Sam Jay and Yanise Monet’s Harlem Brownstone Is the Perfect Place for Respite and Recreation

Nora Taylor
·6 min read

Hair by Ceshanna Williams, makeup by Camille Thompson.

Two years ago, the often-torturous New York City house hunt came to a close for comedian Sam Jay and interior designer Yanise Monet when they met Brownie, a multistory brownstone in Harlem. The couple had outgrown their place in Long Island City and wanted a space where they could properly entertain friends; somewhere with a guest room, a big living room, and, crucially, a large kitchen. “I’m from the South, so I have Southern hospitality. I want people to walk in and feel like they’re getting a big hug,” Yanise says. “So hosting is important to me and part of my love language to let people know how much I care about them. I love to feed people.”

“For me, your home is where you get the most freedom of self-expression,” Sam shares. “I find that when people come into a home it gives more of a window, it’s actually who we are and not the impression of who we are. Other layers of us as people get revealed.”
“For me, your home is where you get the most freedom of self-expression,” Sam shares. “I find that when people come into a home it gives more of a window, it’s actually who we are and not the impression of who we are. Other layers of us as people get revealed.”
Art: Sesse Elangwe Ngeseli
The couple’s cat, Fancy, curls up by the window with a view of the neighborhood. “Harlem is just everybody; Black people with money, middle class people, people who are down and out and down bad,” Sam says. “You don’t get to disconnect from the reality that everybody isn’t quite living like you.”
The couple’s cat, Fancy, curls up by the window with a view of the neighborhood. “Harlem is just everybody; Black people with money, middle class people, people who are down and out and down bad,” Sam says. “You don’t get to disconnect from the reality that everybody isn’t quite living like you.”

While friends are always welcome, Yanise felt it was important to craft a home that felt like a refuge for both of them (Sam largely and happily deferred to her design expertise). With Sam often on the road and Yanise shifting her professional focus from commercial to residential spaces, the brownstone really reflects who they are and how they share the home. While the colors and wall coverings are all Yanise (“I was born in the ’80s, so, baby, wallpaper me up,” she says), the more muted tones in the primary bedroom bring some of Sam’s taste into the shared environment. “Normally, in the other spaces I wouldn’t have out Legos or Star Wars pieces, but I tried to implement my baby in more,” Yanise adds. The big couch in the living room is perfect for hosting, but it’s also Sam’s spot when she comes home from tour—where she can sit and relax and take in the home they’ve made together.

“The vintage marble fireplace was the first and main purchase for the living room from OfferUp. It had to travel almost two hours from upstate New York,” Yanise explains. “It was important to me to have it installed so as to bring back the historical charm of a Harlem brownstone.”

Brownie is full of carefully selected pieces, from the largely secondhand furniture to their growing art collection. Yanise loves thrift shopping and clearly has an eye for putting pieces together, but she also wanted to reduce their carbon footprint. She acknowledges that it can be slow, painstakingly slow sometimes, to fill a space, but it’s ultimately worth it. “She’s really into it,” Sam says. “But [Yanise] really knows what she’s looking for and that helps her find stuff.” The couple worked closely with art consultant Anwarii Musa on building a collection of vibrant contemporary art, primarily by Black artists. Pieces by Naderson Saint Pierre and Alteronce Gumby share a home with Yanise’s original paintings and with pieces from Sam’s show, Pause: With Sam Jay.

The kitchen is what ultimately sold Yanise on the home, the couple loves to host and feed their friends.
The kitchen is what ultimately sold Yanise on the home, the couple loves to host and feed their friends.
The dining room table is the only new item on the entire second floor, a custom piece from Modshop. “I waited on that dining room table for five years,” Yanise laughs. “I love that table.”

While Yanise did most of the design and sourcing, there is one room that is 100% Sam. The couple took a room that the previous tenants used as a nursery and made space for Sam’s babies: her shoe collection. Along with the practical aspects of shoe storage, Yanise brought in deeply personal touches to make the space feel cozy and true to Sam because her collection isn’t just about shoes. A longtime sneakerhead, Sam sold her entire collection to fund her move to LA to commit to her stand-up career. “I believed in my ability to become successful enough to get my shoes back, and I’ve been getting them back, you know?”

Sam’s shoe closet was used as a nursery by the previous occupants. “My shoes are my kids. So it’s still a nursery of sorts,” she says.
Sam’s shoe closet was used as a nursery by the previous occupants. “My shoes are my kids. So it’s still a nursery of sorts,” she says.
The IKEA shelves in Sam’s office are one of the few items that were purchased new for the home. “I just asked for one space that I get to have as my space, and that’s my office,” Sam says of letting Yanise handle the design of the home. “Where I get to put up my toys and have my Legos out and have my little Star Wars swords and things like that.”
Knowing what she was looking for and thinking outside the box when it came to how to use furniture helped Yanise grab great finds from online sources like Kaiyo, Nom Nom Emporium, and Chairish.

Although Brownie is first and foremost a space for the couple—somewhere where they can recharge and tap into their creativity—their doors are always open. “I’m the most settled right now, engaged, and in a home with somebody,” Sam says. “Most of my friends are single and on the road doing the comedy thing, so I do think our home becomes a bit of a respite. You’re going to get a good meal, you’re going to get a two-parent household, you come here and it’s pretty consistent.” And why wouldn’t Sam and Yanise want to share the space they’ve worked so hard on, filled so thoughtfully and patiently? For Yanise, sharing their home is an extension of sharing themselves. “It’s a reflection of who we are and our love and our life,” she concludes.

Almost everything in the home was a secondhand purchase. Yanise scoured shops like Remix Market, thrift stores, and yard sales—as well as online.
Yanise found a lot of pieces for the home on Facebook Marketplace. “I swear by it even though I hate the app,” she jokes.
Yanise found a lot of pieces for the home on Facebook Marketplace. “I swear by it even though I hate the app,” she jokes.
Yanise is very passionate about wallpaper, mixing patterns, and adding her own personal touches. (She added rhinestones to the crane wallpaper on the left.) She’s coming out with her own line of wallpaper this fall.
Yanise is very passionate about wallpaper, mixing patterns, and adding her own personal touches. (She added rhinestones to the crane wallpaper on the left.) She’s coming out with her own line of wallpaper this fall.
Sam isn’t the only one with an impressive shoe collection.
Sam isn’t the only one with an impressive shoe collection.

Originally Appeared on Architectural Digest

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