When Nikia Phoenix decided to move from her light and airy home in Los Angeles to Atlanta, she knew it would be a challenge to find just the right space to fit her spirit. "As a content creator, so much of my art would be created from my home, so it would need to be a place that reflected both comfort and artistic expression," she said. What she found was a charming home with a ton of character that "just needed some love and a few good coats of paint."
The model, creator, meditation and Reiki practitioner, and podcast host took her time filling her new home with items of personal significance (see: her grandfather's denim jacket from the '70s, a pine branch to remind her of her native South Carolina), natural textures, and beachy shades, with color playing a huge part in how she was going to make the space feel like home. "Color to me translates into peace and freedom of expression," Niki said. "I am so heavily influenced by the color of a room. It sets my mood. Color lets me know if this is a room I can relax in or play in or even get down to business in. Color is a reflection of who we are."
When she set out to revamp her bedroom, Nikia had a few criteria in mind. "I wanted my bedroom to feel serene and nurturing," she said. "It's where I lay my head and melt down to sleep, so it needs to feel calming and safe. It's also the very first thing I see when I open my eyes in the morning, so it needs to set the tone for my day. The color of my bedroom should help me feel supported and inspired, like a hug from a loved one."
So she turned to the Sherwin-Williams ColorSnap® Visualizer app to help her narrow down the color for her bedroom walls. "I like to start by dreaming about how I want the room to make me feel," Nikia said. Using the Instant Paint feature, she previewed how various colors would look in her own space by simply holding up her phone to the bedroom walls and selecting from a range of color chips. From there, she decided on a color based on how the natural light hits the room and how both natural and artificial light would bounce off the color of the walls. Nikia was immediately enchanted by Embellished Blue SW 6749, a light sky blue. "I love tones you might find in nature," she said, "like the color of the sky at dusk or grains of sand at some of my favorite beaches."
Once her paint project was complete, Nikia set out to decorate her bedroom to complement the new serene and beach-centric vibe. "As a Gemini, I guess you could say I like the juxtaposition of two contrasting elements," she said. "My bed has a black metal frame, so I wanted to incorporate natural elements like plants or grass into decor. There's something very familiar and comforting about being surrounded by design pieces that utilize locally sourced wood and grass." She added elements like a rattan mirror and a wild turkey feather a friend gave her while on a retreat in Tennessee, which she said symbolizes a connection to the earth and abundance.
She also surrounded herself with items that have a deeper resonance, like a small wooden broom to remind her of her African roots, a box filled with crystals she's picked up during her travels, and even Freckles the Leopard Beanie Baby to remind her of her childhood and her own beauty. The final result: a space bathed in serene blue warmth that finally feels like home.
Credits: Editor: Aviel Kanter; Art Director: Meg Konigsburg; Photography Courtesy of Nikia Phoenix; Producer: Cassie Doyle; Art by Walker Noble Studios