Kyla Coburn is an acclaimed interior designer and an advocate for creative urban revitalization. Her impressive body of work includes some of Rhode Island’s most beloved restaurant and bar spaces, including The Avery, Loie Fuller’s, Salvation Café, and the former Providence Black Repertory Company. She has also worked on residential projects, graphic design services for clients like Firehouse 13 and World Party Entertainment, and even set/costume design for theatrical productions like A Kwanzaa Song and A Raisin In the Sun. Her support for Rhode Island’s creative community takes physical form in several revitalization projects: her team redeveloped a turn-of-the-century Central Falls mill building into a unique riverside live/work space for artists, and they are in the process of doing the same for a former church in Pawtucket. What ultimately won over the selection committee, however, is much simpler: all the fun people have had in the spaces she’s designed. “Her work is about creating spaces in which people can enjoy themselves. People have a very emotional response to her work,” said the committee. “Her combination of being an artist and designer is what really sets her apart.”
Kyla Coburn
