Muse Noire Interiors
For the 2024 Kips Bay Decorator Show House in Dallas, designer Ashley Ross of Muse Noire Interiors partnered with Luke Lamp Co.
to create a stunning central lighting installation for her room titled “Sit Lux Privé,” translating to Let There Be Light.
The message behind the aubergine-covered design is to invite visitors to step out of darkness and into the light. This project not only showcases Ross as a former member of the Kips Bay Boys & Girls Club, but also reflects her commitment to uplifting and inspiring others.
Muse Noire’s practice aims to place a revolutionary emphasis on ensuring people of color feel safe and seen in our homes, and this project is a celebration of this philosophy through wellness and community.
Muse Noire recently relocated to Dallas from North Carolina and we wanted to hear a bit more about her inspirations and debut as a designer in Dallas.
How did you begin your career in design?
Much like Luke this is my second act! Fresh out of graduate school all of my aspirations included being the biggest and baddest fundraiser on the planet. I launched that career at the Boys & Girls Club I grew up in, surpassed my fundraising goals and at the time of my catalyst of change I was living the dream as an executive director. I had the courage to believe beyond the possibility of this traditional trajectory when I became a mom. Purchasing my first home with the considerations and intention behind how we’d live as a family helped me recognize a gap in the industry. For a few months I considered what it would be like to stand in that gap and in that time Muse Noire was conceptualized. I wanted to be Magnolia for the culture, the firm journeying clients to the intersection of culture and interior wellness.
How would you describe your design style? Where do you draw inspiration?
Contemporary Global, the conversation for us always starts with culture. Understanding the customs and traditions that matter most to someone is the foundation of our inspiration.
What has moving your practice to Dallas been like? How has Kips Bay contributed to this transition?
It is all pretty fresh, and too early to gauge the full impact of Kips Bay but I do understand the power of press. It’s the one thing that we’ve been able to anchor ourselves to that drives consistent business. Strategically aligning with Kips Bay at the top of our move has brought about instant community with the best people and a media footprint that would have taken us at least 18 months to achieve. Kips Bay is a King Maker and I have no doubt about being next in line for the crown.
Are there any current trends that you think will stand the test of time? And likewise, are there any trends that you tend to avoid?
Wallpaper is here to stay, and art forward lighting is on the rise! On the flip side I am hoping lighting where the bulb is the carrying the fixture fades away in 2025.
If you could go back to when you were first starting out, is there any advice you would give yourself?
I would advise myself to hire full time staff earlier and lean into the belief that this is where I am suppose to be, doing what I was born to do.
