India and Tep’s Staten Island Home is Rooted in Culture
Photographs by Shatima Monaé Photography
Staten Island isn’t the first borough people mention when they think about Black cultural design in New York. But for India and James “Tep” Imhotep, it’s the place where years of love, movement, and making finally landed—where a layered life of family, travel, and heritage has found a home.
The 1915 Victorian they share with their two sons stands tall, quietly holding two decades worth of stories. “We’ve lived in every borough except the Bronx,” India says. “This house, though, this one felt like the right place to stay.” They moved in during the summer of 2004, just before welcoming their youngest son, Jelani.
What began as a well-renovated single-family home, passed down by a Black firefighter, has since evolved through their hands. Walls have been removed, bookshelves built, mantles reimagined, and stories added one room at a time. “We’ve created something that feels like us—warm, vibrant, personal. Afro-bohemian-biophilic-eclectic, if I had to give it a name.”
The design here is about more than aesthetics. It’s a love story with roots in a 1988 calculus class at The City College of New York. A union shaped by shared museum trips, surprise bouquets at work, walks along the Brooklyn Heights Promenade. A marriage celebrated with custom wedding fans at Akwaaba Mansion in Bed-Stuy. And a family home filled with photographs by India’s father, memories from Dance Africa, and furniture repurposed with care.
Design as Daily Ritual
India and Tep’s home doesn’t follow a formula. Each space reflects a layer of their story, a fusion of cultural memory, emotional resonance, and functionality. In the dining room, pink walls wrap the space in warmth. “I wanted it to feel like a French parlor,” India says. “Something sexy, something feminine.” She chose a soft, dusty blush paint and paired it with gold accessories and a standout juju hat sourced from Dance Africa. The seating area, a built-in banquette made from flipped IKEA shelves, adds a cozy, lounge-like feel. “People sit there and don’t want to leave.”
The living room offers contrast, cooler tones, softer energy. Painted in a rich shade of blue inspired by their 25th wedding anniversary trip to The Mansion at Noble Lane, the room is designed for relaxing and reflecting. “I couldn’t remember the exact color from the dining room at the inn,” India explains. “But I remembered how it made me feel.”
The fireplace, once a simple white mantle, now anchors the space. Over time, Tep added tile, built-in bookshelves, and a gel fuel insert. “It’s sculptural now—one of those pieces that’s evolved with us.” Tep’s favorite spot is by the bay window, where he can sit beside the altar and enjoy the morning light and gallery wall.
Upstairs, the bathroom is the home’s quiet retreat. Painted a deep indigo and filled with plants, soft textures, and vintage touches, it balances mood and calm. A faux-wood slat feature wall in the nook adds interest, and an electric fireplace, once used in their bedroom, now sits recessed behind tile. “I had the vision, and Tep made it real. That’s our rhythm.”
Legacy in the Layers
Every piece in the home holds meaning. In the dining room, a framed photo shows India’s father holding a fan from their wedding—a custom favor embellished with flowers and signed by guests. “He was a photographer and videographer. We lost him in 2020, but his work is still all around us. It keeps him with us.”
A dancer photo he captured hangs in the living room gallery wall. Other standout pieces include a sculpture gifted by their niece from Cartagena, a joyful Buddha from Martha’s Vineyard (a place they visit yearly), and a cross purchased during an anniversary trip to Puerto Rico. “We collect things that reflect joy, spirit, and where we’ve been together.”
Cultural references run deep throughout the space. Juju hats, Chiwaras, and masks from Dance Africa and the African Street Festival appear throughout the home. “Those places are important to us, not just for the decor, but for the energy. For connecting with other Black creatives and collectors. It’s about honoring where we come from.”
A Reflection of Life & Love
Every corner of the home reflects intention and identity. “I think the color palette is what ties everything together,” India says. “Each room has its own mood, but they all feel like us—warm, layered, soulful.”
Her favorite space is the dining room. “The pink, the chandelier, the light—it’s me.” Tep favors the living room, especially the bay window. “It’s quiet there, and I can take it all in.”
Together, they’ve shaped this house into a space that reflects not just a shared design aesthetic, but a shared life. It's where their sons grew up, where anniversaries have been marked, holidays celebrated, and ordinary days made meaningful.
“What I love most,” India says, “is that it feels safe. It’s where we get to just be—and be together.”
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