When writer, blogger, and designer Latonya Evet purchased her first home last year – a 172-year-old farmhouse located two and a half hours from New York City – it was a realization of her dream of homeownership. She and her two sons rent their apartment in Brooklyn, so the May House offers them a chance to enjoy nature; it also opens up as a sanctuary for other individuals of African, American Indian, and Native heritage who need respite and may not be able to afford it. Watch…
Dining Room:
The dining table is the first thing you see when you walk through the door. It was purchased from a Black-owned company, Woodward Throwbacks. It was formerly an art table at a high school in Detroit. They offered to refinish it and seal it with wax, but I didn’t want that. The table still holds all its artistic carvings, with hearts and shapes, and this person loves that person, all those little markings on it. I love that history.
On the Decision to Buy a Home:
In the spring of 2020, I pitched my second book “Stand in My Window” [expected to be released in 2023]. And as I began writing, I was doing a lot of research on the history of Black people and migration and how we built our homes, how we gathered artifacts for our homes to keep our history alive, and how we invited other Black people into our homes as safe havens, the history of Black homeownership. In short, how we offered help and shared space, and how we uplifted each other over time. The idea of buying my own home was born from this research. I used the book’s advance as seed money, as it allows something to grow.
Kitchen:
Tile: Fireclay. Toaster: Hay. Faucet: Kohler. Adjustable glass lamp: Kohler. Olive oil: Brightland.
On Love at First Sight:
During my search for a home, it was important to me that the house had some land and was accessible by train as I had just gotten my New York driver’s license after being born here. I wanted an older home, but not a money pit. And I wasn’t very picky. When the real estate agent sent me the listing, I knew. Just like falling in love with someone, you just know. I made an offer right away, without even seeing it in person.
On Taking Risks:
For me, buying this home didn’t feel like a risk. It was just like how I was determined to have my second child after loss, and you think we’ll do it. You don’t think of it as gambling as much as you think of it as passion.
Living Room:
Paint color: Middleton Pink. Paint for the fireplace/shelves: Pelt. Sofa: Vintage from Dobbin Street Coop. Red round table: Bontleng.
On the Colors of the Room:
The living room is a very light pink called Middleton Pink. The color is always changing. In certain light, it’s really pink; in another light, it’s not pink at all. I love how this illusion resembles the experience of Black individuals. Just as you might think you know someone’s story by the way they appear, but you actually don’t know anything at all. And people change when you see them in different lights.
Doorway/ Stairs:
Paint color: Middleton Pink. May House sign: Custom from Rayo and Honey. Rice paper cover: Hay.
On Naming the House:
May is my daughter’s and grandmother’s middle name. And then, I closed on the house last May, which is an alternative spelling for the month. The origins of the word also come from Maia, the Roman goddess of growth and motherhood. So, the name May House feels just right.
Parlor
Alawiya:
Paint: Pelt. Blue cushion: Block Shop. Rug: Cold Picnic. Bar cart: from a friend, similar.
On “Comfort as Stay”:
When I bought my house, I wanted it to be a place that my family could access and enjoy nature, and I also wanted a place for Black people, Native American people, and Indigenous people to escape to. A place created with their minds and hearts that they can visit. When I’m not using the house, we offer it for rent and then we use that income to support the costs or cover the expenses for Black people, especially families who may not be able to afford a vacation or access a restorative resort. The mission of the Comfort as Stay program is: we maintain the house and it supports others.
Main Bedroom:
Paint: Tallow. Mattress: Purple. Carpet
Source: https://cupofjo.com/2022/06/09/latonya-yvette-mae-house-tour/
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