Sheila Bridges

The Style Files: Conversations with Creatives

Named “America’s Best Interior Designer” by CNN and Time Magazine, Sheila Bridges founded her own interior design firm in 1994. As Creative Director, Sheila has thoughtfully designed residences and offices for many prominent entertainers, entrepreneurs and business professionals including the 8,300 square foot Harlem offices for former President Bill Clinton and his staff. Sheila Bridges Design, Inc has also completed projects at Columbia University and Princeton University, bringing Sheila’s signature design aesthetic to interior spaces at both of these prestigious academic institutions. Bridges has been featured in numerous publications including Architectural Digest, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, Interior Design, House & Garden, Domino, and Traditional Home magazines. She has also been included in Gotham and New York Magazine‘s Top Interior Designer’s lists, House Beautiful’s “Top 100 Interior Designers” as well as Elle Décor’s 2011- 2020 A List, which recognizes interior designers who exemplify continually relevant design. Sheila is also the author of two books: Furnishing Forward: A Practical Guide to Furnishing for a Lifetime, which was released in 2002 and The Bald Mermaid, A Memoir, published in 2013. Along with running a successful interior design business, Sheila hosted four seasons of Sheila Bridges Designer Living for the FINE LIVING Network, part of the Scripps Howard cable family. The sleekly produced half-hour weekly series and award winning hour specials showcased Sheila’s practical wisdom and hands-on advice. Sheila’s television show quickly became a trusted resource to help viewers define and express their sense of personal style in their own homes. In 1996, Sheila’s passion for interiors inspired her to design furniture and home furnishings under the name Sheila Bridges Home, Inc. Sheila’s home furnishing collections have been sold to design conscious consumers online, through trade showrooms, mail order catalogues and at such notable national retailers as Anthropologie and Bed, Bath & Beyond. Sheila is honored to have her Harlem Toile De Jouy wallpaper represented in the Smithsonian Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum’s permanent wallpaper collection. Her designs have been showcased in many exhibits and museums throughout the country and Europe including The Museum of The City of New York, The Studio Museum in Harlem, The Museum of Art and Design in New York City, The Brooklyn Museum, Museé De La Toile De Jouy in Jouy-en-Josas, France and most recently The Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, DC. Originally from Philadelphia Pennsylvania, Sheila Bridges moved to New York City in 1986. She holds degrees from Brown University and Parsons School of Design, and studied decorative arts at Polimoda in Florence, Italy. She lives in Harlem, New York.