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best motivational speaker cecil hayes interior designer lorna owens miami motivational speaker
nternationally renowned interior designer expert Cecil Hayes was born in Malone, Florida. With a profound early interest in art and design, she received her B.A. degree in Art Education from Florida A & M University in 1967 and her design degree from The Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale in 1973. She married her husband (and future business partner) Arzell Powell in 1984. Always the dynamic and ambitious entrepreneur, Cecil created Cecil’s Designers Unlimited in 1975 and quickly became the first African-American interior designer to be recognized worldwide. In 2002 she founded The Mikala Collection, her signature luxury furniture line of upholstery, chairs, consoles and tables.
Her many prestigious awards and accolades include membership in Architectural Digest’s AD100 (a listing of the top interior designers and architects worldwide, to which she was thrice named), the Visionary in Design Awards from the Design Center of the Americas (DCOTA), a NAACP Hall of Fame award, as well as induction into the Smithsonian Institute’s Cooper-Hewitt Design Museum. She has lectured extensively, appeared on numerous television shows, and has just completed her second book entitled “It’s All in the Decorative Details” to be published in September 2007 by Watson-Guptill. She previously authored “9 Steps to Beautiful Living: Dream, Design, Decorate Your Home with Style.”
Cecil’s signature work can be seen in the celebrity homes of Samuel L. Jackson, Wesley Snipes, Ty Law, P.J. Brown, Jamaal Mashburn and music mogul Tim Mosley (“Timbaland”) among others. Her award-winning décor has also graced the pages of such prestigious publications as Architectural Digest, The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Robb Report, Florida Design and Southern Living.
In addition to being ranked among the world’s top interior designers, Cecil is an active philanthropist with a strong commitment to giving back to her community. Cecil’s Circle of One Foundation was created in 2001 to inspire talented young artists in Florida to reach their dreams; thousands of scholarship dollars have been donated to high school seniors interested in pursuing art-related careers. Additionally, Cecil’s Circle of One Foundation supports local community efforts to raise funds for the African-American Research Library and Cultural Center in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
Although constantly traveling to visit clients and for personal appearances around the country, Cecil Hayes currently resides in Parkland, Florida with her husband and extended business “family”.
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