Have you ever visited the MoMA – The Museum of Modern Art? It’s likely one of the most visited spaces in the US for art, creativity, culture, and source of inspiration and thought. Now imagine – What if you could curate your own art collection so your home felt like the MoMA?

When I walked into Shanelle’s home, my mouth was left agape by her bright orange U-shaped sofa, two friendly pups, Huey and Mandela, and most of all, her phenomenal art collection. She had framed prints and figurines by current artistic greats like Hebru Brantley, Ronald Jackson, B. Robert Moore and Roger J. Carter. She also had an extensive book collection and wall of photographs (some signed) of civil rights activists, writers, and artists such as Martin Luther King Jr., Nina Simone, Malcolm X, Nikki Giovanni, and Shirley Chisholm. My first thought: Who is this woman? I was amazed, impressed, and excited for what was to come.

Born and raised in Chicago, Shanelle is a freelancer, writer, activist, podcaster, speaker, entrepreneur, and proud new homeowner in the City of Atlanta. When she reached out to Blessed Little Bungalow, she requested two things: 1. To give her main spaces a “lift,” and 2. Make her home feel as if a Black writer for that writes million-dollar movies lives there. I welcomed the challenge. I was IN. Here’s where things started:

Here’s a look at the BEFORE:

The Atlanta cottage had good bones, with a lot of black and white surfaces, and small pops of color and brass elements. Inspired by Shanelle’s sofa choice, I decided to bring more rust and terracotta hues in, and being true to the color wheel, some shades of blue as well. Here are the initial MOOD BOARDS I came up with:

First things first, we needed to paint. We’d update some of the walls with a navy-blue accent color and freshen up the existing black and white textured walls. We also added a pop of red orange on the front door to give the small entryway some personality. My favorite update was probably the kitchen cabinets. Formerly dark brown, we gave them and her kitchen island a new color with a heavenly light indigo that would encourage Shanelle to spend more time in her kitchen (although she already cooked and entertained in it quite often). The new brass pulls also elevated the cabinetry to another level.

Next up, furniture! Though I loved Shanelle’s sofa, it was a bit oversized for the space. Luckily, it was modular, and we could easily remove some of the pieces to make the area feel less heavy and crowded. We opted to keep Shanelle’s current dining room table too but updated it and the island with new chairs and counter stools (the previous ones were bar height and too high). Lastly, we mounted a wall shelf for her wine and spirits and updated her TV console with a beautiful ebony piece to anchor the room with something timeless and give her more storage. Paired with two new area rugs, the furniture really popped, and the open floor plan felt like one well-curated, separate yet connected space.

Lastly, we tackled her lighting. This included her ceiling fan, dining chandelier, hallway light, living room sconce, and kitchen pendants. From there, I arranged her current art collection into a bold and inspiring gallery wall above her sofa, hung custom drapery along her long wall of windows, a wall mirror, and new pillows, and decorative accessories.

And here’s the phenomenal AFTER:

Thank you, Shanelle for trusting me with your art, home, and vision. It’s truly a celebration of Black art and the beauty of being a Black artist. I’m so proud of and grateful for what we were able to create together and hope it brings your endless inspiration, self-love and joy for years to come.

To read more about Shanelle and her home, check out the recent article featured in Atlanta Magazine’s September issue. You can also see all the After photos in my Portfolio, video on my YouTube, and more behind the scenes photos and videos on Instagram under #ProjectBlackMOMA.