The Regal Suite
Photos by Curt Saunders
Entrepreneurship was instilled in Makini Regal Martin at an early age. Growing up, her father owned a convenience store in East New York, and most of her friends today are also business owners.
“It’s always felt normal, accepted and celebrated,” she says. In 2011 the Trinidad-born, Brownsville-raised creator started her own floral, event and interior design company, Makini Regal Designs, curating unique, beautiful spaces for weddings and other special events. But the business took a backseat in 2017, when Makini and her husband welcomed their daughter, and she determined that being a stay-at-home mom was the best decision for her family. She took on fewer events and the occasional side hustle creating content for brands, focusing on her now 3-year-old child...until about six months ago.
“During COVID I started yearning for a creative outlet,” says Makini, 39. “And I thought about outside-the-box ways to have that again.” That thinking quickly led to the Bed-Stuy brownstone she and her husband own, with five units that they’d been using for Airbnb rentals.
Self-described as “very girly,” Makini got to work converting one particular unit on the top floor into her dream space. Just a few months after the idea struck, she opened it as the Regal Suite: an all-pink-everything content creation studio.
Bold and intentional down to the tiniest details, the monochromatic room is the perfect backdrop for shooting social media content, brand campaigns, maternity and bridal shoots, and music videos. Since Makini opened its doors in late March, the space has stayed booked and busy.
“Niche, unique spaces like this are typically not in our community.”
Why the all-pink theme for Regal Suite? “Because it's my absolute favorite color,” Makini exclaims. “It symbolizes happiness, playfulness and femininity. After such a stressful year with COVID, I wanted to create a little sanctuary to make people feel good.” But the space avoids wading into cloying or saccharine territory.
With Makini’s sophisticated eye for texture, tone and lines, the Regal Suite has a calming feel that makes it versatile for different types of productions, from kids’ birthday shoots to professional brand campaigns to just taking fresh photos with bomb lighting for the ‘gram.
“Having it in Brooklyn, and particularly in Bed-Stuy, was also important,” says Makini, who had previously gone as far as Connecticut to shoot content for brands.
“Niche, unique spaces like this are typically not in our community. So I wanted something local.” Much like Makini herself, the Regal Suite is Brooklyn to the bone. Housed in her family’s 110-year-old brownstone, the room pops with historic architectural detail: tin ceiling, original fretwork and molding, a fireplace mantel elaborately carved with fierce lionesses.
“I love that all the things that are supposed to be in the home are still here, but with a fresh, modern take,” Makini says. The irresistible blend of old and new has drawn social media influencers and brands including Häagen-Dazs, Blue Diamond and Brooklinen. While the space is booked through June, you, too, can reserve spots for July and August.
“When I put my energy into designing the space, I wanted it to feel magical and inviting,” says Makini, who, in a burst of inspiration, executed her vision for Regal Suite within a couple of weeks.
“I was very intentional with the exact pieces that I chose to put in it, so people could have little nooks throughout the room to shoot with.” Whimsical features include a sculptural velvet sofa framed with a dramatic pink plant treatment; a gold bar cart topped with bottles of rosé; and a pink neon sign over the fireplace, declaring “You’re like really pretty,” which never fails to elicit smiles and selfies.
The all-pink studio is doing so well that Makini is already working on a sister space across the hall. Opening next month, the new suite will boast a different color palette: mint green. And who knows what may come after that for the Bed-Stuy brownstone — a lavender room? An orange room? Cerulean? Makini is certainly thinking about it!
“I call this project a COVID pivot,” she says. “It wasn't something I had planned on doing, but with more time on my hands and being indoors so much, the pandemic kind of pushed me into a more creative space. So if the new mint green space goes as well as the pink suite, I think it would be a no-brainer for me to consider another part of the house and see how that goes.
The Regal Suite (Address available upon booking)
