- David Collins, Ireland
- Edgar de Evia, France
- Elsie de Wolfe, United States
- Robert Denning, United States
- Ingar Dragset, Norway
- Jamie Drake, United States
- Dennis Fourcade, United States
- John Beresford Fowler, Great Britain
- John Gidding, United States
- Eileen Gray, Ireland
- William Haines, United States
- Mel Hamilton, United States
- Craig Revel Horwood, Great Britain
- Mark Kaminski, United States
- Christian Lacroix, France
- Nik Manojlovich, Canada
- Jeffrey Alan Marks, United States
- Chad McPhail, United States
- Benjamin Noriega-Ortiz, Puerto Rico
- Todd Oldham, United States
- Ben Pentreath, Great Britain
- Andre Piva, Brazil
- Olga Rechdouni, United States
- Craig Rogerson, Australia
- Damian Smith, Australia
- Bobby Trendy, United States
- Benno Premsela, The Netherlands
- Glenn Pushelberg, Canada
- George Yabu, Canada
