Penny Sparke

Professor Penny Sparke is a leading academic in Design History at Kingston University, London, and Director of the Modern Interiors Research Centre. She holds a BA in French Literature (University of Sussex, 1971) and a PhD in Design History from Brighton Polytechnic (1975). Her career includes roles at Brighton Polytechnic (1975–1982) and the Royal College of Art (1982–1999). She is Chair of the Editorial Board of the Journal of Design History and a member of RADDAR’s editorial board.

Her research focuses on interiors, gender, taste, and design culture, with notable publications like Italian Design from 1860 to the Present (1989), As Long as It's Pink: The Sexual Politics of Taste (1995), and Nature Inside: Plants and Flowers in the Modern Interior (2021). Her work bridges design history with curatorial practice, examining domestic spaces, public environments, and cultural narratives.

Recent scholarly output addresses post-pandemic domesticity, ecological reflections in interiors, and historical analyses of Victorian public spaces. Awards include honorary degrees from the University of the Creative Arts and an Honorary Senior Fellowship from the Royal College of Art.

Professor Sparke currently supervises seven PhD students and advocates for socially responsive design through editorial leadership and research initiatives. Her work emphasizes the intersection of design with identity, gender, and environmental sustainability.