Black lives matter in the design industry!

What a week!

It’s been a week of many emotions for anyone with an inch of care & compassion. I didn’t know what to post today, all I knew is that I wanted to post something. I, like many have spent the week quietly trying to educate myself on the engrained prejudices our society still pass on from generation to generation & just how devastating this can be.

So instead of pretending that I have anything to add to the conversation I’m going to share with you what I’ve been reading & learning about how we can all try to be a part of changing the design industry to make it more diverse.

This post from a fellow interior designer, Rukmini Patel really opened my eyes to how far the design industry still has to go:

https://www.rukminipatel.com/how-to-be-diverse-in-the-design-industry/

Michelle Ogundehin wrote a piece earlier this week which made me feel really emotional when reading, it definitely hit a nerve & brought back some memories from my younger years which had been buried:

https://michelleogundehin.com/diversity/

Kate Watson Smyth wrote an interesting piece sharing comments from BAME industry professionals, delving into why there is such a lack of diversity in the interior design industry:

https://www.madaboutthehouse.com/why-is-there-such-a-lack-of-diversity-in-the-interior-design-industry/

As well as educating myself and signing every petition I can on Change.org I also took part in an open mic twitter chat on Thursday evening with fellow industry professionals which was a huge eye opener on the issues designers are facing. You can read back through the chat by searching for #interiorschat on Twitter. The chat resulted in a public message from the British institute of interior design which I’m going to pop below, it’s not nearly enough but it’s a start!

I’ll be continuing to do what I can to learn, teach my child & call out racism when I see it. I’ll be sharing any additional posts over on social media that I feel might be beneficial to you too.

#blacklivesmatter

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Natalie Lockwood Interiors has been showcased at Grand Designs Live and Ideal Home Show as well as being featured in national newspapers and magazines.