Our TeamNasozi Kakembo

Nasozi Kakembo

About Me

Nasozi Kakembo is a designer, author, and arts advocate who has spent her career at the intersection of the arts and impact. She has over 15 years of experience working for a range of impactful institutions and organizations, such as The Johns Hopkins School of Public Health and the U.S. Department of State, where she employed her design skills to communicate the respective missions to target audiences. She is also the founder of xN Studio, a multi-disciplinary design firm founded in 2011 in Brooklyn and Kampala.

Latest Stories

This Stunning 550-Square-Foot Jersey City Studio Feels Like a Luxurious Boutique
This luxury marketing professional turned this small and basic Jersey City rental studio apartment into an intentional, elevated retreat.
Adrienne Breaux
3 days ago
Brandi’s Antique-Chic Prewar Brooklyn Apartment
Name: Brandi Ware Location: Crown Heights; Brooklyn, New York Size: Approximately 970 square feet Years lived in: 1.7 years; Rented Born and raised in New York City, and then moving back after several years in Texas, presented Brandi with several unique (and welcome) challenges. The first Brandi would encounter, of course, was New York’s notorious rental market, which is discouraging for even a blue-blooded New Yorker.
Nasozi Kakembo
Oct 24, 2019
Before and After: A Bland Bathroom Gets a Simple Modern Makeover for Just $150
The before version of this bathroom was perfectly functional and updated, but bland. It has great storage, but completely lacked in character. This is the first home I have owned (and lived in) in my adult life. Even as a kid, I grew up in rentals. I’ve always harbored dreams (and vision boards) of how I would customize my future home. None of it was too radical, but they were rarely rental-friendly edits.
Nasozi Kakembo
May 3, 2019
An Artistic Couple’s Multipurpose D.C. Loft
Name: Anastasia Antoinette and Jamon Johnson Location: Columbia Heights — Washington, DC Size: 825 square feet Years lived in: 4 years, rented It’s not every day that you’re in the market for a new apartment and stumble upon an architectural masterpiece — which also happens to align perfectly with your profession — but that’s exactly what happened to Anastasia and Jamon when they were looking for their first home together.
Nasozi Kakembo
Apr 30, 2019
A Graphic Designing & Vintage Furniture Collecting Trombone Player’s Creative D.C. Loft
Name: Curry Hackett Location: Howard University/Shaw — Washington, D.C. Size: 800 square feet Years lived in: Renting, 1.5 years The apartment that Curry has lived in for one and a half years couldn’t be anymore perfect for his diverse pursuits, which include graphic design, vintage furniture collecting, and playing the trombone. He’s also the founder of Hackreative, a multidisciplinary design studio specializing in placemaking, visual design, and creative direction.
Nasozi Kakembo
Apr 30, 2019
Ayah’s Bicoastal Craftsman Bungalow
Name: Ayah Wilson Location: Oakland, California Size: 1,800 square feet Years lived in: 2.5 years; Rented To most of us, the process of moving to a new home is a daunting task. Aspects of it are filled with excitement (especially the decorating part!) as well as the unknown (moving rates!).
Nasozi Kakembo
Feb 20, 2019
Natasha’s Well-Traveled Brooklyn Studio Apartment
Name: Natasha R. Johnson Location: Bedford-Stuyvesant; Brooklyn, New York Size: Approximately 500 square feet Years lived in: 1.5 years; Rented With no extra space to spare, Natasha was both deliberate and maximal in organizing the decorative and essential elements of her studio apartment. In the 35+ countries that she has lived and/or worked in as a college professor and international human rights attorney, she has assembled her fair share of global keepsakes.
Nasozi Kakembo
Feb 20, 2019
Eric’s White & Technicolor Baltimore Loft
Name: Eric Location: Butcher’s Hill; Baltimore, Maryland Size: 702 square feet Years lived in: 6 months, rented Eric’s home became an instant favorite when we shared his House Call submission with readers. Viewers swooned over the whimsical pops of color, the high tin ceilings and the overall quality of the historically preserved elements of the home.
Nasozi Kakembo
Feb 20, 2019
Amhalise’s Globally Eclectic Brooklyn Brownstone
Name: Amhalise Morgan and her children, Harmony Cree and Rebel Spirit Location: Brooklyn, New York Size: 2,000 square feet Years lived in: 11 years; Owned The home of Amhalise and her two teen-aged children is the definition of a labor of love. She bought the home after traveling and living overseas for many years and essentially had a clean slate to work with upon purchasing her 19th-century Brooklyn brownstone.
Nasozi Kakembo
Feb 20, 2019
Joshua’s Grayscale Living & Gathering Space
Name: Joshua Kissi Location: Bedford-Stuyvesant — Brooklyn, NYC Size: 800 square feet Years lived in: 1 year; Rented When you’re one half of the creative agency Street Etiquette—tagline: “Telling Stories Through Style”—home styling is second nature to you. The home of Joshua Kissi is also more than a home—it is a meeting place, photography studio, and informal art gallery all at once.
Nasozi Kakembo
Feb 20, 2019
Lauren’s Southwest-Inspired Union Square Condo
Name: Lauren Rogoff Location: Union Square/Flatiron/Chelsea; New York City, New York Size: 750 square feet Years lived in: 2 years; Owned Just beyond the bustling Union Square Farmer’s Market, the Flatiron’s shadow, and Chelsea’s world famous 5th Avenue shopping attractions, an attorney by day and fine artist by night strikes the perfect blend between urban and rustic.
Nasozi Kakembo
Feb 20, 2019
Brian & Dara’s Updated Rustic Modern Home for Five
Name: Brian and Dara Packer and their kids, Daphne, Maddox, and Amelia Jane Location: Ellicott City, outside of Baltimore, Maryland Size: 2,500 square feet Years lived in: 2 years; Owned Brian and Dara have had plenty of time to perfect their personal style. The couple met in high school and married after college graduation, having attended different schools in the same area. The first home they shared was a condo in the historic Federal Hill neighborhood of Baltimore.
Nasozi Kakembo
Feb 20, 2019
Nyakinyua & Ivan’s Chic Victorian in Washington DC
Name: Nyakinyua Gill, Ivan Iricanin, and Baby Vuk Location: Howard University-Shaw; Washington DC Size: 1,800 square feet Years lived in: 1.5 years; Owned Nyakinya Gill (affectionately known as Nya) and her husband Ivan Iricanin are no strangers to the interior design industry. Ivan is an international restaurateur, with award-winning venues in Washington, DC, New York City, and Serbia, and Nya has played lead interior designer to some of these establishments.
Nasozi Kakembo
Feb 20, 2019
Kai and Dan’s Lovingly Restored Brownstone Flat
Name: Kai Avent-deLeon and Dan Solomito Location: Bedford-Stuyvesant; Brooklyn, NY Size: 900 square feet Years lived in: 4 years Kai Avent-deLeon (pronounced Kai-E) is no stranger to the homes that have put her Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood on the historical record of architecture and design. She was born and raised here, and the brownstone that her apartment is in, which she shares with her boyfriend Dan, has been in her family for nearly half a century.
Nasozi Kakembo
Feb 20, 2019
Ben’s Renovated Brooklyn Penthouse
Name: Ben Erickson Location: Bedford-Stuyvesant; Brooklyn, New York Size: 1,600 square feet Years lived in: 6 years; Renovated and Rented Homes like this one are what neighborhood legends are made of. Tourists walk by them and ponder their historical significance. School children imagine what fairytale or superhero character might be living inside. And adults dream the wildest dreams of ever calling a place like this home.
Nasozi Kakembo
Feb 20, 2019
Jungwon’s Ocean-Inspired Brownstone in Brooklyn
Name: Jungwon Kim, Senior Editorial Manager at Rainforest Alliance, and kids Location: Bedford-Stuyvesant; Brooklyn, NY Size: 2,200 square feet Years lived in: 8 years; Owned Born and raised a stone’s throw from the beach in Southern California, the home of Jungwon and her family is a true reflection of their tidal roots. But having lived in Brooklyn for two decades, she’s infused her home with the creativity, eclecticism and free spirit that is iconic of its Brooklyn habitat.
Nasozi Kakembo
Feb 20, 2019
A Neutral Chic Brooklyn Home
Name: Mekiel Nuñez and Saadiq Vaughan Location: Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn Size: 700 square feet Years lived in: 1 year The stereotypical New Yorker’s wardrobe consists unapologetically of black, greys, neutrals, and denims. Perhaps the overabundance of visual stimulation in our surroundings is why we prefer our clothes understated.
Nasozi Kakembo
Feb 20, 2019
Neffi’s Contemporary Minimalism with a Twist
Name: Neffi Walker and her children (Adonis 23, Kawhyii 22, Jhette 17, Nile 5) Location: Northern New Jersey Size: 5,000 square feet Years lived in: Owned 5 years Some know her as the proprietor of Jersey City interior design destination, Le Noir Home. Others know her for her uplifting and unapologetic attitude on her blog and its related Instagram page. But all who know Neffi Walker know that her family is the center of her being.
Nasozi Kakembo
Feb 20, 2019
A Designer, a Dancer & Their Daughters in a Modern Brooklyn Brownstone
Name: Delia Kenza, Júlio Leitão, and their two daughters Location: Clinton Hill — Brooklyn, New York Size: 3,500 square feet Years lived in: Owned 3 years Having already renovated and/or designed 10+ homes together over the past 15 years, Delia and Júlio were already well on their way to capitalizing on their experience. They had lived in four of these homes together, all in Manhattan, ranging from trendy Soho to soulful Harlem.
Nasozi Kakembo
Feb 19, 2019
Partner
Sleek New Speakers in a Classic Brownstone
Full disclosure: I am not musically inclined by any stretch of the imagination. But music is how my home stays connected with our multitude of friends and family around the world. I’m currently completely into Life’s Blood, the latest album of my friend Patrice who is based between Paris, Brooklyn, and Cologne. Disney’s Queen of Katwe soundtrack is also a backdrop in our home.
Nasozi Kakembo
Nov 3, 2016
Partner
How to Achieve Brooklyn Cool (Literally)
Located on the third (top) floor of a 100-year old Brooklyn brownstone, my story is not unique by any means. Save for the (squeaky) ceiling fan that was likely installed in the 1990s, I am at the mercy of shade provided by a maple tree, wide open windows and the occasional breeze (did someone say perfect allergy storm?) for any form of respite during summer. And in the summer, my living room is HOT.
Nasozi Kakembo
Jun 1, 2016
A “Caribbean Cabana” Style in Brooklyn Home
Two sisters, native New Yorkers and close in age, share this apartment.
Nasozi Kakembo
Jun 16, 2015
Sybil & Dan’s Canopied Brooklyn Riad
Name: Sybil Domond + Daniel Lessin Location: Greenpoint; Brooklyn, New York Size: 900 square feet Years lived in: 6 years; Owned You didn’t misread the headline; this home is in Brooklyn. And just like the borough that it is located in, it is a composite of places near and far. Sybil and Dan are the husband and wife powerhouse duo behind Greenpoint’s People of 2Morrow vintage apparel and gift boutique.
Nasozi Kakembo
Oct 8, 2014
Malene’s Tropical Modern Queen Anne Townhome
Name: Malene Barnett Location: Bedford-Stuyesant; Brooklyn, New York Size: 3,000 square feet Years lived in: 5 years lived in; 6 years owned One barely has to enter the home of luxury carpet designer Malene Barnett to appreciate her eclectic and refined design sensibility. Years before meeting Malene at a book launch in Soho, her home caught my eye. As a neighbor and frequent passerby, several design elements jumped out at me within the few seconds it took to ride my bike or walk past her home.
Nasozi Kakembo
Aug 11, 2014