Keita Turner
If you could have a second home anywhere, where would you live?
Montecito, CA in Santa Barbara County or Savannah, GA
What are three words to describe your style?
1. Chic
2. Multilayered
3. Timeless
Tell us about your childhood bedroom? Honestly, my mother (a fine artist) designed my childhood bedroom, but she took cues from me by infusing my favorite color yellow into the decor. My bedroom walls were wallpapered in this fabulous yellow, orange, and silver foil bamboo trellis fretwork pattern on a white background. The sheer draperies printed in the same pattern matched the wallpaper and I had silver metal mini blinds covering the window. The carpeting was an earthy burnt orange and all of my furniture was painted white, along with my favorite wicker peacock chair!
What’s the first investment piece you ever bought for your house? I have a wonderful art collection, including pieces by my mother B. Toler Turner. However, the first investment piece of furniture I bought was my custom three-seat sofa inspired by Jean-Michel Frank and upholstered in steel blue-green wool/silk blend velvet from Pollack & Associates. I made the investment after an ex-fiancé moved out, along with his Jennifer Convertible sofa. We were clearly mismatched!
In the history of design, if you could hire any designer other than yourself, who would it be?
Living- Thad Hayes
Deceased- Andrée Putman
No room is complete without artwork and aromatic scents.
People think of me as intensely consumed with work 24/7, but I am really down to earth, love to laugh and make my friends laugh!
`Things you omit from:
A flower arrangement: Extra leaves
An hors d’oeuvre platter: Pork. Gave it up about 3 years ago.
A bar cabinet: Wild Turkey bourbon whiskey. Nothing good comes to me when I consume that stuff!
A song for:
Dinner at home: Devotion by Earth, Wind & Fire. Anything by EWF. Anything by Luther Vandross.
Working at your desk: Best Love by Yuna. Trip by Ella Mai. So Into You by Tamia.
Going for a run: Wonder Woman by Davido. Or Spiritual by Burna Boy on Pandora. Lately into Nigerian rap and hip-hop.
Biggest Vice? Chocolate ice cream and popcorn.
If you were on an Ambien high and Internet shopping, what would you buy? I would buy a one-way ticket to Georgia to build-out my dream modern farmhouse on the land and live out the rest of my days in laid-back country bliss!
Do your clothes reflect your design sensibility, if so, how? Yes, publicly. Sometimes. But, at home, I’m all about comfort and ease. I fancy jeans, boyfriend t-shirts, joggers, and sneaker culture! But, it’s fun to get all dolled up for special occasions and events. Fashion was my first love and I used to be a fashion designer before making the transition to interiors, so clothing as an extension of my personality is important.
Who is your star crush? 1. Nicholas Pinnock (sexy) 2. Aldis Hodge (sexy) 3. Meryl Streep (amazing)
What is the thing you would never do on a project, but don’t detest when you see others do it? It’s hard to say what I would never do on a project. I haven’t encountered "every type" of project, yet. I still hope to have many more years of designing ahead of me. Who knows? I may be inspired by something I never imagined!
If there were a fire, and you could only keep one design book, what would it be? Oh gosh! That’s a hard one. I would grab Houses | Atelier AM by Alexandra & Michael Misczynski and then throw in Interior Design Master Class by Carl Dellatore.
For posterity, what would you like your work to be known for? Enduring Fashionably Classic Design that uplifts the human spirit.
A Few Favorites:
Movie: 1. Coming To America (both 1988 and 2021) 2. Sabrina (both 1954 and 1995)
Book: The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood (first read it in high school. Fascinating then. Fascinating now.)
Scent: Jo Malone London - Nectarine Blossom & Honey Cologne
The fabric you always come back to: No specific fabric pattern, but I love a good tweed. In fact, I’m a fan of Glant Textiles’ Couture Fine Tweed Collection!
Dream project: 1. Retail Fashion Boutique preferably on Madison Avenue. 2. Boutique resort villas or country cottages.
Meal: If I’m not cooking a home cooked meal, occasionally I’ll treat myself to Jamaican curry chicken, rice, cabbage, with a side of mac & cheese from the popular takeout spot across from my apartment building. So delicious! There is always a line. Other than that... Mexican food.
Drink: Lately, it’s Cocoa Metro’s Belgian Chocolate Milk from Wholefoods.
Hotel: The Setai in Miami Beach, FL
Travel Destination: Anywhere in the Australasian and Pacific Islands realm, but specifically...New Guinea 1. Indonesia 2. Papua New Guinea (my paternal great grandmother is from PNG)
Artist: 1. Derrick Adams 2. Samuel Gilliam 3. Magdalene Odundo
A cause near and dear to me: This is a hard one. We face so many issues in this world.
Eradicating Poverty and Homelessness is my #1. But these issues are dear to me, too -
Racial Injustice, Voting Rights, Healthcare, Income Gap, Gun Violence, Climate Change.Thing to collect obsessively: I collect art. I also collect vintage pottery, handbags, and dresses. But, my biggest obsession is adding to my set and completing my collection of vintage 1940s-1950s Chesterton gray-blue dinnerware by Harker.
Era in the history of design: Personally, 20th-Century Modern (1930s-1970s)
Museum: 1. Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum (I was inducted into their African American Design archives several years ago. Need to check if they still maintain it. Considering this racial awakening moment in history, they really should). 2. The Met
Paint Color that always looks great: Benjamin Moore’s Grey Cashmere
Favorite person to follow on Instagram: 1. Design + Events: David Stark Design (We were RISD schoolmates) 2. Social Justice Activist: Sonya Renee Taylor
Dogs, Cats, or No Pets? Presently I own no pets, but when I do next it will be a dog or dogs. I used to have a cat named Harlem, several years ago. She was a gift from a former boyfriend. I got custody of her after our break-up, although she really adored him. Me? Not so much. Lol! She was a special cat! Discovered she was born with floating ovaries. Also, later realized I am allergic to cats.
