How We Live Home Tour: Brittiny Terry

HOW WE LIVE HOME TOUR: Brittiny Terry

"Creating a home you love should be effortless." Wise words from founder and Chief Interior Stylist of Effortless Composition, Brittiny Terry. Her pillows, art and more give off an easy breezy eclectic vibe which is a nice balance to the often bold colors/patterns African design is known for. I consider her style the yin to my yang. Hahaha Let's take a look at her South Central, Los Angeles home and get inspired.

Tell readers a little about yourself and where you live: My name is Brittiny Terry, born and raised in South Central LA. I am one of the most extreme optimists that you will probably ever meet, I think that's a good thing though. This trait and my faith in God's Grace has allowed me to balance my career in corporate finance (which I enjoy) and my own home decor business - Effortless Composition. When I'm not working with numbers I am searching high and low for unique goods to bring to the shop. 

How would you describe your decor style in three words and who or what influenced that style? Edgy, undefined, boho! My personal style spills into all areas of my life. I like for my decor to be a show stopper and I have no problem mixing every single style. The joy for me in decor comes in bringing different pieces together, all different styles/backgrounds, and making them compliment each other. My mom has great style and using it to express myself was something she instilled in me since I was a child. She actually gets so annoyed that I pull things together that don't seem to match. I can hear her now “that don't match”,  but once it's done she is always on board.

Do you have keepsakes or family heirlooms incorporated into your home decor? If so, what are they and why was it important to incorporate them? A big part of my culture that I saw growing up was black art statues. These figures were in all my aunties' homes. When I was a young girl my aunt would let me paint them with her and I remember thinking it was the coolest thing. Once I got my own space I was sure to ‘borrow’ some from my mom to pay homage to how I grew up.

Why was it important for you to incorporate African decor into your home? What types do you have? (e.g Art, pillows, bedding, masks ect.) I believe your home should represent who you are and I think it's important to surround yourself with those roots to keep you grounded. In my home I have art. Most of the art reminds me of growing up in south central. The images I have remind me of what was in my home as a kid. My favorite artwork is a portrait taken by Brittani Sensabaugh of a young girl with hair just like mine. For me is a reminder of how beautiful we are, how special we are as a people.

For those who are hesitant to incorporate African decor into their space or don’t know where to start, what's one piece of advice you’d give them? There are so many ways you can bring African decor into your home. I think people get hung up on what they think African decor is but in reality its unique to every person. It doesn’t have to be color heavy if that's not you, it doesn’t have to be print heavy if that's not you.  My advice would be to think about where you want your culture and cultural heritage to show up in your home. Where would seeing that item bring you joy? Once you have an idea browse black owned decor stores to see what options are available.

For example, you like glass decor beads? That's African decor. You like those seagrass baskets? Thats African decor. There are so many ways to incorporate African decor versus what western culture shows in mainstream media. Shall I say decolonize the idea that you may have in your mind that is making you hesitant? And I say that with all the love. So, again, my advice would be start by taking back the definition of what African decor means to you and then possibilities are endless. 

At Reflektion Design our mantra is, See Yourself at Home. How does your home reflect who you are? I bring things into my home that bring me joy. Every item has a bit of me in it, somehow. I would like to think of myself as joy. That's how I want to show up for others and that's how I want them to feel in my home. 

 Where can we find you online?  You can find me on all social media platforms @effortlesscomposition and on my website www.effortlesscomposition.com 

Looking for items to bring more of you into your home checkout the shop: www.reflektiondesign.com