Sheila Bridges Collaborates With Williams Sonoma
Ever intrigued by the pastoral motifs of the 1700s, Harlem-based interior designer Sheila Bridges created her own Harlem toile de Jouy motif when she concluded a disappointing search for her own home. Williams Sonoma revealed Tuesday that the award-winning creative’s artwork — recognized for weaving the African American experience into the whimsical spirit of 18th century France — will now be available on an array of home decor items in its stores and online.
“Sheila’s use of color and her ability to blend time periods, patterns and various design aesthetics into her work has been a source of inspiration for our design teams throughout the years,” said Felix Carbullido, president of Williams Sonoma and Williams Sonoma Home, in a statement.
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With each pillow case, napkin, glass and fireplace screen, Bridges invites consumers to look closer at the visual storytelling that includes images of women styling hair, men playing basketball and girls jumping rope — all of which represent Bridges’ perspective as a Black woman living in Harlem. “I think everyone wants to figure out a way to express their own sense of personal style in their homes and I think this collection can help people to do that,” she said.
With this latest debut, Williams Sonoma makes Bridges’ visually powerful work accessible to a broader public. Cocktail napkins retail for $19.95 for a set of four, while high-ticket items like a mirror crafted in solid walnut is priced at $895.
Bridges grew up in Philadelphia and attended Brown University. According to the National Museum of African American History and Culture’s website, she was named America’s Best Interior Designer by CNN and Time magazine in 2001. Her work has been featured in The Studio Museum In Harlem, the Museum of Art and Design in New York City and Cooper Hewitt Smithsonian Design Museum, among others. After moving to Harlem in 1993, she opened Sheila Bridges Design and today boasts a high-profile roster of clients including former President Bill Clinton, for whom she designed his Harlem offices. She most recently redecorated One Observatory Circle, the official residence of Vice President Kamala Harris and Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff. Earlier this year, she joined forces with cookware company Le Creuset for a line of pitchers, mugs and Dutch ovens.
Last year her Wedgwood x Sheila Bridges collection featured prominently at the Carousel @ Bloomingdale’s: Bridgerton curation that embodied the series’ modern take on Regency London, with an offering that included women’s and men’s fashion, beauty, home and kids.
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