Venus Williams Launches Crate & Barrel Grand Slam Collection

Venus Williams may best be known for her time on the tennis court, but design has long been a part of her career. The athlete and entrepreneur founded the interior design firm V Starr, and her latest project brings those two worlds together in a new collaboration with Crate & Barrel and Crate & Kids.

Launching Sept. 15, the aptly named “Grand Slam” collection spans furniture, lighting, and decor, with Williams drawing from both her design interests and her relationship with tennis. The references to the sport are often more subtle than literal: sculptural silhouettes and refined materials take precedence, while details such as a pleated lampshade recall the movement and shape of a tennis skirt.

Photography courtesy of Crate & Barrel

“Collaborating with Crate & Barrel and Crate & Kids on this collection was so much fun,” Williams tells Design Milk. “I’ve always believed that great design should feel timeless, and that was how we wanted to approach the collection.”

Photography courtesy of Crate & Barrel

Before designing the collection, Williams and the team traveled to Milan and were drawn to the “luxurious materials and distinctive design.” Those influences come through in the collection’s materials, proportions, and forms. The Roland Coffee Table, for example, turns the focus toward silhouette, while marble introduces some of the richness they encountered in Milan.

Photography courtesy of Crate & Barrel

The Crate & Kids side of the collaboration takes a slightly different approach. “I’ve always loved mid-century modern design,” Williams explains. “With the Crate & Kids collection, we wanted to bring that same sense of sophistication into kids’ spaces while still keeping that playfulness and fun that feels true to how a kid would live.”

Photography courtesy of Crate & Barrel

The Alley Wood and Terrazzo Kids Desk captures the balancing act behind that portion of the collection: Its warm wood frame and green terrazzo surface borrow from a more grown-up material vocabulary without losing the color and personality expected of a child’s room. Other pieces similarly introduce whimsical details while maintaining the broader collection’s emphasis on considered forms and materials.

Photography courtesy of Crate & Barrel

For Williams, the Grand Slam collection ultimately feels less about decorating with tennis iconography than translating influences from different parts of her life into objects for the home. Tennis is there in the details, Milan in the materials, and her interior design background in the attention paid to how the pieces might live together.

Photography courtesy of Crate & Barrel

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