Demar Matthews Wants to Bring Distinctly Black Architecture to American Neighborhoods

The designer is out to establish a new vernacular—one that “elevates, not denigrates,” Black identity within the built environment.

Designer Demar Matthews isn’t wasting any time. Fresh out of a master’s program in architecture at L.A.’s Woodbury University, he established his own firm, OffTOP Design, and hit the ground running by putting into practice answers to a question that had loomed over his training: Where is the Black architecture?

Join Dwell+ to Continue

Subscribe to Dwell+ to get everything you already love about Dwell, plus exclusive home tours, video features, how-to guides, access to the Dwell archive, and more. You can cancel at any time.

Try Dwell+ for FREE

Already a Dwell+ subscriber? Sign In

Duncan Nielsen
News Editor
Duncan Nielsen is the News Editor at Dwell. Share tips or just say “hi” at duncan at dwell dot com.

Published