Photos by Chris McDuffie
While growing up in Jackson, Mississippi, a young Houston White helped his family haul drywall and paint luxury homes across the Magnolia State. Today, the North Minneapolis design influencer, entrepreneur, and businessman is the chief creative officer of Houston White Ventures, a house of brands that includes Houston White for Target, Camdentown Flats, FRESH Barbershop, The Get Down Coffee Co., FRESH by Houston White hair and skincare line, and Viictory by Houston White, a golf and tennis sportswear line.
He started H. White Custom Homes in the early 2000s, a stint that included remodeling and reselling luxury homes in Minnesota. “All the things I have created have come out of that luxury home remodeling space,” White says. “Everything has this tinge of design. The businesses I’m in are representative of an aesthetic, heritage, and mood I’m trying to convey in a product or a space. Everything centers on creative imagination and design at the highest levels where I can bring my cultural truths to the forefront.”
How would you characterize your design philosophy?
The things I create are like history lessons or arbiters to times past and a gateway to the future I hope to be a part of ushering in. I describe my aesthetic as ‘retrofuturism.’ I’m inspired by black-and-white photography, and I love being at the cabin and traveling along the coastline—things with these thick emotional overlays. I also like heritage. When I’m thinking about creating things, my lens is, ‘I am a Black boy born in Mississippi and raised in North Minneapolis. How can I bring the highest level of Black approachable opulence into the world?’
How are you decorating for the holidays this year?
I’m looking to bring soulfulness to the holidays. This year, I’m tapped into this retro energy. I’m envisioning browns and oranges, and I’m playing around with orange-on-the-inside sweet potatoes. We have a sweet potato coffee pod we launched at Target this year. The Sweet Potato Latte is the No. 1 selling drink at the Get Down Coffee Co. I make sweet potato cornbread and sweet potato caramel muffins. With these things, I’m trying to bring in elements of soulfulness and add tinges of gold, hints of green, and a bunch of layering and warmth. What I’m inspired by this holiday is, ‘How can I make it feel like someone is stepping into a time capsule?’
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What do you think are some of the most essential elements for getting into the holiday spirit?
The most essential elements include two things: One is a soundtrack. What’s being played, and what is it being played on? I’m thinking about vinyl and about which records to play. Music that gets me into the holiday spirit includes soul singer Donny Hathaway’s discography and Frank Sinatra. The second thing is the cutlery and tablescapes. At holiday time, I like to see cookie cutters on the counter. For the china, bring out the nice stuff: the gold, the crystal glasses, and those other things that bring a lot of texture to the room.
Read “A Look Into Houston White’s Cultural Awakening” from Minnesota Monthly
