Marsai Martin hit the ground running at the tender age of five when she began acting. She would make her big break after being cast as Diane Johnson in ABC’s sitcom Black-ish, which is now in its final season. With over a decade of experience under her belt in the entertainment industry, the 17-year-old has broken countless records, including becoming the youngest executive producer ever (literally, she is in the Guinness Book of World Records) with her work on the film Little.
In her latest show, she joins forces with Discovery+ to explore her longtime love for interior design in Remix My Space With Marsai Martin. Throughout the show, Martin is tasked with redoing the rooms of teens that have made an impact in their community and beyond. Her design team includes Tiffany Thompson and carpenter Joanie Sprague. The eight-episode show premiered January 15th and is now available to stream exclusively on Discovery+.
AD recently caught up with Martin to talk about her interest in interior design, what design trends she’s seen becoming popular among teens today, and tips she recommends for teens trying to figure out their own design style.
Architectural Digest: How did you come up with the idea for Remix My Space With Marsai Martin?
Marsai Martin: I’ve always loved interior design; it’s been one of my favorite things to do since I was a little kid. So, I partnered up with Discovery+ and 51 Minds entertainment to create this project that is focused on highlighting teens who are making a huge impact in their communities and surprising them with their dream room. With any room, it’s kind of your sanctuary, it’s your safe-haven mode. It’s the place that you stay the most. It is the place to restart yourself, as I like to say. I wanted to make sure that the people who have been making a huge impact in their communities [and the] world are able to have a room that reflects that.
What are some design trends that you think are popular among teens today?
It used to be the LED lights, in the early TikTok days. [Teenagers] would just love to put up LED lights under their bed or around the room. I even still have them, but I turned mine off for a little bit. But I still have them for sure, because I was definitely a part of that trend. I would say shoe shelving is one thing that I see in most kids’ rooms. If you’re anything like me, I love my shoes. And I like to make sure they’re presented in the best way possible, without being all over the place. So, I have this humongous shoe wall that goes throughout the entire wall of my room and so do my best friends. So, I think that is another trend as well.
How did you first get into interior design?
Oh, I feel like I’ve always had an interest in interior design. Ever since I was a little kid. I’ve always tried to design the Thanksgiving table, so it would look nice when everybody would come by for the holidays, and I still do that too, with any holiday. I’ve always been into the idea of designing a room and anything that really deals with creativity. Because I think creativity flows in any way, shape, or form. And I think design is definitely one of the ways creativity takes shape.
Do you have any tips for any other teens on how they can find their own personal design style?
You can make a mood board. I think mood boards are super fun to do, whether you are with your friends, or you have downtime. That’s what I did throughout the entire series. I would go on Pinterest and create different boards or also do actual mood boards where you use cardboard and you stick stuff on it. I think that is one thing that you can do to let your ideas start flowing.
When it came to selecting all the teens to fix up their room, how was it hearing about their backstory and all the amazing things that they’ve done for their community?
Oh, it was so sweet. My parents and I went through all the kids, and getting to hear some of their stories was inspiring. All these teens are just around my age, so seeing how they’re making a big impact in their community is such a blessing, and I’m grateful to be a part of that generation. There were some things I didn’t know about [their work]. So, I actually got to talk to them in person, which was very cool.
A lot of the work that you’re a part of revolves around giving back to your community. How important is it for you to make an impact on your community?
It is super important to me. I think, with us being the generation that we are, I think we all should step up and push for the change that we want. There’s something about my peers. It’s like, we have more resilience, and we use our voice more, and we speak up, and we have so many outlets to do it on, like, social media, or going out there and really just making a force, like breaking the boundaries. I think it’s super important to give back to the community that I grew up in, so I am just so grateful to be able to do that. And to have a seat at the table and be able to really use my voice.
