Interior Designers: Kia Weatherspoon of Determined by Design On 5 Things You Can Do To Help Your Living Space Spark More Joy

As part of our series on the “5 Things You Can Do To Help Your Living Space Spark More Joy”, we had the pleasure of interviewing Kia Weatherspoon.

Kia Weatherspoon is dedicated to elevating the standards of interior design for Black and brown communities, impacting over 6,500 families to date. Her work has appeared in national outlets including Fast Company, Oprah Daily, and Forbes, as well as leading design media including Metropolis, Hospitality Design and Dwell. She currently serves as president of the Washington Metro chapter of ASID.

Thank you so much for joining us in this series! Before we dive in, our readers would love to learn a bit more about you. Can you tell us a story about what brought you to this specific career path?

Whew! How much time do our readers have? I truly believe divine purpose led me here. If you had told younger me — the one who got “she talks too much in class” on her report card and was a chronic C student — that I would one day run an interior design firm rooted in humanity and equity, I would have said you were lying.

My path into design wasn’t planned. It unfolded through two moments that showed me the emotional weight of space long before I even knew interior design was a career.

The first was visiting my brother in prison. He was incarcerated for fifteen years, and walking into that space brought up emotions I did not fully understand. The anger, the sadness, the frustration. Not just for me, but for the children visiting their fathers, the women visiting their partners, the parents visiting their sons. I even felt it for the guards and for the men living inside that building every day. That was the first time I realized space shapes how we feel and what we believe is possible.

The second moment came two months after September 11th, during my first deployment to the Middle East. I was at Al Udeid Air Base in Doha, Qatar, when it was still a bare base. Thirteen women in one tent, no privacy, no comfort. I hung sheets around my cot to create three little walls and that was the first space I ever designed. And I bawled like a baby for 15 minutes. Something about that tiny space healed me. It brought me comfort and solace. I did not know it then, but that moment showed me exactly how powerful space can be.

After the military, I went to design school and then worked for my first interior design firm. I loved the craft, but within a year I was burned out and disconnected. After a major presentation that everyone praised, I walked out exhausted instead of proud. That was my turning point. I quit! No plan, no safety net, just a conviction that I wanted to build a firm where people could show up fully and feel joy in the work. I also wanted leadership that looked like me… so I became that leader.

My very first project as a business owner was a nonprofit project for domestic violence survivors: twelve women and thirty-two children. I walked in with so much excitement, and they looked at me like I was absolutely out of my mind. But by the end, after truly showing up for them, one woman walked into her finished space and said, “Ms. Kia, when I walked into this room, I realized change was possible for me.”

That moment stopped me. It reminded me of myself, of my younger self. It reminded me that the people who need access to well-designed spaces the most don’t know they don’t have it. They don’t know they need it. And they don’t have an advocate.

I built my business around being that advocate.
And that is what Determined by Design is.
We are interior designers. We are creatives. We are storytellers. We are disruptors. And we are advocates.

That is the work. That is the purpose. That is why I am here.

Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you started this career?

The whole path is interesting. If I simplify what I have done in this career, it is this: I took a profession that is seen almost entirely as a luxury for the few, and I decided we would dedicate our work to the people who have been told they do not deserve it. Even as I say that, I laugh at the absurdity of it and the impact of it. Who does that? Who looks at an industry rooted in exclusivity and says, “No, we are going to design for the people who have never been invited into this conversation?”

The whole thing is interesting. It is emotional. It is implausible on paper. And yet here we are, doing it, proving every day that beauty, care, and well-being are not luxuries. They are human.

And honestly, it speaks to the name of the company. I was always determined by design. The mission was always written into who I am. That might be the most interesting part of all: that the work and the purpose found each other at exactly the right time.

Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?

I don’t know if I have a traditional “funny mistake” story, but I do have a moment that makes me laugh every time I think about it. Back in 2012, before Instagram was really Instagram and before people were documenting their entrepreneurial journeys publicly, I started doing little daily video journals. Just me and my laptop camera, talking to myself about my new life as a business owner.

I still have the video from the very first day I quit my job. It is equal parts refreshing and cringeworthy. I wasn’t naïve, but I was so hopeful, so excited, finding deep lessons in the smallest things. When I watch those videos now, oh my God, they are hilarious… but also incredibly endearing. It feels like watching a younger version of myself who had no idea what was coming, but believed fiercely in what she was building.

The lesson I take from that is simple:
Sometimes you have to let yourself be new.
You have to let yourself be hopeful.
You have to let yourself start before you have the language, the confidence, or the blueprint.

Those videos remind me that joy and curiosity were part of the journey long before success ever showed up, and I never want to lose that version of myself.

What are some of the most interesting or exciting projects you are working on now? How do you think that might help people?

Two projects come to mind immediately that make me squeal in delight — both of them rooted in wellness, color and community, which is my sweet spot.

The first is a fresh-food concept corner store in Philadelphia called CornerJawn, created in partnership with Christa Barfield of FarmerJawn. She is a Black female farmer, a true agriculturalist, and someone who believes deeply that food is medicine. I love this project because we are merging fresh food, access, wellness, and design in a way that feels healing at every touchpoint. The space is intentionally designed to feel welcoming, vibrant, safe, and beautiful — because fresh food should feel accessible, not transactional. It sits at the intersection of nurturing and nourishment — and design is the bridge. It is a reminder that beauty and health are not separate conversations, and it helps people by transforming how communities experience nourishment.

The second is our partnership with Vibrant Health, a health equity clinic in Kansas City, Kansas. This project was the birthplace of our “celebration services,” where we rooted community engagement in fellowship, play, and joy before we ever touched the interior design. For us, joy is a part of every environment we create, and because interior spaces deeply shape our day-to-day experiences, why wouldn’t we want to feel that same joy in the places where we receive health care?

We gathered the community through a supper series, a fitness class, and a paint-and-sip that brought Black and Latino community members together. Those moments of connection allowed us to listen more deeply, design more thoughtfully, and create spaces that reflect who the community is and what they need. It made clear that we were not outsiders coming in to design at them, but partners designing with them — creative professionals they could trust with their stories, their wellness, and the spaces where they experience joy and community.

Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?

“I am my own hero.”

It’s a simple sentence, but it has shaped every season of my life. We often forget that no one has more agency, intuition, or inner knowing than we do ourselves. We look outward for validation, encouragement, or permission and while there’s real power in asking for help, I’ve learned that the deepest power comes from returning to my own center.

Saying I am my own hero is my reminder that I can save myself, elevate myself, and advocate for myself. I don’t have to wait for someone else to show up with the cape. I already have the capacity, the will, and the clarity to move through whatever life hands me.

And yes — the quote is mine. I said it because I needed to hear it. Now it’s the way I remind myself, over and over, that everything I need lives within me first. Because of that, I have become a fierce mentor for years!

None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?

This question is always complicated for me, especially because the question before it is about my favorite life lesson quote, “I am my own hero.” And that line is not a slogan for me. It is a reflection of how I had to move through the early years of my career.

When I started my company, I did not have a formal mentor. Not for lack of trying. I reached out to so many women in the industry, eager and hungry to learn, and most of the time I did not hear anything back. I assumed that was just how things worked. It was not painful, but it was eye-opening. I realized I would have to figure a lot out on my own.

Still, there were two people whose presence mattered in ways I did not fully understand at the time.

Deborah Lloyd Forrest, a hospitality design icon, saw something in me early on. She invited me into spaces I did not yet know I could enter. She nominated me to serve on my first national professional council for the American Society of Interior Designers, which opened the door to years of leadership opportunities. And even now, when I see her at industry events, it feels like a steady hand on my shoulder. A reminder that support can show up quietly and still be meaningful.

And then there is Dawn Myers, my “life lady.” She is a fellow founder in a completely different industry, and the way we support each other is raw, unfiltered, and deeply human. If anyone saw our text messages and voice notes, they would think we were ambitious, chaotic, and radically devoted to one another’s well-being. She has been a grounding force in my life.

Entrepreneurship can be a solitary journey, especially when you are forging a path that was not modeled for you. I often felt like I was navigating terrain I had to map as I went along. Not lonely in a heartbreaking way, but in a way that required conviction and clarity about who I was becoming.

Because of that, I have become a fierce mentor. I am intentional about making sure no one else has to navigate this field unsure of where to turn for support. Mentorship for me means answering the calls, sending the audio messages, telling the truth, opening doors, and sponsoring access to spaces my mentees did not think they belonged in. I adore them.

Recently, I sat on a panel with one of my longtime mentees. I looked over and said, “She has outgrown being my mentee.” She immediately said, “No, Kia will forever be my mentor.”

That moment reminded me of something essential. I did not have the mentor I wished for, so I became that person for others. And that is its own form of leadership, and its own expression of being my own hero.

Thank you for that. Here is the main question of our discussion. What are your “5 Things You Can Do To Help Your Living Space Spark More Joy” and why. Please share a story or example for each.

1 . Commit to color. Say it with me: I will commit to color. I rebuke neutrals. Your home is a place of depth and character. There is nothing neutral about your life, so why should your walls be? Color is one of the most immediate ways to spark joy in your living space. And yes, you can absolutely mix colors from room to room on the same floor. You want a bold green in the dining room and a rich plum in the living room? Do it. Repeat it again: I will commit to color. I rebuke neutrals.

I say this because I had to learn it myself. When I left academia full-time, I was going through a dark season and needed to feel in control of something. I needed softness. I needed femininity. I came home and painted my entire living room a pink fuchsia color called Hot Lips, and it was one of the most joyous things I had done for myself in a long time. Even I had been holding on to the cliché designer white house. Letting that go was liberation. Adding color became healing.

Color can shift your mood, your energy, and the entire feeling of your home. It can remind you of who you are.

2 . More is more. Layer your scents. Your home should be a multi-sensory experience. Joy should not just be something you see. It should be something you smell, feel, breathe, and ease into.

Every morning, I open the windows on my main level. Yes, even in the dead of winter. I want fresh, crisp air moving through my home to wake the space up. Then I light my favorite candle, and after that, I layer it with incense. There is something soulful about incense, the way it grounds you, the way it lingers in the corners, the way it makes a house feel lived in.

I love the combination of that morning crispness, the subtle warmth of the candle, and the healing nature of the incense. It feels like a ritual of renewal. It is the daily reminder of what is new, what smells good, and what feels like it is for your soul.

Play with scents. Layer them. Let your home greet you with something that feels alive.

3 . Hang your art at eye level and embrace the gallery wall. One of the simplest ways to spark joy is to hang your art where you can truly enjoy it, right at eye level. And while we are talking about art, let’s talk about the magic of a gallery wall. A gallery wall is a fantastic way to layer different themes, expressions, and memories, bringing more character into your space.

Have fun with your framing. Mix it up. I have leather navy blue frames, green lacquer frames, ornate traditional frames, and even double-layered frames. The idea is to play with textures, shapes, sizes, and scales so that your art is not just on the walls, it is part of the room’s personality.

This is how you bring joy into your home through art: by making it a layered, sensory experience that reflects who you are. Keep it eye level, have fun with your frames, and remember, more is more.

4 . No TVs in your bedroom. None.

This is the simplest tip, and if I remember correctly, I heard Oprah say it first. And you know, the words according to Oprah are gospel. There are no TVs in your primary bedroom. Your guest room, sure, that is different. But in your primary bedroom, absolutely not.

My bedroom is the most visually serene and minimal space in my home. Now, do not worry. It is also color drenched in this amazing metallic champagne shade, and the light dances across it ever so subtly. But I believe your bedroom should be a place of rest and intimacy. You cannot do that if you are binge-watching a Netflix show. Sorry.

5 . Create a nook that holds you.

Find a small space in your home that feels almost too small and let it embrace you. These little niches are often awkward or overlooked, but they have a way of cocooning you in a way larger rooms cannot. Layer it with soft furnishings and simple elements. Let it become a reading nook, a journaling corner, or simply a quiet space where you can land.

When I renovated my basement after my father passed away, my home needed to hold more emotional weight than it ever had before. There was a tiny storage closet under the basement stairs. I mean tiny. Something told me to open it up, so I did, and it has become one of my favorite cozy spaces in my house. What I love about it is that it is simply a space to be. It is not overly activated or highly functional. It is a place where I feel held. There is something about moving your body into a smaller space that allows you to exhale.

Create a nook. Let it hold you. Let it be a space for quiet, softness, and being.

You are a person of great influence. If you could start a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. :-)

If I could start a movement that would bring the most good to the most people, I actually have two. One is a little controversial and the other is a little playful, but both of them get to the heart of how I believe design, culture, and identity shape us.

The first movement would be to remove the word luxury from our vocabulary. Magazines, fashion brands, interior design marketing, product descriptions, all of it. I would ban the word completely. And yes, I know that sounds dramatic, but hear me out. The idea of luxury has never actually been about quality or craftsmanship. It has always been about separation, about deciding who something is for and who it is not for. Luxury is a marketing tool that reinforces exclusion. I would create a movement where people understand that beauty, comfort, and care do not belong to the few. They belong to all of us.

The second movement would be much more colorful, literally. No more wearing black every day. No more hiding in gray. Everyone would be encouraged to wear color, vibrant color, unapologetic color. We would walk through the world like moving joy. Part of why I love this idea is because color changes how we feel. It lifts us, it softens us, it connects us. I genuinely believe the world would be a happier, more expressive place if we let ourselves be seen in full color.

Two movements, same mission. Reminding people that beauty and joy are not exclusive. They are human. And they are for everyone.

We are very blessed that some of the biggest names in Business, VC funding, Sports, and Entertainment read this column. Is there a person in the world, or in the US whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she might see this, especially if we tag them :-)

If I could have a private breakfast with anyone, it would be Melinda Gates. Her work is centered on equity, systems change, and improving the everyday lives of women, families, and communities. That is the core of what I do through Determined by Design.

Our firm believes that well-designed spaces can transform how people feel, heal, and see themselves. We serve communities that have been historically overlooked and advocate for their access to beauty, joy, and well-being. Melinda’s investment philosophy aligns with that mission. She understands that changing environments can change outcomes and that systems-level impact often begins with the spaces where people live their daily lives.

A conversation with her would be meaningful because we speak the same language: equity, care, and purposeful systems change. Determined by Design is entering a new chapter focused on scale and expanded impact, and she is someone who understands both the heart and the strategy behind that vision.

How can our readers follow you on social media?

@kianweatherspoon on Instagram

Thank you so much for joining us. This was very inspirational!