A “Blank Canvas” in Queens Turned into a Warm Home Filled with Books and Art

Written by

Adrienne BreauxHouse Tour Director at AT Media

published Dec 5, 2024

A “Blank Canvas” in Queens Turned into a Warm Home Filled with Books and Art

Written by

Adrienne BreauxHouse Tour Director at AT Media

published Dec 5, 2024

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About this tour

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Home Type

Apartment

Location

Forest Hills, Queens, New York

Style

Eclectic

Bedrooms

Square feet

800

Sq ft

800

Troy Farai Saenz is a senior instructional designer and research strategist but also has a passion for art curation and collecting. “Following the very unexpected and tragic passing of my father last summer, I deeply needed a change of scenery and a fresh start in a place that would foster an environment of creativity, newness, and exploration as I navigated my grief,” Troy begins.

Credit: Casey Joiner

“Three months later, I moved from Baton Rouge, my home of 10 years, to New York in an apartment that I chose sight unseen. This apartment was a blank canvas that I was excited to style uniquely, and it was just the necessary creative outlet that I was looking for that I could pour my soul into!”

Credit: Casey Joiner

“As someone with a very curious nature, my curiosity drives my stylistic choices,” Troy continues. “However, I was inspired to style my home in a way that highlights all of the interests that my dad and I shared with one another. We shared a love and an intrigue for the arts, music, history, culture, geography, anthropology, and philosophy and you will see that reflected in my home! I like to think of my home as a small museum bookstore because intrigue really does lie around every nook and corner of my home.”

Credit: Casey Joiner

"Most of the items, frames, and books on the shelves were thrifted or collected along the years, but I want to highlight two of my favorite framed pieces!"
1. "On the second row from the bottom, is a framed shot from a short film called “Strange Fruit” that my sister, Jalea Jackson, an awarded filmmaker and storyteller, created to poetically highlight the realities of police brutality from the lens of a Black American young girl."
2. "I framed the very first (of many) CD that my dad burned for me back in 2005! He wanted to make sure that my sister and I were musically well-rounded." A few tracks on this CD included:
- Balla Baby x Chingy
- Don’t Know Why x Nora Jones
- Rapper’s Delight x Sugar Hill Gang
- Latifah’s Had it Up to Here x Queen Latifah
- Truth is x Fantasia
("You can listen to a groovy playlist that my dad and I co-curated a few years ago here.")

“When moving to NYC, I was excited to fill my home with books, art, and items that were collected from various estate sales, stoop sales, art galleries, and markets across the boroughs. I spent the year on scavenger hunt not only collecting trinkets, frames, books, and vintage items for my home, but also collecting stories and experiences to share about my finds with people when they visit!”

Resources

Credit: Casey Joiner

"My foyer table was my last purchase, courtesy of Facebook Marketplace. It’s a lovely three-legged drop leaf table, which comes in handy when more table space is needed, in a small nyc apartment."