In this new episode of Sweet Digs, we head to Los Angeles and the airy, unconventional loft of designer Tyka Pryde. Housed in a former train station, the apartment of the Emmy-winning art director slash interior designer has enviably high ceilings and even more jealousy-inducing amounts of natural light. “There’s a lot of history in this building,” she says, and she makes the most of it by blending the original features of the building with her own personal style. It’s a home where she lives and works, and it helps her find inspiration for her own furniture and lighting line.
“When I’m looking for pieces in my home, I try to find work that is super in alignment with mine,” she shares. For Pryde, those are pieces that range from the old to new, the Gatsby-esque and the wholly contemporary, like the textured rug from the Temi Coker x Walmart home collection she uses to anchor the space. “Historically Black-led brands have not been highlighted,” she shares. By mixing her own pieces with other Black-owned and Black-led brands, she creates a space that is fully in lock step with how she wants to live. Walmart carries a variety of Black-led brands that extend to every corner of the home, from the big eye-catching pieces to small everyday essentials.
Pryde shares her shortcut to creating an interesting and balanced home, her FAST formula: focal point, anchor, scale, texture. Applying this formula helps a space feel varied and collected, without being overly designed. You can use larger pieces like a rug or couch to anchor or draw attention, and smaller items like vases and curtains for texture. Having a range of options from Black-led brands allows you to create this space while using designers and brands that feel authentic to your ethos of home.
“I never knew I would end up here, but I’m so thankful that I did,” Pryde says of her journey from an artistic kid who loved to rearrange furniture to television professional, to interior designer. Authentic spaces offer everyday inspiration that can help you find your place in the world. By shopping brands that feel true to you and the way you live, you will always feel at home.
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