PRISM is a storytelling series amplifying the experiences, creativity, and imagination of Black, Brown, and Indigenous storytellers based in Kentucky.

Designing life through home – how interior design, colors, art, and comfort heals

By Maya Black

It’s Saturday morning. Something like Jaheim or Jill Scott is playing throughout the house and the windows are open, allowing the breeze of Pine-Sol and bacon sweep in and out. My mama was an early riser and weekends seemed to be reserved for a quick Southern breakfast, cleaning, and yard work. On special occasions–I can’t recall the time of year or season–she would drag and push our vintage furniture across the living and dining room floors. I’d wake up and walk down the stairs to a new and different home. It was a bit magical. We didn’t have to buy new showroom furniture, but the change of space and functionality did something for me. To witness the light hit the room in different angles or to use a piece of furniture functionally different because of where it was positioned in the room sparked a place of satisfaction inside me.

It wasn’t too long after watching my mom rearrange our living room that I played around in my own house, with my own furniture and style, in a virtual living simulation video game called The Sims on my dad’s HP laptop and my PlayStation 2. Yes, my gaming days were filled with virtual-reality living–buying plots of land, building homes, and furnishing them on an abundant cheat-code budget. I loved that shit, and made sure that my home had everything I’d imagine I would need, from windows, doors, beds and beyond.

Once I hit middle school, I phased out my video games. One day my dad and I went to Borders Books. In search of a book, he asked me, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” The answer was an interior designer. We walked into the home decor and interior design section, and I chose a book about colors.

That dream lingered there.

Almost 17 years later, I came across my middle school writing portfolio. The assignment must have been to write an editorial about your future self. And there it was: I was manifesting a Bachelors of Arts degree in interior design from the University of Kentucky. I remembered that day in computer class, typing the writing portfolio editorial. I typed in the search engine: “interior design schools.”

I was reminded of how much home meant to me.

Home making, home building, home designing, and the stability of home have made me who I am. I am one of the privileged to even make this statement. That makes it even more imperative to share my story on how important home making, building, and designing are for our wellness and peace of mind. Home is a mirror. The mirror of your home reflects who you are and sometimes where you come from. Home holds your stories, emotions, and life stages. Home is a refuge. Home is a personal museum of sorts.

I never got to attend interior design school. Yet. But I study the homes I’ve lived in to make them a place of memory, peace, protection, and a reflection of the people inside them.

Here are some ways I think about the design of my home to fit my needs and peace.

The entire home – How do you want to feel when you enter your home? What do you want to feel in the mornings and the nights?

The structure – You may not be able to change the structure of a living space or home. It is important to know your deal breakers or necessities before saying yes to your living situation, if possible. If you are in a condition of limited choice, think big and outside the designated space to get what you need. Do you need ample lightning to feel invigorated (windows)? Do you need the ability to open windows or to access wind flow (ceiling fans)? Are you tall and need space to stretch your body (ceiling height)? Do you need to be accessible to the earth (lower level)?

Colors and prints – Pick 3-5 of your favorite colors. From the selection of your colors, do you think the colors represent you? Do they complement each other? Give them a theme or name based on your personality. Then choose your top three favorites and add up to two subcolors–maybe one darker shade and one lighter shade. The subcolor should complement the favorite main color. With up to 12 colors, identify this as your color palette. Feel free to select accent colors (such as gold, silver, or rose gold) and prints that make you happy, like floral, geometric shapes, or animal print. This will support you in choosing paint, art, furniture, and decor pieces in alignment with who you are and not from trends or freebie accumulation. Knowing my palette has helped my discernment in purchasing (or not) new items for my home.

For each room – What story do you want your living space to share? This may be in relation to your family history, the geographical location, and/or your interests.

Furniture and decor – Invest in the quality of the feeling and story you want expressed in the room. If you want a room to be comfortable, invest in the quality of comfort (e.g., blankets, pillows, bedding, and seating). If you want the living area to be a social gathering space, invest in functional seating, openness, access into space, conversational art pieces, etc. If you get overwhelmed with clutter, invest in cabinets and shelves. Be careful not to over-buy storage bins with no place for the storage bins.

Sounds – Here is a playlist that reminds me of home–past, present and future.

A collage of two important rooms in my home. A collage of comfort, peace, patterns, and gatherings. My living room and office/yoga space. My living room is known for this bouncy lavender bean bag that was cozy and fun for the adults and kiddos. It stretched seating while also being a space of comfort. Lavender is my balm in all forms. The green room is my work space for my day time work and yoga practice. Green is grounding, while the hint of gold is symbolic for the rise of the sun. Flowers are symbolic of the blessings from heaven. That blush painting is in remembrance of my late father and his gold jewelry. The people in the collage are my community. They came to celebrate my 29th home coffee shop birthday party and an Easter brunch.

Maya Black is a cultural worker, yoga teacher, and researcher based in Louisville, Kentucky. Learn more about Maya and her work at www.mayablack.org or on Instagram @mayab1ack