2025 Spring Lecture Series: Kelly Harris Smith

Kelly Harris Smith will share her journey of blending design, entrepreneurship, and social impact. From creating textiles and product collections to launching businesses, co-authoring an interior design reference book, and founding Minni—a children's art and design education space—Kelly will explore how creativity can drive a more inclusive and sustainable future. Through personal stories and examples of her work, this talk invites attendees to consider the transformative power of design in shaping just futures and empowering the next generation of thinkers and creators.

Join us in person at Cascieri Hall or virtually on February 12, 2025, at 6PM EST.

Kelly Harris Smith is a designer, creative director, author, and entrepreneur specializing in natural and sustainable materials for commercial and residential interior design. A co-founder of FilzFelt (acquired by Knoll, Inc. in 2011), her award-winning designs are distinctive for their pattern, color, and innovative functionality. Whether she’s designing textiles, interior architecture installations or running Minni, an art + design educational space for children, Kelly begins her process with a thoughtful analysis of how people will interact with the product and the environment. She was awarded the Product Designer Award at Interior Design’s HiP 2020 and Emerging Product Designer Award at NYCxDesign in 2018 and her exclusive designs have been included in the MoMA Design Store. Kelly's the co-author of Universal Principles of Interior Design, published in 2022. She trained in architecture at Northeastern University and resides in Boston.