Ask any LGBTQ+ person what it means to identify as queer, and they’ll give you a laundry list of attributes, often the last of which includes their sexuality. It shows up in how we relate to people, imagine the world, and express our creativity. It’s no surprise, then, that many designers find their queerness trickling into their work.
Following in the footsteps of generational icons like Eileen Gray and Charles Moore, queer designers continue to push out innovative projects (think inlaid coffee tables, fruit-shaped mirrors, and spiralized jewelry holders), while taking things a step further and giving back to those around them. After all, LGBTQ+ folks intimately understand the importance of community, as we rely on chosen family, safe spaces, and elders who paved the way for us to live freely.
Through mutual funds, employment opportunities, and more, designers are paying it forward to their people, practicing true solidarity not just during Pride month but all year long. Below, we spoke to four queer designers about how they are building up their communities and, in tandem, building beautiful brands.
Sophie Collé, Sophie Collé Design
For Sophie Collé, being queer is just part of what makes her who she is—along with being a woodworker, industry darling, and friend, among others. Still, it’s remained a constant guide in her journey as a designer. “I started my studio right around the time I came out, and I think there was so much discovery in my life, both personally and professionally,” Collé recalls. “Once I became more in touch with who I was as an individual, I felt a bigger sense of self and confidence emerge in my work.”
Drawing on her experience, Collé became passionate about making space for people like her in the design community. “So far, all the studio assistants I have hired and worked with have been queer femmes, and I've really enjoyed that aspect of mentorship,” she says. “I also really enjoy organizing events and have done a few queer artist markets during Pride month, which has been a really wholesome and fruitful experience for hopefully all involved.”
While Collé’s name became synonymous with her colorful, squiggly furniture post-pandemic, she’s now taking her designs in a new direction, experimenting with materials and forms, much like when she first came out and founded her studio. “Although presenting new work to an audience familiar with my older work can be scary, it's been very freeing,” she says. “I've been working on a new collection, slowly but surely, and figuring out the best way to release it to the world.”
Melissa Garcia, La Matriarca Woodworkings
With a background in social services, Melissa Garcia found it natural to enmesh community-building into her work at La Matriarca Woodworkings. The team frequently volunteers with Young Women Empowered to teach girls and non-binary folks about carpentry, an industry where barely four percent of professionals are women. “I know how powerful it can be to see someone like yourself doing work you may not have imagined was possible,” Garcia says.
Within La Matriarca, queerness is expressed as a drive to challenge traditional ideas. “It informs [how] I run my business entirely: with inclusivity, collaboration, respect, and the belief that everyone deserves to feel seen and comfortable in the spaces they call home.” It’s especially important—and personal—to Garcia, as she experienced criticism for her sexuality and a short period of houselessness when she was younger.
Now, Garcia can see queerness through a more joyful lens, especially as she takes on new interior projects. “It inspires me to create spaces that feel expressive, personal, and a little unexpected, whether that means mixing vintage elements with modern touches, using bold colors and patterns, or incorporating custom pieces that reflect my client's personality,” she says.
Viviana Matsuda, Mud Witch
Viviana Matsuda dove into ceramics to process the grief of losing their father, who was also a potter and passed on plenty of tools for Matsuda to play with. What started as a hobby, though, quickly snowballed into viral mugs and whimsical mirrors that Matsuda now sells at Mud Witch.
Matsuda attributes the success, in part, to the curiosity inherent in queerness. “Because we are rejecting heteronormativity and the gender-normative, I think it's easier to question other things in our lives and whether they serve us: Why, when you become an adult, is color considered childish? What if I want to reclaim that for myself? Is it serving me to have an all gray home?” Matsuda says. “My pottery is very unapologetically fun and is meant for people who commit to a lifestyle of seeking joy, which all feels very queer.”
Giving back was always part of Matsusa’s business goals, so they regularly speak up on issues ranging from LGBTQ+ rights to arthritis awareness. “To build a platform that could be used to educate, inform, and highlight the things I care about is kind of the dream,” Matsuda says. Mud Witch also hosts sliding-scale classes at its store—where students pay what they can—to accommodate for wage gaps. “If you know people get paid a lesser wage simply because of who they are, then why not allow flexibility for pricing?” Matsusa says. “It feels like it levels out the cost of entry a bit to folks that just want to create.”
Mark Grattan, LIVED IN
Furniture and interior designer Mark Grattan is beloved for his work with star-studded names like Solange Knowles and Megan Rapinoe. Having established himself on the global design stage, he’s now excited by a growing sense of agency. “For much of my career, there were parts of my success that felt dependent on someone else’s system—a gallery deciding to exhibit the work, a dealer making an introduction, or an institution opening a door,” he says. “There’s something incredibly empowering about realizing that you don’t always have to wait for a door to open—you can build one yourself.”
This carving of his own path—along with a certain resourcefulness—is informed by Grattan’s identity. “Many queer people become fluent in the space outside convention,” he says. “You learn how to build momentum where none exists, how to advocate for yourself, and how to keep moving when the roadmap runs out.”
Grattan’s championing of queer, Black bodies in design stems from “having experienced both the opportunities and the contradictions of this industry.” It led him to create LIVED IN, his own furniture showroom that he hopes will act as a catalyst for community-building. “Some of the most meaningful moments in my own journey came from people who shared knowledge, extended generosity, and created opportunities,” Grattan says. “LIVED IN is my way of continuing that exchange.”
