blkHaUS studios is a chicago based, socially-focused design studio founded in 2016 and dedicated to using design as an agent of change to uplift and transform marginal communities. we design objects and spaces, produce small architecture projects and public art, and curate community-based art and design exhibitions and events. the name blkHaUS is inspired by the bauhaus, a german school of architecture and applied arts founded in 1919 on experimental principles of functionalism and truth in materials during a time when african aesthetics contributed to the development of modernism. our aesthetic is an integration of our heritage as americans of african descent and our training in modernist design principles.

we strive for our work and presence in the design profession to instigate greater inclusion of black and brown narratives in the history of design and promote design’s relevance to contemporary communities of color. we feel design is a language that can be used as an agent of change. as makers and educators, we aim to develop educational pedagogies and creative methodologies, so that communities of color can thrive and be seated at the tables of power influencing contemporary urban and social design.