This Creative Allowed Herself Six Months to Transform Her Brooklyn Rental Into a Limewashed Refuge

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When entrepreneur and strategistShanika Hillocksfirst visited a prospective Brooklyn rental in early 2024, set just east of Prospect Park in Little Caribbean, she was certain she’d walked that block before. As though kismet were guiding her forward, it eventually occurred to her that a pair of cousins had grown up just a few doors down.

After years residing on the Upper West Side and in Harlem, with endless commutes crossing the East River to friends and family, Hillocks resolved to find a home in the borough where she spent most of her time. Plus, she’d outgrown her place in Sugar Hill, wanted room to host, and yearned for a place to cultivate community long-term. As with so many apartment searches in New York City, there came a point when things felt desperate—and Hillocks turned to her social network for a hail Mary. An acquaintance tipped her off to an expansive two-bedroom, one she’d be able to make her own, and the rest fell into place.

Little Caribbean is home to what’s considered the largest Caribbean population outside the West Indies; it touches parts of neighborhoods like Prospect Lefferts Gardens and Flatbush. It made Hillocks, raised partly in Florida by her Guyanese and Vincentian grandparents, feel instantly at home. (Not to mention that the owners of her new building are also Guyanese.) “There are a lot of stores that carry things I grew up seeing in my pantry,” Hillocks says affectionately of the area. “Being here for theLabor Day paradewas just incredible. It really felt like this is exactly where I was meant to be.”

Hillocks set herself a deadline of six months to decorate the apartment. For support, she brought in Naïka Andre ofNJA Interiorswith the goal of having the space draped in warmth and texture by the holiday season. Ahead, she shares how she transformed the apartment into a refuge awash in personality, vibrant artwork, eclectic music, and markers of travel and family.

Samantha Weiss-Hills is the managing editor for Domino. She edits and writes home tours and features, and she’s the friend who everyone texts for glassware, sofa, and sheet recommendations. She lives in Brooklyn with her husband, Alex, and their beagle-corgi, Elsa.

Belle is the in-house photographer and associate photo editor for Domino, capturing everything from home tours to gift guides, plus the occasional how-to project. She joined the photo team as an intern in 2018 and was brought on full time in January 2021.

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