10 Questions With… Sheila Bridges March 1, 2021 By Edie Cohen Sheila Bridges is fearless. Especially when it comes to pattern, color, and the truly iconoclastic design of her interiors and products. The former includes residences and offices, such as the 8,300-square-foot Harlem site for former President Clinton. It also encompasses academia where she has gone high, completing projects at Columbia University and Princeton University. As for products, she has created furniture and home accessories sold online and through brick-and-mortar retailers. A clear standout are her designs in Harlem Toile de Jouy. Here, Bridges upends the classical toile de jouy patterns with joie-de-vivre designs that celebrate being Black. Harlem Toile de Jouy started as a wallcovering and grew to include fabrics, bedding, plates, glassware, umbrellas, and enviable clothing. Bridges also has entered into partnerships with Sonos (yes, toile for speakers) and Converse (yes, toile for sneakers). Most recently, she has created a five-pattern collection for The Shade Store. Meanwhile, her designs are part of the Cooper-Hewitt Smithsonian Design Museum’s permanent wallpaper collection and have appeared in museums including the Museum of the City of New York; The Studio Museum in Harlem; The Brooklyn Museum; The Museum of Arts and Design in New York; and the Musée de la Toile de Jouy in France. Having read an excerpt from Bridges's "The Bald Mermaid: A Memoir," we’re adding it to our reading list.