I have been battling stage four colon cancer since April 2014. I was always looking for a creative way to mentally escape from the constant ups and downs of this disease. I tried painting, coloring, gambling, bike riding, etc, but nothing seemed to work. Then when I began my Instagram to show off my thrifted finds, this was when I discovered my perfect outlet. I was able to escape the reality of my world and just talk to people who also loved the hunt for vintage as much as I did. It started off slow but soon The Sweetest Vintage really took over a large part of my life. It is so nice to turn to this online community when I am in need of support mentally, or just need to escape and get lost in all of the beautiful decor and vintage finds of others.

My Style: Romanticized Deco

Inspiration: @KellyWearstler, @GillianBryce, @Rhett.Baruch.Design, @DressMyRoom, @KatieSaro

Favorite Element: I love my office. I have never had one before and I never knew I needed one so bad. It is more of a showcase of all of my pretty brass and other treasures. I sit in it nightly and just admire everything around me. At my old house I had to keep everything in boxes; here they are all on shelves so they can easily be seen and loved.

Biggest Challenge: I struggle regularly with not keeping everything I buy. I have a lot of brass because I love it so much. Items may be originally purchased with the intention to sell, but then it comes into my home and POOF, I find a place for it and decide it needs to live with me for at least a few months. Finding places for small brass decor to keep is easier than my other obsession, coffee tables. I am trying my best to be good but even now I own six vintage coffee tables and only one of them is actually in use. The other five are being stored in random places throughout my home because I just can’t give them up yet.

Biggest Indulgence: There are items on what I like to call my, “thrift hit list.” These are dream pieces that I hope to find and purchase one day. Recently I was able to find two brass Chiavari chairs, a dream decor item that I have been hunting for quite some time. I paid more than I would have preferred, but I have zero regrets because the brass is in near perfect condition and I am just so in love with them both!

Is there something unique about your home or the way you use it? Since our decor is mainly second hand, it is rare for us to have matching anything. For instance, the four side tables in the front blue room are all gold and glass, but they are all completely different styles and sizes.

In our bedroom I struggled to find secondhand matching bedside drawers that I liked, so instead I went with marble plinths. On my husband’s side it is a rougher, travertine marble style and on mine they are terrazzo pink marble.

Finally, what’s your absolute best home secret or decorating advice? Choose pieces that speak to you and that you love. Do not decorate for your friends. The only person who matters is you. I look around my home and every inch of it makes me smile and brings me joy.  My treasures are sprinkled everywhere and each carry a story and a memory for me. Looking around, I can remember the feeling of excitement, that rush you get when you first lay eyes on something you fall in love with. That is how you should feel about purchasing decor. If you do not get that special and joyous feeling, put it back. 

And remember, life is too short to decorate for anyone other than yourself. 

• Photography — Janet Kwan
• Styling — @The_Sweetest_Vintage; @TheKWendyHome; and @TheApartmentLife
• All other items not listed below were all purchased by myself from thrift stores, auctions, estate sales, online thrifting, etc.

• Sven Chair in Pacific Blue — Article
• Cirrus Sofa in Pacific Blue — Article
• Girl Pillows — Hudson’s Bay
• Rug — HomeSense
• Triangle, Half Circle, and Ball pillow — @and.once.we.were
• Brass Lips — Kelly Wearstler

• Salt & Pepper Legs — @TheLamLabel

• Bedding — Hudson’s Bay
• Rug — @shopcasaalma

• Rug — @shopcasaalma
• Pink Desk — @shopcasaalma
• Gold Polka Dot Vase — Kate Spade
• Cloud Mirror tray — @yabadecor
• Large Mirror — @theapartmentlife

Thanks Jaime!

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