Before & After: This 487-Square-Foot Studio Apartment’s Colorful Experiment Paid Off Big Time
Fans of Ayanna Dookie‘s comedy might recognize her home workspace: The engineer-turned-performer often films clips in this corner of her Brooklyn studio apartment, using her stunning cheetah print wallpaper as a backdrop. Ayanna wanted the rest of her space to match that wall’s vibrancy and style and her “controlled maximalist” approach to design — while also feeling like a personal sanctuary post-divorce.
Playing off the pale pink of the wallpaper was a great place to start, advised designer and visual artist Sara Weissler. She chose a delicate hue, Frosty Pink 2010-70 by Benjamin Moore, for the three walls without wallpaper.
“An all-over pattern of wallpaper can occasionally feel busy,” Sara says. “Using the background color carries the eye all around the room and creates a cohesive statement, while allowing the pattern to be a feature.” Plus, it gives this live-work space varied backdrops, helping each area feel distinct.
Ayanna often rearranges her space to serve as a set for audition videos or social media clips, which means furniture can get bumped around, scuffing the walls.
So Sara opted for Benjamin Moore Regal Select Interior Paint, which has superior durability and washability — most stray scuffs will wipe away in seconds.
“With me constantly moving things around, whether it be my green screen or the small folding table I use to craft or even my cat’s giant scratcher, I am so appreciative of walls that no longer bruise easily,” Ayanna says.
But the walls were just the half of it. To play up Ayanna’s love for bold design choices, Sara also suggested painting the ceiling in Black HC-190 by Benjamin Moore, a dense and dramatic classic black — and it suits Ayanna’s style beautifully.
“The dark ceiling creates an intimate and cozy space,” Sara says. By using black hooks to hang a plush pink pendant light and a cozy potted plant, these accents blend right in, as if they came right out of the ceiling.
Now, Ayanna feels like her white-box space has finally “clicked” as her home. “My goal was to make this space super feminine, as it’s my safe space and sanctuary for healing,” she says.
“The pink is subtle and soft but bold at the same time. Now, the black ceiling: WOW. It makes the space feel bigger, and I love how all my hooks blend in. It feels like the ceiling never ends, which is much needed in a space this small.”
