20 September 2010

Moonlite Monday Guest: Joi of Nuestra Vida Dulce





Hey guys! I'm Joi from Nuestra Vida Dulce and I am excited to be a part of Chic Modern Vintage's Moonlite Monday. I absolutely love reading, talking, and writing about decor and I consider decorating my home my biggest hobby! While I make my living as a high school teacher, I daydream of the possibilities of spending my time decorating, shopping, and/or working for a fabulous design company or magazine as my main income. A girl can dream, right? : )

I decided to share how I developed my own personal style with you all today. For years I was obsessed with making everything match. If I had dark chocolate wood furniture in one part of a room then the rest of the room's fixtures had to be the same. If I used silver frames in a specific area, then you guessed it...silver frames for the whole room was the obvious answer. I used to be the biggest fan of furniture sets and thought everything was better together if it matched. I bought mass produced "art" that didn't speak to me and I used color schemes that big box stores featured.

Eventually I turned into an avid blog reader and became completely enthralled with decorating and creating. I often wondered why my rooms never looked quite as polished as my numerous inspiration pictures. Then I had an Oprah "Ah Ha!" moment! All of my favorite inspiration pictures included furniture from different time periods, patterns that didn't match perfectly but rather complemented one another, and there were no rules for color! Basically nothing "matched" but everything worked! "So long" blue and brown color scheme, "adiĆ³s" to all one color wood, and "see you later" to Mr. Matchy-Matchy themed rooms!! I'll stop my babbling, let's get to the photos that showcase the evolution of my personal home style!
I started out with my living room looking like this... Photobucket
And as of today, I am thrilled to share that it looks like this...
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My kitchen evolved from this....
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To this....
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And my office went from this...
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To this... Photobucket
It's been a slow progression and one that has involved a lot of trial and error. You see, as two teachers, my husband and I aren't exactly rolling in the dough, so most of the items you see above are thrifted and/or DIY. My friends and family are constantly asking me, "How do you put things together and make your home look like it does?" And my answer..."I only buy things I love and MAKE them work--I throw all other design "rules" out the window!" Eclecticism is the spice of life and it's what makes the layers in our home reflect US. I hope you like what you see and hop on over and join me at Nuestra Vida Dulce and stay for awhile to catch up on "Our Sweet Life."  And, if you have any questions send them my way to: Nuestravidadulce {at} gmail {dot} com

Thanks for reading!

18 comments:

  1. Gorgeous! Love the changes, especially the couch and bold drapes.
    Marie @ Lemondrop ViNtAge

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  2. WOW, I love it..so happy and colourful!!

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  3. Joi, thanks so much for participating. You have truly created a lovely home that reflects your style. I really love the coffee table!

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  4. That's so funny how you used to want everything "matchy." I'm constantly trying to show my clients that sometimes matchy = boring. This is a great illustration of bringing personality to a home.

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  5. This is so fantastic! How fun and vivacious - I'm totally in love with the zig zag curtains in the office, too!

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  6. I am just dying over these before & afters..! I love the eclectic look!

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  7. The kitchen is my favorite of the lovely wake-up calls for the rooms.
    Those mismatched plates are so original and fun.

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  8. Love Joi's home - so inspiring!

    Mandy @ This Girl's Life

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  9. i love the plates on the wall!
    What a wonderful idea.

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  10. This was so interesting! My husband and I also both work in a school and I understand the desire to decorate your home well but for less! You have done an amazing job. I love all the color and fabrics you chose. It looks amazing!

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  11. Thanks everyone! : ) This post was fun!

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  12. Good for you! That's so great to take on such a project(s) and see them through to the last darling detail :) Love the B and W curtains! XO, Kelly

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  13. These rooms look fantastic! Love the grey walls, the plate display, the ceiling medallion wall, the bright yellow chair and the lovely mix of bright patterns for pillows and drapes! :)

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  14. Your place is soo so cute! And totally fits the "chic modern vintage" style.

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  15. I love Joi. Her home & style reflect her personality........chic yet effortless, bold yet grounded, w/ an amazing eye for exquisite details.

    And I 100% agree w/ "I only buy things I love and MAKE them work--I throw all other design "rules" out the window!"

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  16. What a wonderful transformation. Very nice! I really love the sofa in the living room.

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