Designer Kim White Takes Us Inside Each of Her Brooklyn Apartments 

For makeup artist and interior designer Kim White, home isn’t just a place to relax. The multi-hyphenate creator lives and works in the same Brooklyn brownstone across two units, where personal history, creative experimentation, and pieces from Black artists and designers come together to tell a layered story about identity, heritage, and self-expression.

While the majority of her work happens in her upstairs studio space, her apartment is still a creative playground where she mixes custom pieces with heirloom lamps and pops of color. And while designing spaces is her business, for White, it’s all personal. “When people leave my home, I hope that they feel like they know me more,” she shares in our most recent episode of Sweet Digs. “I hope they can see who I am in the details.” 

Anyone familiar with the often baffling layout of New York apartments will tell you that, sometimes, you just have to get inventive. For White, that meant turning breakfast banquettes into a cozy seating area and skillfully disguising her at-home fitness equipment in the chicest of ways. “I’m a huge fan of function and design and fitness,” she shares. But there was just one problem: the trampoline was ugly. White created an ottoman-slash-trampoline that quickly went viral.  “Who even knew that a trampoline could look so fabulous?” she says.  

Heading upstairs to White’s studio, we see a different side of her. The space has less furniture but still feels vibrant and inviting with the incorporation of pieces from the Temi Coker x Walmart home collection. Temi Coker is a Nigerian-American artist that has fused bold colors and patterns into his designs. White brought in the Temi Coker rug because she “wanted color and pattern,” and the piece brings energy and movement to the space. It is where she innovates and creates. She’s even developing a new wallpaper line inspired by her grandmother (you can spot one of the prints in her kitchen).  

While White’s great eye and artistic background certainly helped her create her stunning home, she is guided by a principle that all of us can follow. “It feels like me,” she says of her space. By following her own desires rather than chasing trends and using pieces that aren’t just gorgeous but are important to her, she was able to craft a space that stands out. 

Watch the video to hear more from White on how she approaches curating a home that blends one-of-a-kind pieces with fresh Walmart finds to create something wholly unique. Who knows, you may even find inspiration for your own abode.