Design Challenge: Lauryn Hill - The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill (1998)
Our Women’s History Month Design Challenge continues and this time we’re decorating a room inspired by an album from L Boogie herself! Lauryn Hills’ 1998 album The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill is a groundbreaking blend of hip hop and soul that earned her critical acclaim and five Grammy awards. Hill wrote, produced, arranged and played multiple instruments on the album, showcasing her immense musical talent. The lead single, “Doo Top (That Thing),” topped charts worldwide while tracks like “Ex-Factor” and “Everything is Everything” became anthems of empowerment. This album not only established the Fugee rapper as a solo artist but also as a cultural icon whose influence continues to resonate in the industry.
Ruffhouse/Columbia
For this challenge, we took direct inspiration from the classroom motifs found throughout the interstitials of the record, Hill’s role in Sister Act 2 (also a classic!) and the actual album art which depicts Hill’s likeness scratched into the surface of an elementary school desk. We wanted to find pieces that were evocative of those classroom themes while still chic yet comfortable enough for a living space. Similarly to Hill’s sound, we were looking for pieces that melded eras. Vintage items with an updated spin! We of course, headed on over to our good girl, Etsy.com for reinforcements. The first thing we found were these gorgeous vintage school chairs perfect for extra seating in a living space and tall enough for a dining table.
These are much better than the ones I used to sit in during detention.
Next, we selected this Black Lacquered table lamp from CB2 in linen to add warmth, depth and texture to our palette.
For seating, we went with this “1970s meets 90s” loveseat in Milk Chocolate Naugahyde. This Swedish stunner is also sourced from Etsy.
An off-white credenza with rounded corners is perfect for that late 90s - early aughts vibe where everything seemed futuristic yet practical.
For artwork, we wanted to incorporate The Fugees Haitian roots into the mix with this beautiful depiction of a Haitian mountainside Yoruban procession in oil on masonite by artists Charles Obas.
The finished project is below…
Let us know what your thoughts about the finished project and of course if you have a suggestion for a design challenge reach out to us at sacredandlit@gmail.com!
