Born in a city of excess—people, grandeur, noise—interior designer Tiffany Thompson absorbed New York’s vibrant culture from a young age. Her full-service design firm, Duett Interiors, weaves elements of that magnetic and unmistakable essence inherent to her hometown into spaces across the country. Described as “refined yet audacious,” Thompson has stamped residential and commercial interiors with her creative signature. She dares to experiment with the unknown, leaning on authenticity, emotion, and an expansive worldview to guide her designs, striking a chord with all who enter.

 

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Having worked as a creative at Nike for nearly ten years, Thompson’s design firm Duett is not a departure from a burgeoning career but a profound, instinctual calling. The carefully curated backdrops she creates are as boundless as those who experience them. Through her design ethos, “luxury is for everyone,” she emphasizes that luxury should be enjoyed daily, not reserved for special occasions.

Since starting Duett in 2019, Thompson has developed A-list clientele, starred alongside actress Marsai Martin as a designer on the Discovery+ show “Remix My Style,” and was named one of the top 50 interior designers in the country by 1stDibs in 2022 and 2024. In an interview with Home & Texture, Thompson opens up about her process and why someone feeling nothing from one of her interior design projects would be “the worst thing ever.”

Home & Texture: Can you walk us through the Duett Interiors process? How does it all begin?

Tiffany Thompson: I created Duett Interiors based on the musical duet. It’s this harmonious partnership between two people coming together to create something truly beautiful. My job is to create a space the client loves and feels they designed with only a little bit of help.

Most of the process is a conversation where I uncover the details and let them talk. There’s this running joke: people like to discuss other people’s homes immediately after they leave. I like to ask, “What do you want that conversation to be when people go back to their cars?” That’s the marker, that’s the feeling. I use that as my basis. If we hit that, then I’ve got it right.

Essentially, I decipher the language into something inspirational for me to create from. From there, we’re holding hands and doing this dance together. My job is to push my clients forward; their job is to push their aesthetic preferences. The beautiful thing is that we always arrive at an unexpected space. I need my clients to have a point of view.

H&T: How would you describe your design style?

TT: It’s a layered approach. Time is fleeting, and spaces change and evolve, but having control over how you consistently experience your space is the foundation of my interiors. It’s a mix of geometrics—soft and hard lines—and a balance of energies—whether through color, texture, or silhouettes. I don’t want you to be able to tell who lives there, but when you meet the person, you’re like, “This makes sense.” I love what I call an “Oh, shit” moment.

Intention is always at the heart of it. It’s not necessarily about having things just to have them. It’s about things being in spaces because they have a reason, function, or feeling. There are things in my home and client homes that make you wonder, “What is this doing here?” But it evokes an emotion that’s part of the sensory effect I want people to experience when they walk through my spaces. I always think there should be that one thing that keeps you talking.

H&T: What makes an “Oh, shit” moment? How do you intentionally create the surprise?

TT: I compare it to a movie or even a song. When you’re listening to your favorite track, the vibe shifts, right? You listen to Solange, the beat changes, and you think you’re on the next one. But no, it’s the same song; she just switched up the whole thing. That feeling of being in a groove, comfortable, and then suddenly being pulled out of your comfort zone and placed somewhere else.

Aesthetically, that can manifest in different ways, whether through art or something personal, like an heirloom from your grandparents. An ‘Oh, shit’ moment leads to deeper thought, more conversation, and stops you in your tracks. It’s individual—you have to ask yourself, what personal touch do you want to put into a space to showcase who you are?

H&T: Are you a minimalist or a maximalist?

TT: I don’t think I’m either. Minimalism feels empty and maximalism gives me anxiety. I’m not a quiet person. I’m still loud but don’t need to speak when I walk into the room. My presence is loud. And that’s what I think about furniture and spaces. It may seem like it’s less, but the art of luxury is having less, and it still has the same voice. I’m big on functionality first.

H&T: You’re from Queens, N.Y. How has your hometown influenced and inspired your design approach?

TT: They say that if Queens were its own city, it would be the most diverse city in the world. Over 200 countries occupy that space, so I’ve always been immersed in different cultures. As a very curious person, I love to explore. The possibilities are endless in New York. I’ve never thought that something wasn’t an option—I just thought if it’s not in Queens, maybe it’s in the city. I always felt if I thought about something, it probably existed. All I had to do was go out and find it. And I think that’s so unique. It’s a matter of making it happen and talking to the right person, and from a design standpoint, that’s such a driver for me. I know how to make it happen.

I traveled all over the world growing up. While I saw a lot, I learned to edit and refine my taste at a young age. As a kid, you really had to get my attention. That translates into my designs. I value quality, detail, and craftsmanship above all else. It’s embedded in me. It’s instinct.

H&T: Do you think differently when designing commercially?

TT: I just designed a clothing space in LA for Raven Tracy and her brand, which is based on body inclusivity and allowing people to feel seen. It caters to a Gen Z audience. I wanted the audience to feel like, “This space is me, but it’s an elevated version of me.” If we went super youthful, then it’s like, “I can outgrow this space at any moment.” Then, she doesn’t have the ability to grow her brand with the consumer. I figured her space should feel futuristic. It should give a sense of what is to come and make people feel aligned with the value system of her brand while also allowing the user and the clothes to dictate the current feeling of that space.

 

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I’m also finishing up a nail salon project in Detroit, Mich. For that, I wanted the product to lead the space. I love my work to feel unexpected, so I challenged what the nail industry can look and feel like.

It doesn’t feel like a nail salon. We approached it as if it were a living space. It has an elevated coffee bar where you get your nails soaked off and choose your next color. So, it’s this welcoming retreat to relax. The narrative of this space is celebrating Black women and art. It’s all about preserving the essence of Black womanhood and what we’ve created in our culture.

I always want people to stay longer, especially in commercial spaces. Unlike at home, where the individual wants to feel good, the job of these spaces is to make you feel inspired to spend money and come again.

H&T: How do you factor emotion into these spaces where everyone might perceive it uniquely?

TT: I feel like you can and can’t control how other people will experience the space. It’s similar to visiting a museum and looking at art. You can’t make someone love a piece; they either like it or don’t, and some might not even care. That’s the worst feeling: someone not caring. Give me some emotion, whether you love or hate it or think, “It’s just not for me, but this is super cool.” That is great. Someone walking into one of my spaces and not feeling anything? I would die. That would be the worst feeling ever.

H&T: You also worked with D’Angelo Russell on his Minnesota Lane home.

TT: He’s a longtime client; a friend introduced me to him. Working with him completely changed my trajectory. We’ve grown together from our first project, which was a rental space. He purchased that house right before the pandemic after being traded to Minnesota.

In the imagery and art, you see a lot of references to Muhammad Ali. They went to the same high school, and Ali is one of his biggest inspirations. You see the homage to Ali’s tenacity throughout the elevated bachelor pad. It’s all black and white, with a lot of texture, like leather and worn things. I introduced him to different design techniques and styles and took a lot of inspiration from nature in Japan. With the chaotic career of an NBA player, it’s somewhere he can feel at peace and relaxed. People in the public eye are often confined to indoor spaces. They can’t be out and about all the time without being recognized. So, they have to find sanctuary in their homes.

H&T: What’s next for you?

TT: My partner, Julian Gaines, is a fine artist and painter. Designing our place together inspired us to launch a furniture line that we hope to debut at Art Basel in 2025. My house is my portfolio for experimenting with ideas. After crafting some pieces for ourselves, we thought it would be cool to merge our two worlds.

Keep up with Tiffany Thompson and Duett Interiors on Instagram.