Gorgeous LGBTQ-Owned Home Decor Brands That Should Be In Your Home Right Now
Pride month may have already come and gone, but supporting LGBTQ-owned businesses is a cause we can get behind year-round. According to the National LBGT Chamber of Commerce, just over 900 businesses among the millions in the United States are certified as LGBT Business Enterprises. Purchasing from these brands can help ensure their long-term success and promote diversity within the often-heterosexual and cisgender business world. It's important to consider where your dollars are going and what causes you're indirectly donating to when you're buying new items, and supporting an LGBTQ-owned business is a great way to help support the community with your purchases.
Because of this, we've rounded up some of our top LGBTQ-owned home décor brands to consider when you're sprucing up your interiors. From handmade candles to classic furniture designs, these brands give you more bang for your buck and allow you to support a cause while also finding pieces for your home that you will love.
MINNA
MINNA is a queer-led business that primarily carries bedding, blankets, and other textiles. Founded in 2013 in New York, they take inspiration from and collaborate with South and Central American artisans to ensure their products are high quality and true to these traditional styles. Their work with these artisans has resulted in a modern, earthy collection of products designed to mix and match.
Most items the brand carries are made-to-order to help combat waste and overproduction, and you can see exactly where each piece was made. Take the brand's Stripes Duvet Cover, for example. This bedding is made by pedal loom weavers in Larrainzar, Mexico, in a workshop with about 20 to 30 looms. These same workers also produce many of their other products, from aprons to shams. Each piece gets this same treatment, so you can learn about how your item was made while ensuring that you're making ethical choices in your home décor.
Bobby Berk Home
The revival of "Queer Eye" has taken the world by storm, and if, like everyone else, you find yourself jealous of Bobby's home makeovers, we have good news. Bobby Berk has his own line of furniture and home décor available both on his website (Bobby Berk) and via Wayfair. Peel-and-stick wallpaper, colorful art, and mid-century modern furniture dominate this collection, making it easy to steal his style without being nominated for an episode of the TV show.
This Jonsi 129" Upholstered Sofa is a perfect example. Its design is sleek, modern, and low-profile while still adding a touch of fun with the color and texture of the fabric. The rest of his collection follows the same theme, combining blacks and greys with masculine pops of greens, oranges, and blues throughout. They're made to mix and match and create a cohesive feel — even if you don't quite have the same interior design skillset as the famous TV personality.
Darling Spring
Darling Spring was founded by Eril Serbecti and Banu Tanguler to create a space for female artists and designers to shine. The brand employs an all-female staff of designers, vendors, and authors and carries just about anything home décor — kitchenware, rugs, art, you name it. They're committed to encouraging slow living and creating pieces that are thoughtfully designed, hand-packed, and will last a lifetime.
One of their newer items, this Bauhaus Enamel Colander, caught our eye. The design echoes the style of the famous German art school and architectural movement popular throughout the 20th century (via My Modern Met) while remaining a functional kitchen essential. It's made of enameled iron and a porcelain topcoat to ensure it will last for years to come, and the gold-toned handles and rim add a classic touch to this fun piece. Not a fan of modern art? No worries — their large collection of designers each brings their own personal style to their items, resulting in a diverse collection of female-designed art.
Queer Candle Co.
Queer Candle Co. is exactly what the name suggests — a candle company founded by queer couple Ab and Al. They've been hand-making soy wax candles since 2017, and their shop is full of unique scents ranging from sweet florals like Jasmine & Honey to deeper Whiskey & Wood. Each candle is hand poured and topped with ingredients representative of the scent in the jar, and they sell multi-packs of candles with similar notes if you just can't narrow it down to one.
The couple is also committed to giving back to the LGBTQ community. 10% of the company's profits are donated to the Sylvia Rivera Law Project, a non-profit organization that champions the rights of transgender, nonbinary, intersex, and other gender non-conforming individuals. This organization provides resources for low-income individuals to navigate sex-segregated systems like homeless shelters and detention facilities while also addressing the root causes of the discrimination these individuals often face.
Show & Tell Concept Shop
Alyah Baker founded the Oakland-based company Show & Tell Concept Shop in 2011, and since then, she's committed to providing ethically sourced and sustainably made products for her customers. Her store carries her own products, as well as products from other like-minded small businesses. Colorful quilts, mud cloth pillows, and textured table runners make up the offerings in the Home Goods Section, but the store also carries accessories, beauty products, and apparel.
Before you head off to your go-to big box store, consider where the profits from your purchases are actually ending up, and consider supporting an LBGTQ-owned business instead. Voting with your dollars is one of the most effective ways to make a difference in the community and support diverse business owners, and feeling good about the ethical implications of your purchase can bring an added boost of appreciation to an item you already love — as if you needed another reason to click "add to cart."