When it comes to authenticity, Marsai Martin — who first came to our attention when she was cast in the role of Diane Johnson in Black-ish — has it in spades. This isn't something that's for the cameras, nor is it something that's only done when it's time to promote a new project. Rather, it's something that flows from her naturally.
"I just love interior design," she said, enthusiastically, in our exclusive interview. "It's very collaborative, very unique and different. I love talking to people and using my creativity to bring their ideas to life."
Martin is all-too-eager to discuss her new show, Remix My Space, which can be streamed now on discovery+. Martin's show takes the HGTV concept — design old homes for Gen X people who have insane amounts of money from God knows where — and turns it on its head. Martin's clientele is exclusively teenagers, like herself, and as such, there's an authenticity in both the collaboration and the design that's absent from other shows in the home improvement genre.
In the premiere episode, "How Hayley Got Her Groove Back," Hayley is a talented teen who created a project that pairs preschool children with senior citizens. Marsai Martin aims to surprise her with a dream room makeover that modernizes her childhood bedroom and transforms a forgotten loft into her own dance studio.
"When there's space, we're just gonna make it something," she says, excitedly, as she explains her decision to transform Hayley's abandoned loft into a dance studio. "There's always a surprise element to my design skills, and I'll always work with people and their desires to make their dreams come true in their space."
And there's more: all of Martin's clients are change-makers, meaning they're doing something good for their communities. (Case in point: Hayley from the premiere episode.) There's no posturing about wealth, no comments about needing the best of the best of everything, and no mention of that god-forsaken open concept. Rather, Remix My Space is all about giving a deserving teen her flowers, and getting a great look from a popular Hollywood superstar.
But when she's not tending to other people's homes, Martin is retreating to her own. "My room is my sanctuary," she said. "It's the place where I go when I'm trying to figure out what I need to do and what I want to do. I've made it my own, too, with some unique designs. I created a shoe wall — towered with the boxes — simply because it just brings me joy."
And we're certainly here for that.
Remix My Space is available on discovery+ now.