How Interior Designer Shavonda Gardner Created Her Unabashedly Bold Bungalow

Military barracks may be the last place you’d look for creative inspiration, but for Shavonda Gardner, they sparked an interest in interior design that would burgeon into a lifelong passion and career. Growing up with two parents in the army, Gardner lived a peripatetic life all over the U.S. with a stint in Germany. “Because of that, I got this early sense of how to create a space that feels like you, that feels comfortable, quickly—basically, how to create a home wherever you are,” says Gardner. Moving around also exposed her to new ways of living: “It was really cool to get an idea of how different people live, and what home means to them.”    

After graduating high school, Gardner followed in her parents’ footsteps and joined the Air Force. Confronted with the beige cinderblock walls of her dorm, she looked for ways to inject personality into the space. “When you’re in the military, you’re in a uniform,” she says. “You’re supposed to walk, talk, think, and do everything like your fellow service member. When I came home and took off my uniform, I wanted [my room] to feel like me.” For a young Gardner, that meant hanging up string lights and customizing with bed-in-a-bag sets.

Gardner would later invest in this interest, using the G.I. Bill to fund a degree in design after her initial enlistment. The 2008 recession forced her into the relatively stable world of property management, but she soon discovered blogging as the creative outlet she craved. At the same time, the design blog community sorely needed her voice. “I did not see anyone who looked like me as a Black, out, queer person,” she says. “None of it was a representation of me, my culture, my community. I was like, you got to be what it is you want to see.”     

Fast forward, and Gardner has amassed a robust following through her blog and social media accounts. Since 2014, readers have watched Gardner, her wife, and their two children downsize from a 2,400-square-foot tract home in Sacramento to a 1,200-square-foot bungalow with two bedrooms and one bathroom. A steady drumbeat of renovations and room makeovers have transformed what was once dreary into an unapologetically bold and eclectic home that reflects the whole family. We spoke with Gardner about how it all happened—and what she learned along the way.  

Your family lived in the previous home for three years and had planned to grow into it. What led to the decision to downsize?

My friend Dana, who had this amazing blog called House Tweaking, had downsized into this midcentury ranch, and watching her journey with her young kids—who were around the same age as mine—was so inspiring. I also had a local friend who lived in another small ranch, and I remember going to her house just felt so wonderful, like walking through the doors felt like a hug. And growing up, my grandparents had this little, humble home my entire life, and they raised kids, grandkids there. 

I started to take stock of the resources we were using and how much energy it was taking to power and heat and cool this house where we weren’t using all of it. There would be a whole room where I would have to think about, “How are we going to furnish this?” We realized we were only using about 1,200 square feet of our 2,400-square-foot house: kitchen, our bedrooms, bathroom, living room. 

I wanted an old house—something that had character that we could really build upon. I was just like, “Honey, this is not us. This isn’t our life.” That’s really what sparked it. And when we found this house, it was literally like the ugliest house on the street. It definitely needed a lot of work and vision to be able to see its beauty and what it could become.

How did you decide what to prioritize in terms of the vision?

I always recommend that people live in their homes first. You have to experience the home to know what you need from it. You have to know, like, “This is a dining room, but I kind of feel like we don’t need it as a dining room. Maybe we want it as a bar or a library space.”

So we lived in the home for a couple of years before we started doing any major work because we really wanted to make sure that we were making thoughtful, intentional changes and upgrades.

What have been some of the most impactful changes?

After almost eight years, we finally did a complete gut renovation of the kitchen, and it has been a game-changer. We took out some windows and opened up the doorway. We got rid of our dining room altogether, so now we have a kitchen/dining combo that works super well for the way we live. It feels like if you took a rustic French cottage, and it met up with a quirky English cottage, and they went on vacation to Southern Louisiana. There’s burgundy and marigold and floral wallpaper, the copper pots and the rustic table, but there’s also Black art on the walls. 

Another impactful change has been our bathroom renovation. We only have one that we all share, so it was really important for us to do a very well thought out bathroom that we could all use and not kill each other.

But I would say more than either of those, it would have to be the evolution of our backyard. Because the interior of our house is so small, it’s been wonderful to have an outdoor space that’s an extension of our indoor living. I built a generous garden, which has been my dream; I grew up in the garden with my grandmother, and being able to grow my own food was really important. We have a large deck with seating for 15 people at the dining table, my office studio, a pool, a small flock of chickens. Friends make fun of us and say we live on a compound, so if it comes to end of days, people are coming to our house. 

How would you describe your style?

My style is very moody, eclectic. I’m always going to lean into deep, rich colors like blacks, deep chocolate brown, burgundy, marigold. I want a lot of impact in a space. I like to mix styles, and that comes from the fact that I’ve lived in a lot of places and love to travel. I love pieces that have a story or tell a history.

I like to encourage people to really go for it. I get messages from people that are like, “I love your black living room. I wanted a black living room, but my mom and all my friends told me I shouldn’t do it.” And I’m like, “Girl, it is your fucking house. These people are not living there.” I know it sounds easy to say, but once we start designing our spaces for other people, that’s when we start to feel uncomfortable in our own homes.

What are some moments in your home that bring you joy and feel authentic to you?

I love the purple botanical wallpaper that I put in my laundry room. I took it all the way up to the ceiling. Our laundry room was such a small, utilitarian space, but you walk in there and you see this color and pattern—it just gives you so much energy.

I’m currently obsessed with our primary bedroom remodel. It is the deepest, most beautiful chocolate brown, and you want to just lick the walls.

I got these hear no evil, see no evil, speak no evil monkeys I found at an antique shop. They’re huge, and they’re so unique. People are like, “If you ever sell them…” and I’m like, “They will be buried with me when I die.” They’re just such an interesting moment on the bookcase in the living room.

How do you keep things affordable? How do you decide when to save, and when to splurge?

I am a high-low person. IKEA is one of my favorite places. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been there in the past week because we’ve been building our bedroom closet wardrobes using Pax. 

I always say, splurge on the thing that will have the biggest impact in the space, whether it be visually or it’s just something that you love. You absolutely love it, and you know you’re gonna love it every time you see it. But save in other areas.

Paint is always huge. If you want an inexpensive way to completely transform the space, start with paint. It’s instant. Lighting is another one of my favorite ways to add impact to a space. It’s a functional feature, but it can also be art.

When you put it all together, it also creates a space that feels like it’s evolved over time. You have to curate it, and mix and match, and that’s what creates the most dynamic and beautiful spaces. 

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