Full circle moment! My house and what being an Apartment Therapy contributor taught me about home

 All photos by Amanda Archibald for Apartment Therapy.

Full circle moment! I joined the Apartment Therapy community as a freelance house tour contributor in 2014. In that time, I photographed and told the stories of over 20 homes and the families that lived in them. You have probably seen many of those homes in print magazines since then; Malene Barnett, Sybil Domond, Neffi Walker, Delia Kenza, Kai Avent-de Leon, Joshua Kissi were all gracious enough to allow me to document their stories, many times with my then 5-year old son right alongside me. From each of those photoshoots, I collected decor, organization, and general home inspiration along the way and carried them back with me to our two-bedroom brownstone apartment in Bed-Stuy. 

See Nasozi's full house tour here.

Malene tour taught me to NOT be afraid of color. Kenza’s home taught me the true meaning of Brownstone-chic with a modern African twist. Mekiel and Saadiq’s cozy dining nook unlocked an entire adulting moment in my living room in 2016! (I tossed my grad-school dining room table in 2009 when my son started crawling and hadn’t established a proper eating area since!) I intentionally sought out non-conventional people, which wasn’t hard to come by in Brooklyn. I wanted homes and families that designed their own formula, and to be perfectly honest with you, that’s what I loved the most about the tours. Although all of their stories were different, something felt familiar and welcoming each time.

Fast forward to 2021, seven years after that journey started, and four years after I left my beloved Brooklyn (officially, but not really), I’m excited to share with you this pandemic-era version of my home outside of Washington, DC. My home, like the people in it, is in a constant state of evolution. The furniture layout that worked for us before homeschooling and lockdowns was no longer functional a year into the pandemic. The key principle of my decor and organization approach is what works for me right now? Who am I right now? How can my space hold space for ME and what I need right now? I endeavor to answer some of those questions in my Apartment Therapy house tour survey and photos. Enjoy and show some love!