Wallpapered with flyness: She’s adding urban culture to home decor; why this founder is still searching for her tribe in KC

Chicago transplant Keisha Jordan is bringing urban opulence to Kansas City through Complex Flavors Home + Life — just in time for the Kansas City cultural renaissance, she said. 

Complex Flavors is a home decor brand, offering wallpaper lines that celebrate “city girl” energies, Jordan said, noting urban opulence is the fuel that sits at the fusion point of Black American cultural styles and luxury aesthetics. 

“I feel like there’s this boom that’s going to happen in Kansas City where what was this very simple blue collar town, is getting a renaissance or rebirth into something new, which I’m very excited to be a part of and to watch,” said Jordan. 

Urban opulence, she said in a press release, is described as “the essence of sophisticated city living combined with luxurious, artistic elements. This concept blends the dynamic energy and modern aesthetics of urban environments with rich textures, intricate patterns, and a touch of glamor, creating a truly unique and captivating look.”

The Just Pickin It wallpaper design created by Keisha Jordan’s Complex Flavors Home + Life

Jordan is freshly graduated from The Porter House KC (PHKC) — a program led by Dan Smith, Charon Thompson and Miranda Schultz — aiming to amplify and mentor under-resourced entrepreneurial spirits in Kansas City, noting in their Startland News Community Builders to Watch feature, the desire to “build equitable ecosystems and support in the urban core.” 

The Complex Flavors founder is eager to join in — with a luxury twist that she feels isn’t being tapped into. This cultural boom is primed to shine a light on Black-owned businesses, she said.

“I feel like there’s opportunity for design and interior design especially to level up. There are a lot of new restaurants and hotels that are not leaning into urban decor as much,” Jordan said. “To me, it’s always very important to ask: ‘How can I add to the culture?’”

A wallpaper designed by Complex Flavors Home + Life for The Porter House KC; image courtesy of Keisha Jordan, Complex Flavors Home + Life

Complex Flavors’ work in home decor adds to Kansas City’s existing arts communities like a puzzle, said Smith. 

After completing coursework as part of PHKC’s Cohort 5 — the most recent graduating class — Jordan was given the opportunity to create a custom wallpaper that will sit in the non-profit’s 811 Retail Incubator space on 31st Street.

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In the design, Jordan weaves together imagery of Kansas City locations dear to the heart of the trio of PHKC leaders, such as Arnold Park where Schultz grew up playing basketball; Lincoln High School where Thompson graduated; and Bishop Hogan High School where Smith graduated, he said. 

“We were all born and raised in the city and it’s exciting to see our past, the things that were important to us being highlighted,” Smith said. “It took time and she walked us through the process of how she designed, and we had to come up with places that resonated with us. It was a very cool experience and we’re definitely happy with the results,” Smith said. 

“[Jordan] is doing some really creative things that we haven’t seen locally [yet],” he said, noting the design will be installed soon.

A bamboo-inspired wallpaper created by Keisha Jordan’s Complex Flavors Home + Life

A different type of Midwest

For Jordan, interweaving flyness and luxury is the new language Kansas Citians need to hear, she said. Her new line, Intrinsic Flyness, incorporates the feelings behind the many sounds of a Chicago cityscape, with iconic imagery from Black experience. 

“I’ve always been a sponge,” she said. “My surroundings, my conversations, my moments with people… I’m always looking for inspiration and everything is definitely intentional. I’m all about telling stories.”

Intrinsic Flyness’ most popular design, the Bamboo Pairs, is the repeated image of bamboo hoop earrings, she said, noting that the “rhythm and grace” that nods to old-school hip hop aesthetics with a softness. 

“This one is a real deep dive into the African-American experience and our culture but it’s very nuanced and different,” she said, noting she picks colors and creates patterns to stimulate mental wellness. “They just kind of stimulate ideas and calmness. And again, we kind of need that balance, especially when you’re in the hustle and bustle in the city, you kind of need that time to zone out and relax.”

The brash energy and steel of Kansas City’s West Bottoms remind her of the smells and sounds from Chicago, which in turn reflects in her art. 

“That’s one of the reasons I’ve picked the West Bottoms, and even some of the Crossroads is a very bold kind of art scene — industrial, the steel and the rust and all of that,” Jordan said. “All of those colors, senses, from those two worlds colliding with what I’ve experienced in Chicago is what came into my urban opulence theme. There’s something special … a grandeur, cool and edgy, and unique.”

“Chicago is a different type of Midwest, it’s a big city,”Jordan added. “You see a lot of concrete, you hear the different towns, people on the corner playing music, asking for change, rallying, you hear the trains roaring across the sky … ”

 

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Finding the culture

Since her arrival in Kansas four years ago, Jordan is still learning and locating her people, she said, noting that in the home decor space, people of color are few and far between.

“I’m having a hard time finding people like myself or people of color that are navigating, learning, or succeeding in this industry too,” Jordan said. “I kind of always feel alone, trying to figure things out on my own.”

Being a small business owner means wearing many different hats, and fighting to be heard, she said. 

“That’s been the main challenge,” she noted. “Having to stick up for myself, and having to advocate for myself. Also as far as grants and stuff like that … In a small business, you’re just a team of one.”

“There’s room for change and I think the city is ready for change,” Jordan added. “But again, just trying to find that community, I might have to just build my own table if push comes to shove, which I don’t have a problem with sourcing that.”

Organizations like The Porter House KC give Jordan hope for what is to come, but she noted it will take time for the community and culture to coalesce and become what she’s looking for.  

Sports and music bring people together in Kansas City, but Jordan finds a distance that she’s still trying to parse, she said. Everything feels separate until the Chiefs win, she laughed. 

“Finding your tribe” takes combating loneliness with patience and consistency, Smith added.

“There’s not a fast track,” he added. “There’s subspaces in our community that are really dope, and sometimes they’re hard to find, but that’s the cool thing about it. What [Jordan] is doing with Complex Flavors is interjecting herself into these spaces as an additional piece of the puzzle, and that is phenomenal.” 

Her thesis statement — to transform a space into innovative art — is an opportunity to invite others to empowerment, and inspiration, Jordan said, noting that wallpaper designs are just the beginning.

“I do enjoy it because to me it’s more than just paper on the wall, it’s art, and that’s how I treat my wallpaper. It is definitely art that transforms your face, your mood, your vibe, your individuality and everything,” she added. 

By placing her environment, energy, and experience into the design, Complex Flavors is primed to make customers feel free to be confident in who they are, or discover who they want to become, she said. 

“Art doesn’t have to be something that’s just hanging on the wall. It can be bigger than that,” Jordan said.