Stylist to the Stars; Liz Nandee

Setting the Stage Written By: Ava Tan (@avatan.co)

They say, “When you know, you know”. Liz Nandee realized her love for interior design

instantly-- she took university classes on interior design while she was still in high school. At just

19 years old, Nandee became an interior design instructor at a large university in Calgary,

Alberta, Canada.

Her design firm of 19 years, Basic Black Designs, proudly touts her mixed-Carribean heritage.

What started off as a career in interior design has since evolved into movie set design, fashion

campaigns with large brands like Sport Chek, and working with local and international

productions.

Oprah and Obama

Nandee’s portfolio consists of unicorn clients like Oprah, Kim Kardashian, Ellen Degeneres,

Hillary Clinton, Michelle and Barack Obama. How does one land such a list of clientele? “It’s all

about hard work. It didn’t fall into my lap.”

When she heard that Oprah Winfrey was touring Canada in 2019, Nandee emailed the producers

everyday to pitch and try to set up a meeting with them. She was ignored or refused, but this

didn’t stop her from trying. She recalls thinking, “I don’t care what it takes. I’m going to get that

job!”

Two weeks before Oprah’s “An Evening with Oprah” began, she received a callback from the

production team that led to her designing all seven stages for Oprah’s Canadian tour.

Setting the Stage

It’s been 19 years since Liz Nandee set up shop, but she’s had to work a lot to get to where she is

now: from guest writing copious amounts of design articles, to learning how to be more assertive

as a person of colour, to proving that her age wouldn’t be a hindrance in competing with

designers more experienced than her.

“At the end of the day, I know that I’m being hired for my creative direction. Some clients also

enjoy the celebrity aspect of my work”, she explains.

Nandee is a proud advocate of women in business and women of colour. Despite her demanding

schedule, she finds time to collaborate with local artists and designers like Calgary-based P.S.

Make Me Famous with the intention of bringing local design to the international stage. You

never know how far your dream can take you, but Nandee will tell you it’s worth a shot to find

out.

Liz Nandee (@basicblackdesignsinc) is the owner and lead designer of Basic Black Designs

Inc.( www.basicblackdesigns.com ) and she is invested in two M&M Food

Market franchises in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. She was featured in Avenue Magazine’s 2019 list

of Top 40 Under 40 for her design work. She currently hosts the YouTube channel Entertainment

Calgary which features red carpet events and hot topics within the city.

About the Writer

Ava Tan (@avatan.co) is a published business & lifestyle writer based in Calgary, Alberta,

Canada. She works as a feature writer, blogger, and content planner for local businesses aiming

to solidify their online branding & presence.