Today, CB2 launches a new collection of works designed exclusively by Black artists and designers globally, titled the Black in Design Collective. The Collective features ten new designers, brought together and mentored by Evan Jerry, the designer, and artist behind many CB2 statement-makers such as the T Marble Side Table and the Marisa Burl Wood Desk. The pieces in the collection make up a conscientious and dynamic assortment representative of Black excellence in design, with each designer infusing their varied cultural influences. Sourced from the streets of Paris, France, and Lagos, Nigeria, to the shores of the Caribbean islands, the collection spans cultures across furniture and home accessories.
“Our industry is evolving, and it’s important for us to be a part of that conversation and change. We feel the collective is not only a meaningful step for the brand but also retail at scale,” said CB2 President Ryan Turf. “CB2 is privileged to have the participation of several talented designers who are not only representative of accomplished Black figures in design but also of celebrated leaders within the industry as a whole.”
Pushing toward new narratives, particularly Black storytelling through design, has been the core of Evan Jerry’s own brand, Studio ANANSI, from its conception. Through his existing relationship and design partnership, Evan Jerry and CB2 worked together to showcase a global collection of works by both emerging and renowned Black designers. “The pieces throughout the Collective take an avant-garde approach to the expected visual representations of Black interior aesthetics,” says Evan Jerry. “This project was conceived to allow space for designers to explore and present some of the many perspectives in which people connect and identify as Black through objects, something many designers never had the opportunity to explore or express previously.”
This new collective of designers creates a body of work representing the Black Diaspora and informing a more diverse view of high design. It also supports CB2’s commitment to the Fifteen Percent Pledge, a movement to create sustainable and supportive ecosystems for Black-owned businesses, with a goal of having 15 percent of products and collaborations represented by Black businesses, artists, and designers by 2024. The Black in Design Collective is now available exclusively at cb2.com, featuring 66 unique SKUs across living, lighting, textiles, decor, and entertainment categories ranging in price from $9.95 to $3,999.
Design highlights from each designer include:
Arc Bronze Velvet Bench: The bench features two seats with a center “U”-shaped structure symbolizing unity within the Black community and specifically the Black in Design Collective. (Designed by Evan Jerry of Studio ANANSI, based in Nova Scotia, Canada)
Barber Upholstered Dining Chair: Designed to resemble the barbershop and salon chairs prevalent in Harlem—a chair that represents a ritual central to the Black experience—Luam Melake’s bold dining chair design features a solid iron frame with clean, decisive angles, polished nickel finish, and a channel-tufted seat. (Designed by Luam Melake, based in New York, New York)
Chert White Porcelain Dinnerware: A subtly textured edge, echoing the aesthetic of hand-chipped stone objects, makes each piece of this porcelain dinnerware stand out. (Designed by Garth Roberts of garthTM, based in Berlin, Germany)
Cornrows Handloomed Viscose Ivory/Black Rug: Two “heads” meet in this rug designed to honor the bond between Black women and their shared pride in their hair and care for each other. (Designed by Monet Masters and Tavia Forbes of Forbes Masters, based in Atlanta, Georgia)
Dome Round Black Oak Wood Coffee Table: This remarkable piece draws inspiration from Kikuyu cosmology and the traditional 4-legged Kikuyu stools made specifically for women out of singular tree trunks—a stool often found in the center of the “nyumba” or home. (Designed by Sandra Githinji of Sandra Githinji Studio, based in Naarm (Melbourne), Australia)
Jalousie Round Polished Aluminum Side Table: Made from cast aluminum and designed to look like a rigid, stacked checkerboard, the side table, inspired by the louvered windows and shutters found on homes in the Grenadines, appears paper-thin and lightweight. (Designed by Jerome Byron, based in Los Angeles, California)
Luana Woven Vase Basket:The black decorative vase, hand-woven of rattan, is inspired by the ancient craft of basketry and its connection between earth and hand. (Designed by Élan Byrd, based in Miami, Florida)
Meji Mirror: Meaning two in the Yoruba language of Nigeria, the “Meji” Mirror is casted entirely from brass in one piece. The silhouette of this frame draws inspiration from Nigerian cultural symbols including the Nsibidi unity symbol. (Designed by Lani Adeoye of Studio Lani, based in Lagos, Nigeria and New York, New York)
Tol Seating: Reminiscent of the substantial furniture commonly found in the Caribbean, this seating mixes materials and tradition with a powder-coated frame in lieu of traditional wood, and boucle or leather hide. (Designed by Axel Mert of studio satël, based in Nantes, France)
La Traversée Acacia Wood Console Table: At first glance, the console table appears to be a singular piece of wood. In actuality, it’s supported by small crosspieces inspired by the French phrase “La traversée”—referencing the crossing of the Atlantic Sea by Black people in the 18th century in search of emancipation to express both a painful movement of people torn from their country and a kind of dynamism of their descendants to emancipate themselves. (Designed by Jean-Marc Bullet of ATELIER BULLET, based in Martinique)
Zel Lighting Collection: Inspired by the oversized tropical plants that flourish along rivers in Guadeloupe, the Zel Table Lamp, and Zel Chandelier features a polished unlacquered brass shade shaped like a leaf. (Designed by Dimitri Zephir of dach+zephir, based in Paris, France, and Guadeloupe)