This is my sun-drenched oasis with big charm on a quiet block filled with trees and brownstones. I love that it is an open layout but has a strong divide between spaces (kitchen, bedroom, living room.) My favorite aspect of the apartment is the historically black neighborhood and that my building is still owned by a black family who has a strong appreciation for the original architecture. There usually isn’t a moment that I am not entertaining my friends. We are either pre-gaming before a party, cooking dinners together, or watching HBO’s “Insecure” for the millionth time and drinking wine. I pass time in my apartment by listening to R&B, rapping/dancing in the mirror, drinking tequila, rearranging the furniture/artwork, and reading my favorite novels.  

My Style: Cozy, contemporary, and cultured!

Inspiration: My main inspiration is my mother, a stylish Jamaican woman. She always played with colors in her furniture and never kept a dull home. Funny enough she probably thinks my home now is a little too funky for her liking since she was always more on the traditional side and I gravitate to a more modern flair. However, she instilled in me how important it is to keep a beautiful home and helped train my eye on picking out furniture. I still send her a photo every time before I purchase anything for the home to get her opinion.

Favorite Element: The molding and huge windows. A lot of apartments I have lived in were gutted out and lost all of the magnificent molding. So it was important for me to find an apartment that held onto that history. My last few apartments never provided natural lighting so it was hard to get my plants to thrive, so I love the three large windows providing tons of light.

Biggest Challenge: Living in a small space and wanting to host large groups of friends is an extreme struggle. Growing up I always had cousins and friends over, so that behavior naturally moved into my adulthood and I think in a mini studio it can become cramped and challenging to find seating for everyone. So I have worked on arranging more seating in my apartment in different ways, such as getting the love seat by my bed and next I want to get stools that can be tucked under my dining table. Another huge challenge was hanging all my art, I recently took a strong interest in collecting from black artists and I refuse to have my art sitting in storage collecting dust, so I spent a lot of time measuring out the location of where everything can go. The measuring tape is literally your best friend.

Proudest DIY: Not huge on DIYs, but I do have a favorite tradition that I share with my best friend where we collect magnets from cities/countries we traveled to and I use the magnets to hold up fun memories of my family and friends.

Biggest Indulgence: Although I love hosting people, I love finally being alone. I have lived with people for 26 years and this is the first time I think I have experienced what it’s like to actually be alone and by myself. It has been a strange adjustment, but also extremely satisfying to make all decoration decisions based on what I like and get some quiet time when I feel necessary.

Best Advice: Never let anyone discourage you from a small space. A lot of my friends were doubtful in how I was going to be able to get all my furniture and art in this apartment and to their surprise I did it! I wouldn’t be able to do it though if I wasn’t constantly walking around with my tape measure trying to make sure everything can fit!

What’s your best home secret? Craigslist, Ebay, and thrift stores are your best friends! I religiously go to Bedford Galleries after church on Sunday just to see what new furniture they have. I also casually surf the web just to see what new things are out there and can replace the older items in my apartment. One person’s trash is another person’s treasure!

PAINT & COLORS

• Plain White

ENTRY

• Bag — Telfar
• Vase — Given to me by friend
• Standing African Colonial Statues — From an African vendor on 24th Street
• Mask by the door — From a trip to Havana, Cuba
• Cowboy Figurine — From a friend
• Mixed Media artwork — By Devin N. Morris called “By Chance”
• Monstad Mirror — IKEA

LIVING ROOM

• Couch – Kendall Sofa; World Market
• Pillows on Couch — Paint Cushion; Tom Dixon
• Vintage armoire — Bedford Vintage Galleries
• Vintage Side table — Bedford Vintage Galleries
• Tapestry on couch — By Christen Mooney from “Cooning for Cash Tapestry” series called “Jelani”
• Photo on Wall — By Elliott Jerome Brown Jr.  called “Unwilling or unable”
• Painting above armoire — By Devin N. Morris called “No furniture in the house”
• Painting above fireplace — By Theresa Chromati called “Your Mother is a Woman That Moves Swiftly. Her Daughter Has to Keep Moving. The Beast is Behind me and Another is Always Approaching”
• Photo on floor — By Chester Toye called “Lorenzo test 2”
• Photo on Armoire — By Chester Toye called “Lorenzo test 1”
• Photo on Fireplace — An old childhood photo of my sister and I

DINING ROOM

• I got the table from my neighbor who was giving it away the day I moved in and my friend gave me the chair.
• Tic Tac Toe Set on Table — Restoration Hardware
• Mirror — Found at a junkyard on the last top on the C train for $5
• Plants on Table — Given by friends
• Fiddle-Leaf Tree —Natty Garden
• Photo — By Elliott Jerome Brown Jr.  called “Oftentimes, justice for black people takes the form of forgiveness, allowing them space to reclaim their bodies from wrongs made against them.”

KITCHEN

• Island — Given to me by the past resident
• The Patch on Top of the Fridge — By Kerry James Marshall called “Cub Patch”
• Painting on Cabinet — By José Fuster
• Bucket Hat by the Fish — Bit of Denim

ABOVE STOVE

• Glassware and Figurines — from MyUnique Thrift
• Drawing called “Stairway to” — By Devin N Morris
• HEMMA Hanging Light Cord — IKEA
• KLOVAN Hanging Light Base — IKEA

BEDROOM

• Vintage Loveseat — Bedford Vintage Galleries
• Pillow on Loveseat — By Leekan Designs
• Duvet Cover — Calvin Klein
• Colby Upholstered Platform Bed — Wayfair
• Catogram Small Blanket — Louis Vuitton
• HEMMA Hanging Light Cord — IKEA
• KLOVAN Hanging Light Base — IKEA
• Vintage Saint Laurent Scarf 
• Painting — By Alex Jackson called “Untitled”
• Painting above Bed — By Jon Key called “Man in the Violet Suit No. 9”
• Poster — By Faith Ringgold “ALL POWER TO THE PEOPLE”
• Poster of man and woman — Given to me by a friend; unknown artist

BATHROOM

• Childhood Photo
• Poster — By Devin N Morris called “No Devils In The House”
• Figurine on top of the toilet — From a trip in Havana, Cuba

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