This Artistic Gave Herself Six Months to Flip Her Brooklyn Rental Into a Limewashed Refuge

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When entrepreneur and strategist Shanika Hillocks first went to see a potential Brooklyn rental in early 2024, located simply east of Prospect Park in Little Caribbean, she swore she’d been on the block earlier than. As if kismet was tugging her alongside, it will definitely dawned on her {that a} pair of cousins had grown up just some doorways down.

After years of dwelling on the Upper West Side and in Harlem, and spending countless commutes shuttling over the East River to family and friends, Hillocks resolved to discover a dwelling within the borough the place she was spending most of her time. Plus, she’d outgrown her place in Sugar Hill, needed room to host, and was craving a spot to domesticate group long-term. As with so many condominium searches in New York City, there was some extent when issues began to really feel determined—and Hillocks turned to her social community for a hail Mary. An acquaintance tipped her off to an expansive two-bedroom, one which she’d have the ability to put her personal stamp on, and the remainder fell into place. 

Little Caribbean is dwelling to what’s thought-about the biggest Caribbean inhabitants exterior of the West Indies; it touches components of neighborhoods like Prospect Lefferts Gardens and Flatbush. It made Hillocks, raised partially in Florida by her Guyanese and Vincentian grandparents, really feel instantly at dwelling. (Not to say that the homeowners of her new constructing are additionally Guyanese.) “There are a lot of stores that have things that I grew up seeing in my pantry,” Hillocks says affectionately of the world. “Being here for the Labor Day parade was just incredible. It really felt like this is exactly where I was meant to be.” 

Hillocks gave herself a deadline of six months to brighten the condominium. For help, she tapped Naïka Andre of NJA Interiors with the objective being to have the house swathed in heat and texture by the vacation season. Ahead, she offers us the news on how she remodeled the condominium right into a refuge awash in persona, vibrant art work, eclectic music, and markers of journey and household.