5 Queer-Owned Home Design Shops You Need To Know About
Once Pride Month has passed and the parades are over, it's hard to know how to keep supporting LGBTQ+ community members. As we fill our homes with new pillows, candles, and other home décor items, why not buy from queer-owned home brand designers and makers? Some folks worry about the extra cost that comes from buying small, but a 2015 study found that 73% of Millennials are willing to pay extra for sustainable goods, per Inc. This desire to buy and consume as ethically as possible should extend to marginalized shop owners and designers from the LGBTQ+ community. Of course, we love a trip to Home Goods and Target as much as the next person, but funding small, queer-owned shops is a great way to directly support queer folks.
Luckily, many of these stores have now made their goods available online, so you can support them no matter where you live. In this list, we'll share five of the best queer-owned home décor makers and brands so you can decorate your home with objects you feel good about. These places are also great for finding unique, thoughtful, and often sustainable gifts for everyone on your shopping list, so be sure to bookmark them for the holidays.
MadeByRheal Artisan-Made Home Goods
The queer-owned MadeByRheal, based out of Oakland, California, is a great Etsy shop for finding practical, beautiful handmade home décor items. Artisan-made houseware that is both functional for everyday use but pretty enough to be in a museum display cabinet makes this one of our favorite queer-owned home design stores.
The shop is made up of dreamy glass and concrete coasters, display dishes, and jewelry holders are what the shop is loved for, but the shop's creator, Rhea, also recently added stunning blankets. The textiles are abstract, colorful, 100% cotton, and made in the USA (as per the Rheal website). They are a great way to add personality to a bed or sofa and make for a killer housewarming gift. Another popular favorite is the concrete hand sculptures that double as knick-knacks and jewelry holders. These would work well as a birthday or anniversary gift. Given the variety of objects, colors, and vibes of the shop's inventory, you're sure to find something you must have at MadeByRheal.
Minna's Ethically Made Home Textiles
Minna is a queer-led business based in Hudson, New York, that has organized around the principles of creating ethical, beautiful products to furnish your home. They work with indigenous makers and weavers from Central and South America. Minna is clear that our places must reflect our personal values — this means furnishing our homes with items that are ethically sourced, made, and sold. You can even learn about the specific artisan communities in the many countries they partner with (via Minna).
Their textiles are all created using indigenous methods that are meant to be incredibly durable, meaning their products are built to last. In addition, they offer woven towels, table cloths, pillows, and even a few wearable items. The prints are minimal but warm and can be layered, mixed and matched, or left to stand alone for great impact in your home. Their Instagram account is also a great follow for design and lifestyle inspiration.
The Sisters Stoned creates cheeky candles
What goes better with queer pride than a tribute to Bravo's The Real Housewives franchises? How about candles dedicated to the legendary destination trips that make each series sing? Bravo has long been seen as a queer icon unto itself, and Andy Cohen, the face of the channel, has even gone on to describe the network's sexuality as bisexual, per an interview with BlackBook. So why wouldn't the queer-owned candle shop The Sisters Stoned make loving tributes to the franchises that have brought the queer community so much joy?
In their Housewives collections, The Sisters Stoned pick breath-taking moments of reality TV and distill them down into signature scents. Consider being able to smell Ramona's breakdown in Morocco, Erika Jayne's alter-alter-ego coming out on a junk boat in Hong Kong, and other iconic Bravo moments. So melt these candles down while you watch the Housewives' meltdowns abroad for a very happy weeknight viewing — also a great gift for any Bravo lovers in your life.
Otherwild offers funky and fun homeware
If you're looking for a one-stop queer-identified, women-owned store to furnish your home, Otherwild may be just the place. This Los Angeles-based store, studio, and collective designs and produces its own line of apparel and home goods and sources from other vision-aligned artisans and makers. Some of our favorites include stackable bowls from Hudson + Oak, amoeba placemats from Ugly Rugly, and the Homo Sweet Homo mug by Otherwild, just to name a few.
This shop offers a great variety of super practical but quirky everyday home items, snarky-slogan-bearing apparel, artisan apothecary accessories, and plenty of whimsical objet d'art. The brand is also dedicated to funding grassroots activism and social justice organizations (via Otherwild). The balance of fierce politics, super cute home décor and a touch of humor in every carefully curated object makes this a fantastic shopping resource you can feel good about. They also have a brick-and-mortar store in LA if you're in the area.
TRNK designs clean and contemporary houseware
TRNK is a minority and LGBTQ+-owned business that produces everyday home objects with a contemporary, modern aesthetic. Their furnishings tend to fall between Scandinavian design, mid-century modern, and ultra-modern. Per TRNK, they work to create an outstanding harmony between artistry and function; clean lines, crisp colors, and surprising forms that don't impede function are the essence of this designer brand. This thoughtful home design brand partners with other designers and creators around the globe, offering a unique, curated catalog of high-end, contemporary furniture.
They also support grassroots organizations such as the Ali Forney Center, which is dedicated to helping homeless LGBTQ+ youth find temporary and long-term housing, and Black Youth Project 100 (BYP100), a youth organization that focuses on black, feminist, and queer issues and aids through community organizing and direct action. One word to describe this intriguing home design brand would simply be thoughtful. They also post stunning online exhibitions that explore design and cultural contexts, making their Instagram a must-follow.