I'm at the point in a trip where I start dreaming about home.

I've been gone over a month and I’m craving my sleep cave of a bedroom. We did it in deep, dark colors with blackout shades, and it’s truly pitch black at night. When I lay in my soft bed with my favorite sheets it’s like nothing else exists. From Tunisia to Morocco and now writing this in Egypt, I can honestly say that nothing compares to my own bed.

But I'm also immensely curious, because I don't fully know what I'm coming home to.

Before I left, I handed my friend Imani from Imani at Home my keys. She's redoing my kitchen while I'm gone, and beyond a couple simple asks, I have no idea what she has planned. For example: my kitchen sink is tiny, barely big enough to wash a pot, and it spills water everywhere. I want a bigger sink. But the entirety of the project is a surprise.

So while I’m still in Egypt hosting two more trips, I can't stop thinking about home.

And I'm sure some of you are thinking, Anela, why the hell are you pouring all this into a place you don't even own? Let’s talk about it.

I recorded this one three hours before leaving for the airport, because clearly I thrive under pressure.

People keep telling me I'm damaging my landlord's property. Paint is not damage. A deposit is a deposit, that's what it's for, and most of what I'm doing makes this place better, not worse. But the real answer is simpler: I may never own a home, and I've made my peace with that. This is where I’ll live, for years, and I'm not spending those years in a white box with a too small sink.

So I’m creating an oasis. I want anyone who walks in to know a Black woman lives here, right along with seeing my grandparents' art on the walls, and getting to sink into the deep color and soft textures that are in every room.

Take a peek at my apartment below, and you'll see some of the progress we've made.

Imani, my friend and frequent partner in crime, is a whiz when it comes to renter-friendly design, especially taking a small space on a limited budget and making it feel like an oasis. So I asked her to share some of her expertise.

Dive into her tips below:

1. Focus on the seven things that actually matter

In my six years as an interior decorator, the thing people struggle with most when making a house a home isn't taste, it's not knowing what to focus on. Decision fatigue is real, especially after hunting for an apartment, so I built the Seven Things Every Home Needs framework to help the Homies focus on the things that matter most when you're trying to inject a space with character, joy, and the kind of stories that make it feel lived in.

The seven things include:

Once you have these 7 things in your space, you can be confident that your home will have a soul.

2. The paint formula can help create an identity

Nobody wants their personality summed up as "landlord gray," so change the paint in your rental ASAP. Go bold. And remember there is no amount of white paint that will make 300 square feet feel like 900 square feet.

To build a color palette for a room, use the 60-30-10 formula: 60% is your dominant color (walls, sofa, rug), 30% is your secondary (ceiling, art, window treatments), and 10% is your accent (lamps, pillows, small decor). It gives the room an identity without the stress.

Want to see it in action? Check out this living room makeover.

3. Invest in great lighting

A great fixture can transform a room, and because they're easy to remove, they're one of the best upgrades for renters.

If you're on a budget, IKEA has solid options, like this pendant lamp. But I love scouting fixtures while traveling. In 2024 I brought back four ceiling lights and a lamp from Copenhagen for $600, shipping included, and it was a major upgrade to my kitchen and living room, plus it's a great story to tell when people come over.

Shopping internationally means budgeting for rewiring, but a good electrician can handle it. For my DMV folks, I trust Milton's Chandeliers, a family-run shop in Maryland, with all my fixtures.

Lock in these three tips and you're on your way to a home that actually feels like yours.

I booked a design consult with Imani when I moved, which is really what helped kick off this entire process. If you want some of her expertise, you should book one too. Book a consultation with Imani.

Now, I may be heading to the Grand Egyptian Museum to finally see this monumental project I've been waiting years to watch open. I may be spending my nights laughing with folks from the community after eating our way through Morocco. But I'm still planning dope shit for you all back in the States.

Here are a couple of things coming up that you need to know about, should get in on, and should be there for:

Supper Club in Richmond, November 10. I've paid the deposit, so mark your calendars. We chose the 10th strategically, because the 11th is Veterans Day. My hope is that some of you will have the day off and can stay in Richmond to explore. It's such a fun town and an easy short holiday for DMV folks.

A holiday cocktail class + unfiltered Q&A, virtual. As we head into the holidays, I'm hosting a combined cocktail class and Q&A where we'll all make a drink, learn a little mixology, and then you can ask me anything, travel, the trips I just hosted, what I'm planning for next year, all of it. More details soon, I'm still locking the date with the mixologist leading our session.

Registration opens soon. One note: Supper Club, the cocktail class, and the virtual Q&A are open to paid subscribers only.