I recently had the pleasure of speaking with Kennesha Buycks, author of the forthcoming book, Restoration House: Creating a Space That Gives Life and Connection To All Who Enter and she spoke candidly about God and His restorative power, family, and interior design.

No matter the size or superficial beauty that a home may possess, Buycks believes that without the grace of God and His presence invited into her home, that restoration would not have been possible.

Hi Kennesha, thank you for chatting with Black Girl Nerds today. For those who are not familiar with your interior design journey and your blog, Restoration House Blog, can you tell us a little more about your background and design inspiration?

Absolutely. I grew up raised by a lot of strong women. Especially, my grandmother who was definitely the heart of my upbringing. Even though my grandmother didn’t have a lot growing up, she took pride in the way her house looked. She would save and use a lot of her extra income to decorate her home. I didn’t even realize until probably two years ago that a lot of my sense of home and a lot of my desire to create a space that is comforting and welcoming to others really started with her.

Can you speak about some of the faith-based beliefs that have been helpful in bringing restoration to your home environment that other women and men can learn from?

One of the things that have been the most effective in bringing and fostering spiritual restoration in my life and in our home, has been me being really honest with myself about who I am and whose I am. That journey for me started about 5 or 6 years ago when God started speaking to me about freedom and what freedom actually looks like. I was walking around a shell of a person. I felt like I needed more out of my life. The Holy Spirit began to speak to me about who I really was. He called me. He created me and had given me a purpose, and part of that purpose for me is building a home for myself and others that we can enjoy, and teaching others to do the same.

Your book is a beckoning call for homemakers to invite a restoration and the presence of God into their living spaces. Did you always have this revelation about homemaking?

I thought that when you get married and you have kids, that your family is in some sense perfect. And that your home is supposed to be “perfect”.  My goodness, I’m wiser now. I know that the truth of the matter is — that’s not the case. Making a home beautiful is something that takes time, and just like cultivating a family, precious things take time to build. No. I didn’t always have this sense of home. It’s definitely something that’s developed in me over the past 10 to 12 years.

Do you believe that generational habits and patterns manifest or rebirth themselves in how we exist in our homes and the things that we placed value in within our homes?

Oh my goodness, yes. 100%. Yes. And I think that socially and culturally, what we see today, a lot of representation, not just home, but life in general, especially with social media is this concept or this idea that everything is supposed to be perfect. And for me, my story of a home is anything but that. For me, I think it’s just so much more than a beautiful picture to capture. It is more about the heart of God reflected in your home. My story is anything but perfect. And I talk about some of my family dynamic and upbringing in the book and the effect that it has had on me.

Do you have one or two quick and easy tips that you could share with our readers?

I think speaking specifically to those people who either live in small spaces or who live in temporary, or rental spaces. One of the things that I think is so fun and trendy right now is to add in texture and color. To warm up the space, you can choose a focal wall and add a fun pop of color to add personality.  Although, I don’t really push towards trends. Another way that I like to define a space, especially in small spaces, is by using vintage rugs or contemporary rugs to kind of pull everything together.

This book seems like it’s going to be very effective and a powerful tool for helping others on their interior design journey. When will your book be available for purchase?

The publish date is April 22nd, you can pre-order the book right now on Amazon.