Kia Weatherspoon embodies her mission–to elevate the lives of people living in affordable housing through design.
Kia’s design practice is human-centered, driven to lead with empathy through design. Her mission is best told through her personal journey to interior design, which includes a formative experience of the psychological impacts of prison spaces. When she joined the military and was deployed in the Middle East, she found herself needing respite and privacy, and a moment of improvising three bed sheets to create walls, gave her comfort, solace and healing. “I had to go to prison and war to realize that space matters.” It reinforced that interior design is “the greatest form of empathy.”
From inception, Design Equity™ recognizes that spaces are part of the unique stories of communities and histories—not sites, flattened, topographic and speculative. “Concept starts with community and history. We start with the land, not the site,” she shares. There is an indigenous story in every story; therefore it’s key to design with those that inhabit the space–not for them.
Speaker: Kia Weatherspoon with HML CoFounder and Design Director, Jonsara Ruth
Kia explains that most important for “truly creating equitable outcomes,” is explicitly addressing biases that have developed into typical processes. At every stage, being relentless in demanding transparency in pricing and in procuring materials is required. “There are insidious mark-ups along the way, so we created a procurement company for healthier materials– we want to control the pricing.”
Factoring in the generational impact of incremental decisions along the way is imperative. She explains that every design decision has a cost, whether short- or long-term. Finally, equitable practices are not simply tacked on as an addition in any proposal; for Kia, they are a part of the design from the beginning.
Kia Weatherspoon, NCIDQ, ASID, D.F.A (h.c) has spent the last 15 years defying every design stereotype. The most damaging—interior design is a luxury reserved for a few. Her voice, advocacy for Design Equity™, and design practice have shifted the narrative, making interior design a standard for all. Kia’s presence and leadership have created ripples, prompting housing developers, agencies, and industry partners in economically challenged communities to not just take notice of her work—but to do better.
As a design industry advocate and educator in business leadership, equity, and diversity, Kia has been recognized as ICFF Design of the Year, has an Honorary Doctorate from New York School of Interior Design, and ASID National Design for Humanity, a HIP Designer for Good by Interior Design Magazine, CREW Washington, DC Raise Your Voice Awardee, a part of the Washington Business Journal’s 40 under 40 Class and the International Interior Design Association Luna Textile/Anna Hernandez Visionary Award recipient.
Kia is adamant that change is possible when difficult conversations happen. She has them every day as a female leader of color, speaker, educator, and mentor who exemplifies what’s possible for those who are determined by design.