Forbes & Masters

If you could have a second home anywhere, where would you live?
(Monet) Jamaica (Tavia) Jamaica 

What are three words to describe your style?
1. Eclectic

2. Layered

3. Organic

Tell us about your childhood bedroom?
(Monet) I have always been obsessed with canopy beds and so I always styled my rooms around the canopy bed of the season. I plastered my room in posters, and was constantly painting my walls different colors.  

(Tavia) My childhood bedroom was always a space of comfort and creativity for me. My parents even took my favorite shirt to color match paint, as a surprise. They ensured my room reflected my personality and taste. 

What’s the first investment piece you ever bought for your house?
(Monet) A quality sofa from Room & Board, it was low and modern with a double seat cushion. It had slim arms with a low, long back cushion and was the perfect medium gray shade.

(Tavia) A good sofa from CB2 with huge curved lines that I know I will have fun with reupholstering for years to come. 

In the history of design, if you could hire any designer other than yourself, who would it be?
(Monet) It would be a combination: Nate Berkus, for his cool and calm color palette and clean lines, Kelly Wearstler for her boldness, and Brigette Romanek for the character she brings to her designs. 

(Tavia) Kelly Wearstler, for her bold, eclectic approach. She succumbs to the whimsy of her imagination to create beautiful spaces with an unmatched appreciation for materiality. 

No room is complete without live plants, to add that touch of life every space needs. 

People think of me as ________, but I am really _____________.

(Monet) extrovert, introvert

(Tavia) stoic, playful!

 Things you omit from:

• An hors d’oeuvre platter: (Monet) The meat

• A bar cabinet: (Monet) Hard liquor

A song for: 

• Dinner at home:
  (Monet) Everybody Loves the Sunshine, Roy Ayers Ubiquity for summer/spring or Claire de lune for winter.
  (Tavia) Sault

• Working at your desk:
  (Monet) Anything by Missy Elliot or Bonobo, or the Donde album by Kanye West.
  (Tavia) Massive Attack, Sampha, or Missy Elliot

• Going for a run:
  (Monet) Bitch better have my money by Rhianna, Who gonna stop me by Kanye West and Jay Z, New Level by A$AP Ferg ft. Future.
  (Tavia) The Black Panther Soundtrack

Biggest Vice?
(Monet) Quality time with self (reading meditation yoga journaling etc.)
(Tavia) Gummy Bears

If you were on an Ambien high and internet shopping, what would you buy?
(Tavia) Shoes, definitely shoes.
(Monet) Neon Lights

Do your clothes reflect your design sensibility, if so, how? We both have a cultivated wardrobe that is as versatile and intentional as the spaces we create. 

Who is your star crush?
(Monet) I am most impressed by black professionals in every industry. Black excellence is not something I grew up with and to now being surrounded by it, it inspires me and pushes me forward. There is of course a few that stick out like Serena Williams, Eryka Badu, Kendrick Lamar, and Lizzo to name a few.
(Tavia) Not sure if I have one. 

What is the thing you would never do on a project, but don’t detest when you see others do it?
(Monet) Overly accessorizing
(Tavia) Prioritizing symmetry

If there were a fire, and you could only keep one design book, what would it be?
(Monet) History of Architecture
(Tavia) 30,000 Years of Art 

For posterity, what would you like your work to be known for?
(Monet) It's uniqueness and innovation
(Tavia) Bold and Intentional 

A Few Favorites: 

• Movie:
  (Monet) A Bronx Tale
  (Tavia) The Fifth Element 

• Book: 
  (Monet) What I Know For Sure by Oprah Winfrey
  (Tavia) The Book of Night Women by Marlon James 

• Scent:
  (Monet) Fresh Laundry or Mahogany Teakwood
  (Tavia) Oud

• The fabric you always come back to:
  (Monet) Linen
  (Tavia) Linen 

• Dream project:
  (Monet) Collaborating with Lenny Kravitz
  (Tavia) A beach house

• Meal: 
  (Monet) Dinosaur kale salad with a homemade dressing with butter nut squash soup
  (Tavia) Curried Chicken and Rotti

• Drink:
  (Monet) Water
  (Tavia) Dark and Stormy

• Hotel: 
  (Monet) Nizuc
  (Tavia) Nizuc

• Travel Destination:
  (Monet) Anywhere in Mexico
  (Tavia) Jamaica 

• Artist:
  (Monet) Jill Scott
  (Tavia) Bisa Butler 

• A cause near and dear to me:
  (Monet) Helping houseless populations
  (Tavia) Ending houselessness 

• Thing to collect obsessively:
  (Monet) Spices
  (Tavia) Art from Travels 

• Era in the history of design:
  (Monet) 60's
  (Tavia) Post Modern

• Museum:
  (Monet) African American Museum DC
  (Tavia) The MET 

• Paint Color that always looks great:
  (Monet) SW Peppercorn
  (Tavia) Andiron 

• Favorite person to follow on Instagram:
  (Monet) anything with cute animals
  (Tavia) Luvvie

• Dogs, Cats, or No Pets?
  (Monet) Dogs AND cats
  (Tavia) Both