How 11 LGBTQ+ Creatives Are Designing the World They Want to Live In
What does the future of design look like to you?
“I think the future of design is the return of craft. Moving away from hiding the process and toward making the process integral.”
Luis Felipe Rojas Molina
There’s no singular title to sum up the variety of work that Luis Felipe Rojas Molina creates as an interiors and table stylist, art director, and decorator. Alongside his partner, José Ángel González, the interdisciplinary creative crafts intimate dining experiences through their project Tabula Rasa in their indoor-outdoor space in Tlalpan, a neighborhood in the southern part of Mexico City. Meals are accompanied by purposeful flower arrangements, elegant ceramics, and decor both traditional and contemporary. A truly special opportunity to engage with the culture of Mexico City outside of the city center, reservations can be made directly through their Instagram page.
What does the future of design look like to you?
“I believe that the future of design is headed more strongly towards exercises that rethink the limits and seek to redefine what is essential for us. We are on a design path that is diverse and focused on the possibilities of human connection.”
Sean Desiree
Sean Desiree, a self-taught artist, born and raised in the Bronx, blends craft, art, and design through the medium of woodworking, creating structures and objects “that serve as sanctuaries, protectors, and symbols of empowerment for BIPOC” and taking part in an important historical and contemporary movement of artists using functional objects to explore cultural and social contexts. Sean, a 2021-2022 Leslie Lohman Fellow and forthcoming 2022 resident at the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art, produces work that exemplifies how design can transcend functionality and become something greater and more impactful. We are especially drawn to Sean’s series of tables and seating, which features intersecting geometric shapes that fit together seamlessly.
What career challenges have you overcome in your path to this point?
“The initial funding that is necessary to purchase tools was my first challenge. Secondly, being self-taught, I had to overcome a steep learning curve to get my skills to the level of my design ideas. Currently, my biggest challenge is finding and being selected for opportunities to showcase my work within the design community.”
