Jun 13

Jun 13 The Black Interior Designers Network presents the 2016 African American Top 20 Interior Designers

One of the benefits of choosing a list of top performing design firms is getting to follow their growth and to know them on an intimate level. From the moment we release one list, we are inundated with nominations for the next list. This year alone, you have nominated over 52 designers for the 2016 list. That's a lot of research! We combed through websites and letters of recommendations and finally got down to the 20 names we are putting forth today.

So what makes a top design firm? For our committee, it is important that the people on the list are making strides in the industry. They are not the same company twenty times over. Instead, it's 20 different examples of individualized success centered around the love of decorating.

Some of the firms have one owner and are ran from a dining room or a small office. Others consist of retail spaces that serve thousands of customers a year. No matter the makeup, the designers on this list have come up with unique ways to follow their passions and makes a living doing what they love.

I have become obsessed with people who put out lists like Forbes and Black Enterprise. I am always looking at how they do it and how they ensure accuracy when reporting data. I've learned a lot and adopted many of their practices while compiling this list. We have a committee of 7 who comb through each nominee to ensure the people we put forth are ones you can count on to be leaders in this industry.

We've found out some amazing things about the designers who make up the 2016 African American Top 20 Interior Designers list. For one, the individuals on this list each are managing over a quarter of a million dollars in design budgets yearly and have a combined buying power of 5 million dollars annually. They buy from the best vendors and are looking for ways to partner with companies who understand their clients and want to come up with unique ways to serve them.

Being on the African American Top 20 Interior Designers List is an important next step for many of the designers careers. They are in the process of growing their businesses to include products and other licensing agreements. They value our community and consider it a fun and safe place to explore what is possible with interior design.

Please take a moment to visit the sites of each of the designers. Show your support by liking their Facebook pages and following them on Instagram. They have been working very hard mastering their crafts. Let them know you love and appreciate them by leaving a comment below.

FROM MILLION DOLLAR PROJECTS TO SERVICING AN INTERNATIONAL AND A-LIST CLIENTELE, THESE BLACK DESIGNERS ARE SETTING GLOBAL TRENDS FOR EXCELLENCE IN INTERIOR DESIGN.

Rayman Boozer
Michel Smith Boyd
Tiffany Brooks
Iantha Carley
Nikki Chu
Penny & Casi Francis
Lorna Gross-Bryant
Tonya Comer
Donna Gilliam
Alecia & Charles Johnson
Nile Johnson
Dereky & Al Martin
Joy Moyler
Janice Palmer & Calington Brown
Rae Revelle
Leslie Rinehardt
Dennese Guadeloupe Rojas
Erin Shakoor
Cheryl Umbles
Robin Wilson

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