Let's Meet Tiffany Brown-Barino

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!