Architectural Digest teams up with Black Interior Designers Network on sustainability-themed showhouse

For the second year in a row, Condé Nast’s Architectural Digest is teaming up with the Black Interior Designers Network (BIDN) for a virtual showhouse. This year’s digital residence, once again dubbed The Iconic Home, has sustainability as its theme and has landed Method, the green cleaning products brand owned by S.C. Johnson, as its lead sponsor. Arhaus, Beautyrest, Crate & Kids, Garage Living, Heat & Glo, Kohler and Rémy Martin are among the other supporting sponsors whose products will have a presence in the home. Doors will open on Sept. 27 at archdigest.com/iconichome; admission is free, though AD is encouraging visitors to make a donation to BIDN, which is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Amy Astley, global editorial director of Architectural Digest, tells Ad Age that she was eager to team up again with Keia McSwain, president of the Black Interior Designers Network; the two had previously worked together on 2020’s inaugural Iconic Home, as Ad Age reported last fall. Astley calls McSwain a “powerhouse” and “true change agent and talent supporter in the design industry”—and adds that the sustainability theme of 2021’s Iconic Home aside, the project’s core mission remains “drawing more and much-deserved attention” to the work of leading Black interior designers and architects. “I’m always thinking of the future generation of designers,” McSwain tells Ad Age. “Will it be more diverse than this generation? Will they feel as if there is a place for them in the industry? To have a top magazine allocate resources to an all-Black program through a partnership with the leading Black design organization is extremely significant.” The 2021 Iconic Home comes with a backstory—it’s “figuratively nestled in the scenic Hudson Valley” of New York, according to promotional materials—and will allow visitors to tour through various designs executed by a dozen Black industry pros, including Elizabeth Graziolo of Yellow House Architects, Danielle Colding of Danielle Colding Design (whose design for the home’s great room appears above and below), and Rasheeda Gray of Gray Space Interiors. (See the full list below.) Architectural visualization shop The Boundary is creating the photorealistic renderings in collaboration with BIDN’s team of talents. “I spoke to many people last year who didn’t realize this was not a physical house,” says McSwain, “which is a true testament to The Boundary’s capabilities. We were able to step up our tech game this year as visitors will get the full touring experience and can walk themselves through the house in whatever direction they’d like.” Sponsor fixtures and furnishings, including Kohler faucets and Beautyrest mattresses, will be seamlessly integrated into the interiors. David Kaufman, global digital director of Architectural Digest, notes that the sustainability theme for the 2021 Iconic Home was driven by both AD advertiser activity in the eco-conscious space and by demand in the marketplace. “Now more than ever,” he says, consumers understand that “sustainability begins at home, with every purchase, passion or project impacting the Earth for many years to come. And with climate change intersecting with social justice, the BIDN showhouse offers the ideal opportunity to address multiple global challenges at the same time.” The architects and designers whose work will be on display in The Iconic Home: 1. Architecture by Elizabeth Graziolo of Yellow House Architects 2. Entry and salon by Rasheeda Gray of Gray Space Interiors 3. Great room by Danielle Colding of Danielle Colding Design 4. Kitchen and pantry by Arianne Bellizaire of Arianne Bellizaire Interiors 5. Dining room and bar by Travis London of Studio London Co. 6. Primary bedroom by Joan Goodwin of Verandah Interior Design 7. Primary bath and dressing room by Alvin Wayne of Alvin Wayne Interiors 8. Kid’s bedroom by Breegan Jane of Breegan Jane LLC 9. Library by Mikel Welch of Mikel Welch Designs 10. Guest bedroom and bath by Andre Hilton of Jordan Hilton Interiors 11. Garage and mudroom by DuVäl Reynolds of DuVäl Design, LLC 12. Landscape architecture by Sara Zewde of Studio Zewde

Architectural Digest teams up with Black Interior Designers Network on sustainability-themed showhouse

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