Steven Miller: Designing Tomorrow at The NWBLK

Throughout Steven Miller’s (BFA Interior Design, 1992) professional design career in San Francisco—spanning more than two decades—he’s been satisfying his clients with innovative design solutions that are always fresh and unique, with a style that’s distinctly Pacific Coast. In 2014, his firm’s design was chosen as House Beautiful’s Kitchen of the Year, and his gallery and fabrication space The NWBLK is starting a partnership with a firm from New York that will enable them to expand the scale of their corporate events and gallery openings.

Growing up in the suburbs of Chicago, Miller always had an interest in furniture and interior design. “It’s in my DNA,” he explains. “My grandfather had a furniture store in the 1940s and 1950s on Michigan Avenue in downtown Chicago.” After an initial stint studying liberal arts at the University of Colorado in Boulder, “I took a semester off and went to New York for eight months. I lived in Manhattan and worked at Sam Flax Art Supply. I went to all the museums and met a lot of people working in the arts, including Matt Groening, who was a regular customer.” It was CCA’s interdisciplinary approach to design and craft that sold Miller on the West Coast school. “It felt like the right environment, a place where I could hone my interior design skills but also study in other disciplines and see how they might fit into my own work.” He credits CCA’s practice of inviting working professionals to participate in student critiques with landing him a key position after college: at Gary Hutton’s firm, where he worked for six years. “I jokingly refer to those years as my post-graduate study. Every day I learned something from Gary; he was (and is) so generous with his knowledge.”

Starting Steven Miller Design Studio

In 1999, Miller decided it was time to open his own studio. “I definitely had the drive, and Gary was behind me 100 percent. That gave me the confidence to move on and do my own thing.” He credits the success of Steven Miller Design Studio—now in its 15th year—to the unique relationships he develops with his clients. “I have to care about the people I design for. The best client interviews aren’t really interviews, but conversations where we engage in a really rich dialogue and both parties feel like they’re being heard. The most authentic relationships happen when clients are coming to you because of your expertise, your skill set, and a trust that you’re going to produce a great design—not just reproduce what you did for your last client.” The studio has done both residential and commercial work. The style varies, of course, but what sets it apart is Miller’s ability to mix aesthetics and pieces from different periods into an eclectic yet cohesive composition. Another unifying element is the attention paid to the Bay Area’s proximity to the Pacific; often a surfboard, nautical rope, or some other native element is mixed into the room’s visual equation. “The clients I design for are all different: families with children, art collectors, single gay men. You get into the headspace of whoever you’re working with and try to draw out what makes them individual and how you can be inspired by that.”

The Origins of The NWBLK

During the 2000s, Miller and his partner bought a house in San Francisco near 19th and Bryant Streets and began hosting a series of guerrilla art shows in their garage. They titled the space The New Black. Miller remembers, “We did about 10 shows in all; some of them were so popular and well attended that the police showed up! It was very social and very gratifying—I felt like we were inspiring people.” In 2008, during the economic downturn, he was looking for new outlets for his designs and new ways to showcase the talents of his creative friends looking for work. He decided to resurrect the idea, now under the name The NWBLK, as a gallery and retail venue that would showcase innovative work being done in all fields of design—everything from interiors and fashion to bicycles and lighting. The NWBLK also hosts private parties for local companies such as Uber, Google, and Adobe. “These events bring into our orbit a clientele that’s interested in the things we have to say and the things we have to sell. We’re working on a contract with an events firm from New York to take over events management at the gallery so that we can intensify our efforts in the production and sales parts of The NWBLK.”

Multitrusting

Managing a bustling design studio and maintaining an active role in the operations of The NWBLK is demanding, but Miller seamlessly blends his efforts into one productive work ethic. “Since I graduated from school, I find I’ve gained the ability to do something I call not so much multitasking, but multitrusting—trusting yourself to understand the needs of many projects, to know what the next action should be, and execute and delegate with authority. It’s keeping things moving forward while being decisive, methodical, and confident.” Miller and his partner recently sold their home in the city and bought a house in Yountville, in Napa County, and have taken a smaller apartment in the city. “I wanted a new perspective on the city,” he reflects. “There’s a great design community in the wine country, and I’m getting great projects. We have a larger property, which is wonderful for our two dogs. Gardening is my go-to relaxation exercise, and I have better and more space to do that now.” Seeking a fresh perspective is not a new idea for Miller, but one that he’s cultivated since his time at CCA. “It’s one of my greatest pleasures, this ability to anticipate what’s around the bend. That’s been a huge asset for me as a designer, and I’m always going to keep looking forward. It’s in my nature.”