By Serigne Thiam
Herald Intern
Inspiring the next generation of design creatives is a critical part of one millennial couple’s success story as they continue to climb their ladder of success in the racially obscure industry of creative design.
LeStavion and O. Stephanie Beverly, an architect and interior designer respectively, saw daunting tasks and several mountains to climb over as people of color when breaking into their industries.
This power couple has found immense success in their careers, but they do not wish to be alone in their success. From becoming high ranking employees in successful businesses to being business owners, the Beverlys are committed to service and mentorship to introduce and further interests in their fields for minority youth. In her journey, Stephanie wasn’t privy to the prospect of interior design as a career, let alone gaining licensure.
“There’s a difference between being licensed and just calling yourself an interior designer,” remarked Stephanie, detailing the licensure wall that many black creatives deal with, in particular when trying to become contracted for home designing or big corporations.
Growing up in Monroe, La., LeStavion, currently the Senior Project Architect and chief Technical Officer of CHAATRIK Architecture and Urban Design, attributed his desire for pursuing architecture to a run of the mill career assessment test he took in elementary.
“You like science and art, architecture fits right in there,” said LeStavion.
LeStavion earned both his bachelor’s and Master of Architecture from Louisiana Tech University in 2013. However, he felt a bit out of place, given that architectural studies at the time was very small in minority enrollment. “I could count how many black people were in my classes on one hand,” said LeStavion.
His career began with BHDP Architecture in 2013 as an intern before becoming a full-time architect for the firm. A Master of Computational Design, he is skillful with using computer algorithms and data analysis to enhance and support the architectural design process.
Beginning in 2015, LeStavion was tasked by BHDP to design and oversee administrative construction of Airstream’s 600 square foot production facility in Jackson Center, Ohio. The facility remains the only location in Ohio that produces Airstream’s iconic travel trailers and more, with the facility’s design and construction being completed in 2018. To boot, LeStavion is currently Ohio’s only licensed black architect under the age of 40 years old, chasing a goal with CHAATRIK to be much more personal with designing architecture and allowing his creativity to take charge.
For O. Stephanie, her story is equally as impressive. Growing up with a Nigerian father in a military family in Atlanta, Ga., she spent much of her youth drawing story books with her brother for fun but had no idea where her youthful past times would land her in the future. “I was a nerd and creative.” To boot, Stephanie actually designed the interior of her first apartment in Atlanta before receiving any certifications or licensure in interior design.
O. Stephanie graduated with her Bachelor of Science in Psychology from Wright State University before taking up subbing at high schools in Gwinnett County, Georgia. Years later, she’d be set onto the path of interior design forever.
She investigated the graduate Interior Design program at the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD), and even had her application fee paid for by the regulars she’d service at her waiting job in Georgia.
Similar to her husband, Stephanie too felt isolated and unfamiliar in her collegiate studies. “There were only two black people within the program,” said O. Stephanie. Albeit the limited diversity, she went on to graduate with her MFA of Interior Design from SCAD in 2013.
Following graduation, she worked for Jacobs’ Engineering as a facilities planner, before finding her way to BHDP Architecture in 2016 as a design strategist where she engaged with clients for end-user researching and data collection with analysis. She also met her future husband LeStavion at BHDP, but as friends who came together due to being two of the few black employees at BHDP.
O. Stephanie would then become founder and CEO of Twelve15 Design Studio in 2015, specializing in unique interior design suited to the needs and desires of her clients. Her entrepreneurial endeavors would find her partnered with multiple local organizations, such as the Cincinnati Architectural Mentoring Program (CAMP).
LeStavion is currently a member of the National Organization of Minority Architects (NOMA), and is a board member with CAMP alongside his wife. Through NOMA, the couple hope to help increase the percentage of licensed minority architects from a national 2% to 5% over the next 20 years. “We have to address all the issues with kid’s not knowing about architecture or design, we have to hit the youth,” said the couple.
The story of the Beverlys is that of success, and yet the couple continues to work as champions of black entrepreneurship and sources of inspiration for any creative field so new black success stories can emerge.