This Beautiful Home Showcases BIPOC Art and the Power of Buy Nothing Groups

Adrienne Breaux
·4 min read
African-inspired art prints in a traditional modern living room
Art print of Frederick Douglass on living room wall.
Textile on dining room table.
House plant on home office desk.
Art print on bathroom wall.
Maiden hair fern on side table in bathroom.

ABOUT THIS TOUR

HOME TYPE: Apartment

LOCATION: Roslindale, Boston, Massachusetts

STYLE: Bohemian, Modern

BEDROOMS: 2

SQUARE FEET: 900

“I have been working hard in finding my style. My home is intentional in showcasing who I am as a Black Latina immigrant from the Dominican Republic,” Anne Hernandez begins. “I collect original art, and it is primarily the art of BIPOC artists. I want to pay homage to my African roots at every corner of my home.”

Anne says that when she first moved in, the place needed a total renovation. “It is a place I was fortunate to purchase after renting the apartment below. When I bought the two units, mine had not been renovated in over 20 years, so I took it down to the studs,” Anne explains of the home she bought six years ago.

House plant on home office desk.

To open up the unit, she removed the hallway between the living and dining room; she also converted a back room into a pantry when she decided to go for no upper cabinets in the kitchen reno (except for two corner upper cabinets she kept). “The 9-foot plus ceilings and open space was exactly what my son and I needed following my divorce,” writes Anne, who shares the space with her now 18-year-old son.

Anne’s best home decor advice? “Give yourself time to find out what you love and what makes your space feel safe, calm and sacred. And when you find that out, go for it!”

Resources

African-inspired art prints in a traditional modern living room

  • Den rug — Wayfair

  • Den sectional — From Jordan’s Furniture and six years old

  • round coffee table Den — Facebook Marketplace

  • The lamp and round table — Bought in a local Buy Nothing group

  • (Frederick Douglas) art in living room — By Imar Hutchins

  • Living room masks — Gifted to me by my sister

  • Living room radiator — Objects gathered from a Buy Nothing group. (All free.)

  • Additional art — Gifted or purchased from BIPOC artists

  • Office rug — Wayfair

  • Office art — SAVERS

  • wood sculptures in the office — Facebook Marketplace

  • Bathroom curtain — Target

  • Bathroom rod — Amazon

  • Bathroom piece art — top from Ryan Horton; bottom from a Detroit artist

  • Bathroom crystal dish — SAVERS

  • Bathroom piano stool — Buy Nothing group

Thanks, Anne!

This tour’s responses and photos were edited for length/size and clarity.

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Further Reading

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I Just Discovered the Smartest Way to Store Paper Towels in Your Kitchen (It’s a Game-Changer!)

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