CARMEN EJOGO/ TOWNSPEOPLE/ ACTRESS
brooklyn chateau
Townspeople
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Actress
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It's no doubt that with her remarkable beauty, charming British accent and easy elegance-each of which imparts an effortless/enviable cool-Carmen Ejogo is as breathtaking in person as she appears on the big screen.
In her latest role, Carmen stars as Coretta Scott King in the Oscar-nominated film SELMA. In an epic movie co-starring David Oyelowo as Martin Luther King, and Oscar winner/SELMA producer Oprah Winfrey, Carmen portrays a Coretta we knew existed but rarely got to see. Scorned by her lover/husband and tortured by the threats against her family, Coretta commits to a nation’s struggle for civil rights while putting her personal needs on hold. Throughout the film, Carmen Ejogo masterfully emotes the resilience and strength of a woman painfully in need of her husband’s attention yet unswerving in her pursuit of justice.
Carmen’s scene-stealing role in 2012’s cult movie SPARKLE as the drug-addicted Sister, is at once vulnerable and sexy. The film co-stars the late Whitney Houston and American Idol winner Jordin Sparks. Not to mention, the film features a few of Carmen’s own vocals. Yes! Ejogo is also a vocalist. And with so many film credits under her belt, including my favorite AWAY WE GO, we can look forward to seeing Carmen in the upcoming film BORN TO BE BLUE. The film stars Ethan Hawke and is based on the life of jazz trumpeter Chet Baker. Carmen Ejogo plays Chet Baker’s love interest, Jane/Elaine. I can’t wait!
As a renowned actress whose star is on the rise, Carmen's other day jobs include: chauffeur, taskmaster and personal assistant to her two children. Next to cherishing the art of acting, Carmen has a passion for home decoration/design. And while her home-life is something she'd rather keep private-rightfully so-I'm fortunate in that Carmen gives Townspeople a rare glimpse into what makes an Ejogo carriage house a home. So before the hustle and bustle of Carmen’s next movie premiere, I caught up with this stunner to discuss her keen eye for design, and the cozy, light-filled space in which she displays it.
Carmen Ejogo
talks Home Decor, Town and Takeaways:
talks Home Decor, Town and Takeaways:
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photo credit Eric Frideen
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Carmen on Home-décor/design:
TP: Have you been on a film set/on location and thought, I need “this” in my home? If so, what was it and on what film?
CE: On the set of Selma, the King family home was impeccably dressed by our amazing set designers. I loved the colors used throughout the house, mostly blues, the film’s overall palette was based on Romare Bearden paintings. I also loved a lot of the replica sixties wallpaper. I would have been happy to have any of the pieces of artwork on the walls, and I was actually given the portrait of me as Coretta that you see in the dining room scene in the movie.
TP: Describe your home’s aesthetic?
CE: My aesthetic is an ever-evolving attempt at warm minimalism! I’m a huge fan of Patricia Urquiola, a genius furniture, and product designer, and her use of color texture and texture against a clean and neutral background is my ideal feel. I also love Abigail Ahern, a British interior designer who plays with really intense wall colors and neons and so I sometimes experiment with stronger hues. My house is in constant decorative flux.
TP: Having grown up in England, how do you incorporate a British aesthetic?
CE: There was a very distinct aesthetic that developed in the UK in the 90’s, very stripped down, improvised, that really stuck, I’m still a sucker for fairy lights in place of real hardwired lighting, for example. I like it when that look butts up against something more traditional. I love the eccentricity of British style that you see in interior design and in fashion too.
TP: What’s your favorite room to relax and read a script and/or veg out with a glass of wine?
TP: How does the style of your 19th Century façade influence the interior?
CE: I live in an 1890’s
Carriage house and I like the fact that the exterior really misdirects the visitor as to what might be inside. It’s a far more contemporary feel once past the front door.
CE: Depends on the space. Had there been beautiful moldings for example, I may have tried to incorporate them into the overall design plan, but a carriage house doesn’t come with so many interior details, so there was carte blanche with this house.
TP: Name three things every amateur home decorator should know before beginning a project?
CE: I think how you manage the following three factors is important:
Light. How much you have to work with. It will impact the mood of a room, how much attention you’ll have to pay to adding artificial light sources and the way that paint colors will read. Flow. A space can look great but if you can’t move through it comfortably, it’ll never feel like home. Everything can be redone! Take chances, they may pay off. Especially on things that aren’t going to break the bank to redo, like paint color ideas.
TP: Do you have a go-to book or website for design tips?
CE: I love Elle Decoration, which is the British version of the publication, and Marie Claire Maison online. But I really prefer to be inspired by art and situations I encounter in real life.
TP: Whether in your Brooklyn carriage house or London flat, what makes a Carmen Ejogo house a home?
CE: My kids.
Carmen’s Beauty Blueprint:
What time of day do you feel most beautiful?
At whatever time of day you find me smiling or better still, laughing out loud.
What's in your make-up bag?
Eye liner, mascara, lip balm, blush and good red and pink lipsticks to go bold on a whim.
Carmen’s Town: Fort Greene Brooklyn, NY
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photo credit Guy Aroch
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Favorite Town Haunts:
Market: Provisions
Sweet treat: Joyce Bakery
Sunday outing: Aita
Carmen’s Townspeople Takeaways:
Shower or bath? Bath
Coffee or tea? Neither
Natural or treated? Both
Loose or fitted? Both
Heels or flats? Heels
Work out or work less? Work out followed by long periods of work less
Finishing Quote:
"If my day were a short story the title would read: Daydream Believer.”
Carmen Ejogo
Interview by Crystal Granderson-Reid
Townspeople ©
Townspeople ©
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