“Boomerang” has its writers’ offices in Universal City, but Ben Cory Jones considers his downtown Los Angeles home office his primary space. While he filled it with practical necessities such as a whiteboard and 1960s-style desk to force him to work, he also decked it out with a number of design touches, such as a gallery wall filled with mirrors and photos of icons including James Baldwin, Janelle Monae and Langston Hughes, to spark creativity.

Remembering Artists’ Roots

1920s Harlem is a source of inspiration for Jones, who keeps a manual typewriter behind his desk to evoke an earlier era. “We’re having somewhat of a black renaissance,” he says. “I feel like we’re in a heyday of content of people of color, and I’m really proud to be a part of that, but I like to think that what we’re doing is not dissimilar to what...