Chaletmomma is Life and Design smaller image to make sure it doesn't get cut off..JPG

May 25, 2022

Let's Meet Tiffany Brown-Barino

May 25, 2022/ Meryl

Tiffany Brown-Barino is an Interior Decorator, Content Creator and Blogger behind My Eclectic Nest.

Tiffany welcome to the Chalet! I know you’re married, the mother of 3 plus one fur baby and a transplant to New Jersey from New York tell us where you grow up. Yes, I’m a native New Yorker my husband Michael and I both grew up in the always cool but not currently trendy Williamsburg section of Brooklyn NY. My dad, mom, sister and I lived together with my first fur baby, our Persian cat Fluffy (aka my little brother from another mother lol).

Tiffany and Michael with 2 of their 3 children

My next question of course is - What was your space like when you were growing up? Did you have a hand in its look? Growing up I shared a bedroom with my sister until I was 12 years old, she moved out (we are 10 years apart) and from then on the room was my oasis. My sister was a bit sloppier than I and it would drive me nuts. Once she left my mom and I promptly redecorated the space to better reflect my personality. We had hardwood floors but at that age I lacked appreciation for them and my mom allowed me to lay down peel and stick black and white floor tile. I had the coolest room in the entire neighborhood. I had my dream canopy bed and I hand painted a vintage desk and matching hutch given to me by my grandmother. I loved bright jewel tone colors and that is what I used to accent the room. All of my friends wanted me to help them decorate their bedrooms haha.

I’m sure they did… your passion for Interior Decorating starting early.

I can tell you this with regards to my sharing my bedroom - to this day I remember the outfit I wore to school the day my sister moved out - it was a turquoise corduroy skirt with a matching sweater vest, white bell sleeve blouse and rust booties. It was cuter than it sounds but I was just so excited about having my own space I dressed up for the occasion.

Tiffany I shared a bedroom with my older sister for the first 10 years of my life - I absolutely appreciate the level of excitement knowing it’s all yours! LOL

Tiffany please tell us what you studied in college. I went to The High School of Fashion Industries and then on to Fashion Institute of Technology for two years. Later in life I went back to school to become a certified Paralegal and most recently took a leap of faith and decided to try my hand in a completely different industry - Finance - I’m a Finance Administrator and loving every bit of using the left side of my brain.

Kitchen dining area - most recent One Room Challenge space in fall 2021

Did your Blog come first or was it Instagram and how did you come up with your fun account name? Instagram came first and it came about because we moved out to NJ and I wanted to document the entire decor process. Once I started reading blogs I figured I should give it a try as well. I love having these outlets at my disposal because I’m sure my family and friends are no longer interested in my pillows and rugs. My name is quite literally me - I love so many different styles of decor I would never want to box myself into one design category so My Eclectic Nest was born from that thought.

Would you say you knew your style before your current home – or has it evolved over the course of being in this home? It has absolutely evolved over time and I can feel it shifting lately. I think people are constantly changing and growing and with that - what you want you home to look like and how you want it to feel is also changing along with you.

My design philosophy is to always have fun with your decor/design process. It’s your home to do what you like, whether it's on trend or not. YOU live there and you and your family need to enjoy that space in the way you see fit.

Share what your favorite space in your home is and why. My favorite space is our main bedroom right now. I was very intentional with the latest design and it is very relaxing and calming, while also being somewhat glam-ish.

I know you’re always re-imagining spaces in your home, how many One Room Challenges, New Year New Room Challenges and similar group design events you’ve participated in? I have participated in six One Room Challenges, two New Year New Room Challenges and one Bathroom Primp and Proper (that was actually my first group design project).

Also I see you were a panelist with other creatives in April for The Beautiful Home, Beautiful Life Summit – can you share how you got involved with the event? Yes, I love discovering new to me creatives and then sharing them with my instabuddies. I really enjoy the blog hops or IG feed hops, it’s such a great way to find new inspiration. Beautiful Home, Beautiful Life Summit was such a joy to participate in. Tasha reached out to me and I was beyond flattered and so excited about being a part of the Summit this Spring.

Can you tell us how has Social Media impacted your brand? It has impacted it in a huge way. I get to work with so many amazing companies due to being seen on social media. As well as being able to work with other content creators I probably would not have due to social media and the brand partnerships. I think my brand being what it is - fun and eclectic - is much more defined due to some of the collaborations I’ve had as well.

Because of Social Media you’ve been featured on Apartment Therapy. What type of response did you receive from each feature? Apartment Therapy was definitely on my decor bucket list and it was blast having them feature myself and my family. I can get lost on that site for hours. They have so many amazing and beautiful homes that I peruse through as well as tips and advice on how to make the most of the home you have. I must say most of the responses were positive, the few that were not, weren’t a big deal. My feelings are still intact!

**Space featured in the 6/3/21 Apartment Therapy article: 101 Ways to Add Color to Your Home**

Would you like to share any plans you have for the rest of 2022 with the readers? Your To Do List? I really don’t have a To Do list per say, but I would like to spice up our family room a bit. Nothing big, just a few things I’d like to switch around. The family room is my second favorite room in our home - all the fun happens here so I’m always looking to change things in there. It never really ends and I don’t want it to either lol!

Tiffany one last question - I love how you use black and white to ground your spaces. It lends such a cohesiveness to your home. When did this manifest itself? What was the a-ha moment when you decided on this? That manifested itself when I was a teenager. In my bedroom I had classic black and white flooring and bedding. I love how colors pop against the combination of black and white; it is always the perfect backdrop.

**Lunching with (left to right) Regine, Aileen and Tiffany last fall at the Alternate Ending Beer Co.**

I always say how much I love Instagram and this is why… getting the chance to meet up with such lovely humans. Here I am with Régine Labossière, Aileen Grodzinsky and Tiffany at Alternate Ending Beer Co.

Tiffany thank you so very much for saying yes, when I asked if I could interview you!

You can find Tiffany on her Blog, Instagram and her Website.

Til next time friends be well!

Images: Tiffany Brown-Barino

April 20, 2022

Let's Meet Lauren M. Precker

April 20, 2022/ Meryl

Hello friends I am so happy to introduce the sweet and talented Lauren M. Precker to you all. Lauren is the creative behind the brand Lola & Pickett

I discovered Lauren through my friend Michele C. Strauts of Crafting Culture and I immediately went to Lauren’s shop and bought some her pretty clam and oyster shells. I’ve hung them on cabinet knobs instead of tassels and love the different element they infuse.

Lauren welcome to the Chalet can you tell us a bit about yourself? Hi Meryl thank you - we recently moved from Alexandria, VA to Richmond, VA and are deep in the throws of house hunting. My husband, Stephen, and I are getting ready to celebrate 10 years of marriage. We have our spunky one and half year-old French Bulldog/Boston Terrier mix, Oliver and our daughter Lily was born in October.

Please tell us about your business – when it started – where to find it and what you sell. My Etsy shop is Lola & Pickett named after our first Frenchie, Lola, and the street we used to live on. I sell a combination of painted and decoupaged oyster and clam shell items - such as ornaments and trinket dishes. In addition, I also sell seasonal décor items. Items that are painted and decoupaged - like pumpkins and Easter eggs.

This whole venture started back in the fall of 2020. Like many people, I was laid off due to the pandemic and was feeling a little lost and burnt out. I decided to take advantage of my severance package and take some time to recharge before jumping back into the corporate world. However, I am not someone who can just sit around day after day, so I decided to spruce up our fall decorations with some painted pumpkins.

I thought the final product turned out cute and maybe other blue & white fans might like them, so I put them up on Facebook Marketplace on a whim not thinking anyone would want them. Boy, was I wrong! I had people ordering them as fast as I could make them and even asking for custom color combinations.

We had a beach vacation in Cape Charles, VA booked just as pumpkin season was winding down. I have always loved to beach comb and collect shells and while I was walking along the beach one day, I was looking at the oyster shells that were all over the place and thought that I could make my own version of the oyster shell ornaments I had seen in some of the shops in town and as they say, the rest is history!

My husband is from Long Island, NY and my mother-in-law still lives there and is an avid beach goer. During the height of COVID when there weren’t a lot of safe outdoor spaces, the beach was her go-to escape. Collecting shells for me to decorate became a family affair as most of the large clam and oyster shells come from her walks along the beaches of South and West Hampton. My friends are also invested as they are always on the lookout for good shells while on vacation.

Lauren have you always been creative? I have always considered myself to be crafty. I loved coloring and painting growing up and like to make things for our home when it comes to seasonal décor. I got my bachelor’s degree in Interior Design and worked for a few years after college in residential and hospitality design firms.

Are you someone who decorated your bedroom often? I LOVED redecorating my room as a kid! I would even help my friends organize and rearrange their rooms during sleepovers. I still can’t help myself from organizing and styling bookshelves when I go to my parent’s house. I taught my mother Elaine the Marie Kondo method of getting rid of things if they don’t bring you joy and now, she is out there telling her friends to let go and thank your old items before giving them away!

Do you share a creative passion with someone in your family? My maternal grandmother Elizabeth was very artistic. She drew and did oil paintings. When my mother and uncles were younger, she would enter all kinds of contests to create jingles or art for various companies and would win! My mother said they always had new bikes from her contest winnings. If she had lived in a different era, I think she would have been in a corner office at a big advertising firm on Madison Avenue.

While my cousins got their musical talents from her and my grandfather – (they met while playing in a band for German immigrants) – I got the crafty gene which we bonded over. My grandparents bought one of those giant doll house kits where you built it from the ground up and by the time they finally finished, my older cousins who they had originally built it for had aged out of playing with dolls, so they gave it to me. She and I spent an entire summer picking out wallpaper for the various rooms and making all kinds of dollhouse sized food out of clay.

During the summer they also volunteered at their local “Dump” which was basically a big warehouse at the local dump where you could get rid of household items, furniture, and clothes. Since she was the one sorting through everything, she always put aside the “good stuff” like old prom dresses for my dress-up bucket. I am pretty sure I got my love for junk stores from her as well.

Where did you grow up? My family is originally from Massachusetts with many of my relatives still living throughout New England. My parents Elaine and Dennis and I moved to Williamsburg, VA right before I turned twelve. They still live in the house we moved to; which is within walking distance of Colonial Williamsburg. If you are ever walking down Duke of Gloucester Street and hear someone yelling at a little dog named Max, that would be them.

I am an only child and so is my husband which can sometimes make for challenging situations as we are both so used to getting our own way ha! After being together for almost fifteen years I *think* we are getting pretty good at understanding when to let the other one win.

Where and What you went to school for. I got my bachelor’s degree in interior design from Marymount University in Arlington, VA. I went to small catholic schools my entire life and instantly felt at home there. It is a great school; where you can get the best of Washington, D.C. with the benefits of having a real campus. I made lifelong friends during my four years there. We are actually getting together for our first real girls’ weekend since the pandemic at the end of April. Wish my husband luck. It will be his first nights alone with the baby lol.

I worked in high-end residential and hospitality design for a couple of years after graduating when the recession happened, and the hospitality design industry was hit hard. I took that as my sign to go back to school and I got my master’s degree in strategic public relations from The George Washington University. Since then, I have worked with various non-profits in the D.C. area as a social media and communications manager.

We had our daughter Lily in October and three weeks before she was born my husband was offered a new job down here in Richmond, so within a matter of couple of months we had a baby, moved, and sold our house! She just started daycare, which she loves, and I am back at work full-time doing social media. With her in “school” I have an hour before I log-in for my 9-5 and a full hour at lunch to work on Lola & Pickett inventory. It’s amazing how much I can get done in that small amount of time without having a baby in the house.

So what are your plans for the rest of 2022? Plans for 2022 include finding a house! We are in a temporary apartment right now while we try and find a permanent home. While the housing market isn’t as crazy as it is in places like D.C., we are still up against some tough competition. I can’t wait until we have more than 1,000 square feet of living space.

For Lola & Pickett, I would love to keep on growing my following and slowly expand into new products (hello napkin rings!) and patterns. When you buy from a small maker like me, there is so much love that goes into every part of the production process. I can’t explain the thrill I get every time I see that notice from Etsy or Facebook that I have a sale. It still shocks me that anyone wants something I have made. I want to share a discount code with your readers: CHALET10 for 10% off their total purchase before shipping with NO item restrictions. This Code has no expiration date.

Lauren thank you so much for saying Yes when I asked - you are a super busy lady. Thank you for the offering the discount code - CHALET10 - I know as a small business your margins are tight. My readers can use this code toward a little something for themselves or for a Mother’s Day gift. I wish you continued success with Lola & Pickett!

You can find Lauren on Instagram & Website.

Til next time friends be well!

Images: Lauren M. Precker

March 30, 2022

Let's Meet Mathew Allegretta

March 30, 2022/ Meryl

This month’s interview is the ever-busy multifaceted Mathew Allegretta. We met through the lovely world of Instagram.

Mathew I’m thrilled you said yes when I asked - Tell the readers a bit about yourself!

Hi I’m Mathew Allegretta I live in Madison, NJ with my pup Piper. I come from a very large and loud Italian family. We celebrate every little occasion with food and themes and laughter. My cousins are as close as siblings and Aunts like mothers. Growing up with this tight knit group makes "home" that much more important. It is a place to gather and have togetherness with the most important people. We always say how lucky we are to be so close to each other.

Mathew this is one of the loveliest description of family I’ve ever heard!

the cabinet is a favorite facebook market find

Let’s chat about your love of vintage! My love for things comes from my Grandmother. I love how she cherishes items as memories to make stories of her past come to life. The sentiment behind things doesn't have to mean clutter. That being said though...We also LOVE a good deal. Thrift shops, garage sales, and of course Marshalls, TJMaxx, and Home Goods are frequent weekend activities. When complimented on something we can't just say "Thanks" we have to include where its from and the deal we got. For Example - "I love that shirt" Reply - "$6.99 Target" HAHAHA

I find most creatives regardless if they are in the world of interiors or not designed or helped with the spaces of their youth - did you? My mother was pretty involved in my childhood bedroom which was kinda incredible looking back. 90s Sponge wall treatment in a terracotta color with a western cowboy border! I loved LOVED horses growing up so I was thrilled. Once I got into middle school/high school I would constantly rearrange and change my room. I had NO style back then. Lime Green walls were a thing for a while. Maybe we should change the subject HA!!! I feel as though I just recently found my "Style”
I was not the most popular kid growing up. I was chubby, outspoken, and beat to a very original drum. It wasn't the easiest to have a wandering creative mind so young in life but I believe those years are mostly meant to build our "now."

How long you’ve been in your home and what is your favorite space? I‘ve been in my apartment for a little over 4 years! When I first got this new place I rushed to fill it. A year later...I HATED everything. I went too fast and didn't think of the big picture. I was ready to redo and now I love this place because I found my style here. I discovered the layers that make my home mine. I met challenges for space and design head on and conquered them. I've learned more about myself in these small spaces. My favorite space in my apartment... impossible to say. All the spaces kind of flow into each other being that it's so small. If I have to say... I think it would be my landing. Its a room that all the other rooms branch off of. It feels like the heart of my apartment. And it is full of some of my favorite secondhand finds.

Can you share with the readers a bit about your design philosophy is and how it’s evolved. I think of every room like a story. I find the main idea/purpose. What am I doing in this space, what is it for. From there I find one special piece (it can be anything - a pillow, a rug, art) that will be the "narrator" for the story. From that piece I will draw color and elements that pair back. The story just evolves and evolves, most the time naturally, to become a fully bound book. Something I believe in the most is...if you love it, it will work in your room. Surround yourself with things you love. In finding those pieces...its all about time. Home takes time. A room is not bought from a catalog or a vignette at a store. Its collected. Its found. Its you.

Where did you attend school and what did you study? Please tell us about the journey to your career. I went to Rowan University for Fine Art. I studied graphic design, printmaking, and photography. I had a Minor in Advertising and spent a ton of time in the Musical Theatre/Music Department. The summer before my Senior year I had an internship with Anthropologie which completely derailed my life plans. I fell in love with working in display and design. Before graduation I was offered a full-time position creating In-Store and Window Displays for Anthro. I moved up through the company assisting in the Rockefeller Center Holiday Windows, as well as heading to their Home Office where I prototyped company wide In-Store displays. Although I loved my work...it was time to move to something different. I started working for a mom and pop Antique, vintage, and artisanal home decor store in Summit, NJ called GreatHouse (@greathousenj) where I became the visual manager of all merchandising and display. Through the store I would offer interior design services and travel to client homes giving them a full start to end experience. That was until a random Thursday morning when I got an email from the CEO and founder of Boll & Branch asking me to help them with their pop up location in the Mall at Short Hills. After some freelance work with them I was recruited to be their Visual Merchandising Manager and oversaw the visual elements of the retail stores and physical presence of the brand. After opening a few stores around the country for them I was ready for something different within the company. I am now the Sr. Prop Stylist and design, prop, and set up all of our brand photography. This new adventure encompasses all my past jobs in one fulfilling career. During this whole career journey I also started my own business of finding and selling Antique and vintage home decor.

AND on top of that during the pandemic my friend and I started our own theatre company call RoundTable Theater Co. where I am the Visual Director. Woof. That’s alot. haha!

Your shop Matt Made Market is Vintage. Antique. Unique and it’s located at The Summit Antique Center 511 Morris Ave, Summit, NJ and I’ve been there! After overbuying for my very small apartment...I needed an outlet to get rid of the wonderful things that I have fallen out of love with. BOOM! Vintage booth. I've been in the Summit Antique Center for a year and a half. Bringing people a little piece of my style in an affordable, sustainable way.

Have you seen thrifting and selling change over the last few years? I do feel that thrifting and antiquing is making a HUGE comeback. For a while you would swipe through Instagram and see the same home over and over again all brought you by the newest collection at Target. There was no originality and people lost their individual design voice.

“Home takes time. A room is not bought from a catalog or a vignette at a store. Its collected. Its found. Its you. ”

— Mathew Allegretta

The never-ending treasure hunt for unique items is becoming more and more appealing as much for setting people apart...and bringing something thumb stopping to their scrolls. For me personally...I love things...and my wallet and small apartment couldn't handle the intake. Sustainable and affordable design is so important to how I approach my style and home.

You mentioned you and a friend started a theater company. How long has singing been a passion? All the way back to Sing-A-Long-Songs I knew I loved to be in the spotlight. (On stage that is - not so much in the real world) I’m like Tinkerbell and I need applause to live. I found my biggest passion in years of theatre camps, conservatories, countless productions and musicals. Nothing brings me more joy than belting out my favorite songs. The shower and the car are my usual spots but, every once in a while I get to set foot on a stage and let it all out. I’m the Visual Director of my own theatre company RoundTable Theater Co. where I get to be involved on stage and off creating productions to share with our community.

I found this image of you with these amazing Jellyfish you created! I was blown away Mathew. These were for my sister in laws Under the Sea Theme Bridal Shower. I was trying to keep it sophisticated and whimsical. The jellyfish are made of hand dyed shear fabric that I stitched and hand coiled. The heads are paper lanterns I cut in half. The perfect shape and structure!

Jellyfish Mathew created for his sister in laws bridal shower

How has Social Media specifically IG impacted you? Let it be known..I have a love/hate relationship with Instagram. There are too many pressures that come with sharing your life. Its a choice, yes, but its vulnerable and raw too often. Too many judging eyes and harsh words. On the flip side of that... I've met and connected with so many incredible people through this app. I have friends across the world that I have more of a connection with than my neighbor down the street. And not only surface level likes and comments. I have flourishing relationships with true friends thanks to sharing a silly image of my living room - and I don't take that for granted in the slightest.

As you know Meryl I was recently hacked and had to start all over again. This was some of the most difficult and most incredible times I've had on Instagram. I worked so hard to build a community through my account and in a blink it was all gone. In starting fresh with @matt_made_home I really saw the true beautiful colors of the connections I’ve made here. Regaining more than half my followers in 3 days. The army of people in support of me and my content brought actual tears to my eyes. Making social media actually social... and that’s really special.

Any plans for 2022 you’d like to share? This year I have a bunch of projects I'm excited to finish and start a few new ones too. A home office redo, bathroom updates, TV console makeover, lots more in the que. I’ve also been house hunting. AHHHH!!! Wouldn’t that be amazing or what! But mostly I want to continue to inspire the community with secondhand and sustainable design. To share thrift trips, hauls, and tips. Building a stronger group of like minded individuals to have a safe and inspiring place to share and settle.

Thank you so much for letting me share with you and your readers. Mathew you are seriously the busiest man I know - Thank you so very much for taking the time to pop by the the Chalet!

Follow Mathew on Instagram:

Til next time friends be well!