00:00If my house was a pop culture icon, I would love to say that it would be Frida Kahlo.
00:06One of the things that she embraced was color, and I think that we see that represented really
00:10well throughout the space here.
00:14Hi I'm Wendy Justine and this is Cashew.
00:16Welcome to our sweet digs.
00:18Quick fact, did you know that we're located on the oldest street in New Orleans?
00:22Come on in.
00:24I pay $2,500 a month for this three bedroom, one and a half bathroom house.
00:28I would describe my neighborhood as an eclectic kind of vibe.
00:32Bayou Road is one of the oldest streets in the city of New Orleans, and this particular
00:36area actually used to be an indigenous trade portage.
00:39Before Hurricane Katrina, this was an area that was heavily dominated by African Americans
00:44and people of color, and after Hurricane Katrina, we've seen a lot of people being pushed out
00:48of their homes.
00:49And the thing that I love the most about this neighborhood now is that you're seeing a resurgence
00:53of black home ownership and also with businesses as well.
00:56I would describe the style of this house as colorfully classic.
01:00This is a beautiful traditional New Orleans style house, and so we have a lot of beautiful
01:05transom windows and details to the fireplaces and crown molding throughout the house as
01:10well.
01:11And so we've really just kind of played into that and just punched up the color as a way
01:15to really brighten and liven it up.
01:18So this is the first bedroom that's located just off of the front door.
01:22It's a really beautiful and bright space.
01:24I love to sit here and cozy up with a nice book.
01:27I'm a consultant and I work here in New Orleans, Louisiana, and I split my time between Los Angeles
01:32as well.
01:33I also work as a yoga instructor and wellness instructor.
01:37I think one of the aspects of my life that most influences my home is travel.
01:42I love to be able to pick up things whenever I'm traveling around, just to have reminders
01:46of the places I've gone, the people I've met, and the experiences I've had while abroad.
01:51This bag down here, this super colorful bag, it's actually a hand-knitted bag.
01:56It's a mochila from Colombia.
01:57And I spent about nine months there teaching in Santa Marta, Colombia.
02:02This is actually a piece that I got when I was traveling in India.
02:05I did my yoga certification in Goa, and so this is one of the sound bowls that we use.
02:11Sound is thought to be a really healing modality for therapies, and so using sound to help elevate
02:16and also cleanse and clear a space is also really good.
02:20This is actually a really special piece for me.
02:22My maternal grandmother, Doris, was known for her love of elephants.
02:26She had a collection that amassed to over about 300 elephants.
02:30And so when she passed away, this was something that I kept with me just as a keepsake and
02:35something to keep her close by.
02:39So past the first bedroom, we walk into this spacious living room area.
02:44One of the most expensive things I have in the home is probably artwork.
02:48So this house is a collaboration between my family and myself.
02:52My cousins own the property, but I live here and manage the property as well.
02:56You'll see a lot of artwork throughout the space here, and that's part of the private collection
03:00coming from the McKenna Museums.
03:02This is an untitled piece by an unknown artist, but I really just kind of vibe with this woman
03:08here.
03:08I feel like at the end of the day, this is how I'm feeling.
03:11My cousins own the McKenna Museums, and they started it maybe about 15 to 20 years ago.
03:16And the McKenna Museums is just a private collection of artwork and also artifacts.
03:21We share the history of New Orleans' free people of color, and it's a really important and
03:25untold story, especially here in the city of New Orleans.
03:28So not just knowing and learning the story of enslavement, but learning how black people
03:33were able to build this city, to obtain wealth in this area, and the contributions that they've
03:37had to the city as well.
03:40Over here, we have these French doors that actually lead out to a nice patio area.
03:46So I love having this outdoor space as an extension of the home.
03:49It's a really great place to have friends and family come out and enjoy themselves here,
03:54and really enjoy the outdoor space.
03:56Because I spend my time between Los Angeles and New Orleans, when I'm not here, I list
04:01the property on Airbnb.
04:02I think it's a great way to supplement my income.
04:06So this is the kitchen area, and one of the things that you're going to notice the most
04:11here is the color.
04:12I'm really big into color therapy.
04:14I love to be able to embrace color.
04:16I love to wear a lot of color, and I like to be surrounded by it.
04:18And I think it just creates a really cozy and comfortable environment.
04:22The countertops are original to the property.
04:26We just decided to play into the color, and really bring the green in here to allow the
04:30blue countertops to be able to pop.
04:32And I was actually inspired by this light fixture that we have here.
04:35It's a Tiffany-inspired light, and so we've got these different colors of the reds, the
04:40blues, and greens in here.
04:41And so we thought it would be a good way to create a dynamic space by just using paint,
04:46rather than having to bring a bunch of extra stuff in.
04:50So welcome to my bedroom.
04:52This is the second bedroom in the house.
04:54I love to keep fresh flowers in this space.
04:57We have this beautiful clear quartz and also rose quartz just to help promote that unconditional
05:02love with the heart chakra candle, providing that beautiful rose and Palo Santo scent.
05:07If you walk through this door here, this will take you to our full bath.
05:11The bathroom is actually original to the house.
05:13We've brought this beautiful blue color coming in and playing in from the kitchen again.
05:17It also matches the tile in here, but there's this beautiful clawfoot tub that I love to
05:22take a good bath.
05:22I love a good soak.
05:24In my next home or in my dream home, one thing that I would absolutely love to have is an
05:29additional full bathroom, especially because I have so many friends and family coming to
05:33visit.
05:34That way we can all move and groove throughout the house without having to bump into each
05:38other.
05:41And this brings us to the last room in the house, which is the third bedroom, and I love
05:46the soft green color.
05:48We've got the floor still painted the green in here, but this has a nice twin trundle
05:52bed.
05:53So there's two beds in here.
05:54So this is great for when my niece and nephews can come to visit.
05:58I really like it because it's nice and quiet and secluded in the back of the house.
06:02So you can have your own little oasis back here.
06:05This is an heirloom piece that was gifted to me by my mama, my paternal grandmother.
06:10And when I was looking for stuff to furnish my home, she was gracious enough to lend me
06:16this piece to have in my space.
06:17So I'm so happy to have it here.
06:19It has a lot of sentimental value.
06:22For me, home is a feeling that you get.
06:25So it doesn't necessarily have to be exactly your place of where you lay your head.
06:29I think home can be wherever you are as long as you're centered and feeling safe and secure
06:35with who you are and where you're at in the moment.
06:37I feel like it's important to be able to come into this space and to really set down
06:41my roots here.
06:42I'm from New Orleans.
06:43I love being here.
06:44I love the rich culture and the history here.
06:47And so I think it's great for black people to be able to claim ownership in the space
06:51where they were able to grow up and to be able to share that with other people as well.
06:56Thank you guys so much for joining me and checking out my sweet digs.
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