So, about 2021...
Well if you’re an OG (Kayla Simone) Homie, you already know how 2021 because you saw it all go down! If you’re not already following me on IG though, do me a favor and click right here. I’m tryna see sumn.
But on the real, 2021 was quite an eventful year. I got my first paid collab on Instagram, I grew my following by over 120,000 people (!!!), designed hundreds of homes (at my day job), transformed 7 rooms, and experienced a whole slew of amazing firsts and major milestones. I’ll do my best to give y’all a quick recap of all the best moments!
2021 (Abridged)
7 ROOM TRANSFORMATIONS (!!!)
Yeah. SEVEN. (Plus a bonus, depending on how you count!) If you’re wondering if I slept at all last year, my answer is “I honestly do not know.” So does it really count as sleeping if your dreams consist of drafting brand collaboration emails, planning Instagram stories, and pondering paint colors? Not sure. But let me just say, as exhausting as they were, I loved every single one of those room makeovers.
I’ll save the full details on each for their own blog posts and instead I’ll just give you the highs & lows of each. (pssst! Click the room titles to watch that project’s highlight bubble on my Instagram!)
High: My first full room transformation in our home! The concrete wall was pretty controversial and ended up going viral on TikTok. The video has almost 12 million views! 😳
Low: Have you ever gone viral on TikTok? People can be ruthless hahah.
High: This is the project that really made me feel like this was what I was made to do. I learned to do so many things for the first time, to create an end result that is just as functional ss it is beautiful.
Low: This project took everything I had. Every evening, every weekend, every bit of my free time for an entire month was spent working on this closet. #NoRagrets though.
High: The faux-marble, waterfall workbench—hands down. There’s so much storage and it looks SO pretty!
Low: All these mf snakes (& spiders!) in this mf garage. Oh, and the fact that it’s still not done yet. Lol oops.
High: It’s unique, it’s functional, and it has a pocket door!!! (ifykyk)
Low: Pocking a paint color, for sure. I probably went through 20 different samples and it still isn’t quite right.
High: There’s no greater joy than getting to do what you love, for the people you love. And this project truly was a labor of love. We flipped the entire room in 5 days, over Thanksgiving break nonetheless, and the end result shocked even me.
Low: You read the part where I said I only had 5 days to get it all done right? Not to mention a 12-hour drive both ways.
High: Helllllloooooo, can you say DREAM collab? In 12 hours (with weeks or prior planning of course), I completely made over my living room from top to bottom. Im talking full accent wall, giant diy canvas art, new furniture, lighting swaps—the full HGTV experience.
Low: Having to keep it a secret from all my homies for almost 3 months!
High: As much as I loved the room I created for HGTV…it was a job. I was given a design brief that the client (HGTV + the other sponsors) wanted, and I executed my design to those parameters. It was a beautiful room, but I was really excited to get to switch things up with the second rendition of my living room to make it more my style.
Low: For me, there wasn’t one. For the audience, let’s just say a few people had a really tough time saying goodbye to our dear old friend, Urbane Bronze…
The Other Super Secret Project That No One Knows About…
Yup, that’s right. I had a SECOND super-secret project that hasn’t even premiered on my page yet. Guess you’ll have to stick around to find out the highs & lows of that one!
Goodbye 9-5, hello full-time content creator!
The most nerve-wracking and exciting thing I’ve ever done was leave the comfort and stability of a guaranteed paycheck and bet on myself. I made the official decision to leave my job as a new home designer in mid 2021and spent the last half of the year planning, saving, and prepping to take the leap into turning Kayla Simone Home into a full-time business.
I honestly never even really planned on being my own boss, but in the 4 years since I graduated college, I’ve seen just how disposable employees are to most businesses. Losing my job during The Great Layoff of 2020 (on the same day we were scheduled to select design finishes for our home!) really solidified to me that I needed to create a life that didn’t rely on someone else signing my paychecks. So I put my head down and an entire year and a half fcking GRINDING—basically working 2 jobs, in order to become a full-time content creator.
Along the way, I realized how passionate I was about sharing my designs, my voice, and just my life in general with the world. I’ve always wanted my own TV show, so naturally, my own “show” on Instagram was an easy fit. And by “easy”, I mean it’s all time-consuming, I often have no clue what I’m doing, and some days I question if I’m crazy. But, I freaking love it. They say if you love what you do you’ll never work a day in your life. Just know, “they” are some bold-faced liars. This content creator life is a lot of fun, but believe me, when I say, it is, indeed, work.
The one where She gets engaged
September 3rd, 2021, a year to the day that we closed on our home, Mr. Ira Tré put a ring on it!
It was truly a weekend to remember! He (and all my friends) had me convinced that we were headed to Houston for an “Olympic Celebration Party” at our friend Simone’s house. Low and behold, I was walking into my own engagement party/weekend that Ira had been planning ALL. YEAR. LONG.
And when I tell y’all my man did SUCH a good job. From planning the party, to ordering a giant balloon arch in my favorite colors, to coordinating the dress code (bc I’m all about a cohesive dress code! gotta do it for the gram, ya know.) Not to mention, both of our families flew in and most of our closest friends were able to make it. And anyone that couldn’t, sent in their well wishes and congratulations via video message. It was perfect.
Honestly, the whole thing really just deserves its own blog post so be on the lookout for that, coming soon to a Wedding Wednesday near you!
looking ahead
It wouldn’t be a year in review (albeit it’s about 30 days late) if I didn’t mention what I’m looking forward to in 2022, now would it?
I lowkey should have learned my lesson last year about sharing every single project I “plan” on doing for the year, bc let’s be real, my plans change faster than paint dries. However, I clearly ain’t learned shit, so click here to read about what projects I have in store for Kayla Simone Home this year! Other than my project plans though, I’m looking forward to growing my business, my relationship, and building the life of my dreams. Plus, Ira promised me a new puppy so I’m (not so) patiently waiting on that too.
What do you want to see more of on Kayla Simone Home this year? DIYs? Wedding planning? Lifestyle content? Let me know in the comments below!
Until next time, Homies! ✌🏾