Chiara Christina Ventura he knows the art. As its founder PROCESSa studio space and roving curatorial platform working with galleries and artists, she has been working in the art world since 2015. With the same creative eye she curates her own home, a Brooklyn studio apartment she has lived in since 2019.
“When my partner [artist Kameron Robinson] and I got into it for the first time, I started jumping up and down,” he says. “It had exposed brick. He had studio space. It was in a cool location and right next to the train.”
In short, it was a New Yorker’s dream. The one thing he didn’t have? Save.
Like many city-centric apartments, there were no wardrobes, the only real storage being the kitchen cupboards. And given its shape—essentially, a large block—Ventura knew she and her partner would have to be very deliberate about setting up and creating storage space inside it, a challenge they were prepared for.
It was important to the New York native to cultivate a calm sanctuary within the bustling, overstimulating city—a peaceful, cocoon-like abode that exuded a sense of zen. “I’m a very spiritual person, so there are a lot of candles. There is sage and palo santo in various parts of the apartment,” he says. “Spirituality definitely informs my design style, as does art. It’s selective.”
Of course, a Zen space is inherently free of chaos and clutter, and Ventura considers maintaining order and order a top priority. “When my apartment is clean and organized, the better I can rest in it, which is so important. Home is a place of grounding,” she says. Due to the lack of storage space, this meant that the majority of the couple’s furniture had to be multifunctional, simultaneously displaying art while acting as storage to create flow throughout the home.
This started with the use of two side by side IKEA BILLY bookcases to create a wall of shelving—in all white to mimic an art gallery—which she meticulously styled with stacks of books, small sculptural objects and plants, while cleverly displaying cameras and other electronics that are usually tucked away. Given their background, it’s no surprise that she and Robinson have amassed a large collection of art books over the years, and it was important to them that they be used to accessorize their home beyond the coffee table.
This is not the only smart storage brought to the apartment — one IKEA KALLAX shelving unit it doubles as a music station and a place to keep other miscellaneous items that seem to accumulate in every household—mail, sunglasses, and random things that pile up on the coffee table—keeping them all neatly tucked away in bins in three of the four cubbies. The final cubby keeps the couple’s record collection visibly organized for easy access, while the top of the unit displays the turntable, speakers and other decorative pieces.
For other possibilities and edges, Ventura created a functional gallery wall that could also store and display sentimental items. Among various paintings and prints are three suspended IKEA EKET cabinets filled with objects such as photos, candles and vases, which blend seamlessly as part of the wall art.
Despite the fact that some interpret “zen” as devoid of color and life, Ventura notes that her space is anything but. “It’s very colorful, very light,” he says. In fact, the bedroom space is separated from the living room by hanging one of Robinson’s works, a large painted canvas inspired by the sun, an amalgamation of warm yellow, orange and red tones. Many of the other colorful works throughout the space come from the Latino and Black artists he has made a career out of uploading.
While Ventura’s home is shaped to accommodate the things she loves, the third-generation Dominican-American also drew inspiration from her upbringing and background—mixed African, European, and indigenous (Taino) ancestry—to add an extra layer of meaning to the interior. decoration. In particular, she felt drawn to her family’s spirituality and its influence on their decor, such as altars incorporating precious stones and crystals. “I always had this sense of curiosity about them, like, Wait, why do they have African masks near their altars? Why are these bowls full of water?” she says.
And so, she felt it was important to create her own altar near her bedroom. “Even though my family didn’t directly teach me these practices, I just saw the intention and spirituality with which they lived,” she says, noting that, like her cup-reading great-grandmother, she herself reads tarot. “It’s amazing to make those connections and integrate them into your environment. It’s your house yours space; it is a protective space.”
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