Sheila Bridges

Interior designer Sheila Bridges was born on July 7, 1964 to Joyce and Sidney Bridges in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She graduated from the Philadelphia High School for Girls in 1982 and went on to earn her B.A. degree in sociology from Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island in 1986. That year, Bridges studied decorative arts at Polimoda, a private fashion school in Florence, Italy. She earned her A.A.S. degree in interior design from Parsons School of Design at The New School in New York City in 1990.

In 1989, Bridges was hired by the Shelton Mindel Associates architectural firm, where her clients included music executive Andre Harrell Bridges. She founded her own interior design company, Sheila Bridges Design, Inc., in 1994, where she serves as president and CEO. In 1999, Bridges opened Sheila Bridges’ Home-Antique store in Hudson, New York and published her first book, Furnishing Forward: A Practical Guide to Furnishing for a Lifetime in 2003. That same year, Bridges began hosting Sheila Bridges Designer Living for the Fine Living Network. In 2007, she founded a collection of her home furnishing designs under the brand name Shelia Bridges Home, Inc. That year, her Harlem Toile de Jouy wallpaper designs were featured at The Studio Museum in Harlem. Bridges clients include novelist Tom Clancy, software magnate Peter Norton, and former U.S. President Bill Clinton.

In 2022, Bridges was hired to redecorate the residence of U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris and Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff.

During her career, Bridges received numerous awards including in 2001 when Time magazine and CNN named Bridges America’s Best Designer. In 2011, Bridges was named to Elle Décor’s A-List of Interior Designers for the first time, and was named to the list every subsequent year until 2022. In 2023, Bridges was included on Architectural Digest’s AD100 list for the third year in a row.

Bridges resides in New York City, New York.

Sheila Bridges was interviewed by The HistoryMakers on May 9, 2023.