Happy Black History Month!

Regardless if you’ve met me personally or professionally I make it known quite often that I have a love affair with all things BLACK. At this point, I’ve had clients tell me frankly they looked forward to the moment during a consultation that I mention the famed word. A hue I associate with a richness of depth that is beyond our conception. Representative of both my own ancestry and my go to physical representative, BLACK is my foundation, from where everything is built.

With that being said, I don’t think it’d be a stretch to see why these 28 days in late winter always feel like a moment to speak. A moment, just maybe that my voice can be heard. A moment in time that my perception, experiences, hopes, and dreams are appreciated without desire to conform, a moment to just be.

My two biggest influences in my design career is my sincere appreciation of artistry clearly evident in every nook in cranny of a historic home and pride in the relationship my heritage has had, not only to its creation but also survival specifically of the early American variety. It is my aim that through my work the later will have a positive influence on the former as well as make equitable opportunities in restoration.

Like many parts of history, there are enormous holes in what we know. There was an obvious lapse in recorded anything, but there were also concerted efforts to not include parts. It is the mission of BlackHouse Seven that these missing holes begin being filled through the expansion of education, the sharing of experiences.

“THAT IS WHAT MAKES THESE HOMES VALUABLE… THEY ARE STICKS AND BRICKS, AN INANIMATE OBJECT …. THEIR VALUE IS FINITE UNTIL YOU CONSIDER THE SOULS THAT HAVE PASSED THROUGH IT, IN WHATEVER CAPACITY...”
- Laine Berry

I’ll be the first to admit that I don’t know it all. I have always been transparent in my desire to continually grow in knowledge and expertise. BlackHouse Seven represents boldly walking into the unknown in the pursuit of the stories held within the physical spaces of the past before us. The acknowledgement and appreciation for every soul a part of its story. It is my hope that through this next season I will uncover far more than I could have ever imagined, and grow an educated, thoughtful community that is committed those same aims. I am so excited to share this season of growth with you!

”IT IS IN THE DARKNESS THAT OUR STORY BEGAN, BUT IT IS IN THE LIGHT OF THE MORNING THAT THEIR LEGACY HAS FOUND IT”

- Reagan Leslie