This is my hobby.

Diana’s Coastal Chic Home in Hypoluxo, FL

I have incredible admiration for people who can look at a space and, in their mind, knock down walls, lay down floors, paint walls, and see a clear vision for its transformation.

I do not have this skill.

When Vince and I were house hunting, I got the major ick walking into some spaces.

If a place is dated, dark, ugly or — God forbid — smelly, I have a hard time seeing past that to the grand possibilities.

That takes a special skill, and homeowner and interior designer Diana Pierre-Louis has it.

She purchased her home in Hypoluxo, Florida with a vision to transform it into a quietly coastal haven for her family.

When you watch her home tour, you’ll hear all about her design choices, DIY tips, and bargain finds, but what you won’t hear about is what first sparked her interest in home design.

Diana grew up in her father’s carpet shop. She remembers being five years old and playing hide-and-go-seek with her cousins between the carpet rolls in the warehouse.

She observed her father work with interior designers, and realized at a young age what most kids probably don’t notice — there are lots of choices for what goes on a floor.

As she got older, she’d spend her summers helping in the shop and deepening her love for design.

As an adult, Diana always styled her interiors with intention, but she didn’t pursue it professionally until the age of 40 — during the COVID-19 pandemic, with two kids and a husband.

She was able to tell her father that she graduated from her program before he passed away, an accomplishment they could proudly share.

Diana’s kitchen when she and her husband first purchased the house.

Diana’s kitchen post transformation.

I’m amazed by the before and after photos of Diana’s home — seeing the transformation and her incredible talent.

But what felt even more amazing was learning more about her, and understanding that her bond with her family is at the root of who she is as a designer.

That family bond is what cultivated her interests, which developed into a passion.

Now, Diana is creating a beautiful home for her own children, carrying forward her father’s legacy.

When you walk through her home, you see beautiful finishes, creative DIY projects, and a designer’s eye for detail.

But underneath all of that is something even more enduring: a daughter’s love and a father’s influence.

And it all started in a carpet shop.

A photo of Diana and her father at her wedding is displayed on a kitchen shelf.

This cabinet had to be repaired and repainted after one of her boys rode his skateboard into the side, creating a large hole. Diana often repaints pieces to give them new life.

The bar area is Diana’s husband’s pride and joy. The couple repurposed kitchen cabinets to create this space.

The turf and tile was also a DIY project, and the fence covering was ordered on Amazon.

This sign in Diana’s living room reminds her of the dreams she’s accomplished, and of the importance of continuing to dream.

>> Watch Diana’s full home tour on YouTube.

The Making of Styled in South Florida: Lessons Learned

After dreaming and scheming for many months, it’s surreal to finally share Styled in South Florida Home Tours (SISF) with you.

I knew this project would involve lots of trial and error, which is uncomfortable for me at times, because I want to make everything I touch perfect.

I’ve been a communications professional for a long time, and I’ve collaborated on many video projects, but I’m no videographer.

Every SISF episode is shot on my iphone, and I’ve discovered more to tweak in my process with each tour.

So far, each host has been beyond gracious, talented, and lovely — but Diana Pierre-Louis, the host and designer featured in episode one, could not have been a more perfect first tour.

Aside from her fantastic sense of style — a relaxed yet elevated coastal vibe, unfussy yet chic — her presence, ease in front of the camera, and DIY genius made for perfect home tour content.

This should come as no surprise because she’s a marketing professional in addition to being a design guru.

I’m dying for her to have me back to show more of her space, not only because you’ll love to see it, but also because I have a more polished process.

Things I’ve learned so far:

–Mic placement makes a huge difference in quality. The audio in my pilot episode taught me this.

–I’d rather have the host sit alone for the interview portion. While Diana and I had a great conversation, I realized the strongest edit keeps the spotlight on the homeowner and their story. Making the host front and center became the priority for future episodes.

–Bring a printed checklist to each tour — there are tons of different shots to remember to get, and I’ve forgotten ones I didn’t think I could.

I know I’ll continue learning and refining as I go. Thank you for coming along with me on this journey, and accepting this project for each imperfection and inspiration it offers.

The first episode is being viewed far more times than I anticipated within the first two days — I am grateful.

Thank you for being here at the beginning. Stay tuned for more.

xoxo

Vanessa

Introducing Styled in South Florida Home Tours

Having this platform to express my creativity through writing sparked a desire for me to create something new.

In the chaos of modern living, I’ve found the most peace and self-care in my hobbies of thrifting, decorating, and admiring home design content.

So, I decided to create Styled in South Florida Home Tours, a YouTube series inspired by the same elements that drive the This is My Hobby blog – documenting style, spaces, and the personality behind creative, inspiring home design.

So far, I’ve filmed a five episode season, which I’ll launch this Sunday, June 7th — Eeee! I can’t believe it!

Each episode opens the doors to one of my stylish South Florida neighbors, who leads the viewer through the thoughtfully curated spaces in their house, highlighting design choices, style hacks, and sourcing details.

This is wholesome, feel-good, inspirational content for your screen.

An easy 15-minute watch on a Sunday morning with a cup of coffee and your favorite home design magazine.

A look inside that cute house you pass on your evening walk and wonder about.

I hope you’ll subscribe to the channel and tune in!

Styled in South Florida Home Tours: Season 1 Dates

June 7 – Tour a Colorful Coastal Home in Hypoluxo, Florida
June 14 – Inside a Collected Lake Worth Beach Home Full of Creativity and Charm
June 21 – Inside a Stylish Lantana, Florida Apartment Filled with Thrifted Finds
June 28 – Inside a Stunning South Florida Pool Cabana Designed by a Professional Organizer
July 5 – Tour a Pink Lilly Pulitzer-Inspired Home in West Palm Beach, Florida

Here on the blog, I’ll share behind-the-scenes content on each episode weekly, including images of the spaces and more about the home owners.

I hope you’ll subscribe, watch, and enjoy! Thank you for allowing me to share this with you.

xoxo Vanessa

Last week’s thrifted ‘fits:

I wore a romper sourced from City Girl Consignment for my first birthday celebration with my bestie.

We went to The Modern Rose in Delray Beach for breakfast – delish and the owner came over with a slice of cake and a rose – so special! Afterward we went on a thrift shopping spree.

Tank, pants and sunnies all sourced from Goodwill for continued birthday celebrations with the family.

Vince planned a thrift tour for me – isn’t this amazing?!

But first, brunch! I got a birthday serenade with cinnamon rolls at Berry Fresh Cafe.

I layered this Goodwill top over a maxi dress also sourced from Goodwill

Love throwing on this super comfy maxi from Goodwill WPB

Make it Beautiful

Making every day moments feel beautiful brings me a lot of joy, and it’s no wonder because science is proving the mental health benefits of aesthetics.

During my day job, I’ve become familiar with the concept of neuroaesthetics — the neuroscience of beauty.

This research shows that when people view something they find beautiful, reward pathways are activated in the brain.

Memorial Day weekend poolside spread with my thrifted bamboo tray and snack plates from TJ Maxx.

Meaning the beauty you witness makes you feel good and prompts you to continue seeking out that feeling.

The science is backing up something kinda obvious when you think about Martha Stewart’s decades-long success.

So, making every day, small moments in your life beautiful is something worth doing — it makes you feel good in a brain nourishing way.

We’ll eat outside a ton this summer now that we have our fan on the lanai.

Saturday’s al fresco meal with thrifted bowls and a centerpiece from Trader Joe’s.

This weekend, I decided to make a visit with our cousin beautiful by bringing out a few collected items to enhance a simple snack spread.

Candle holders and blue dessert plates from Goodwill, Vintage floral plate from The Cozy Cottage in Lake Worth Beach, Gorgeous table runner handmade from Stone Button Studio in Northwood, Pink serving platter thrifted and gifted from my MIL

I can’t get over these napkins from The Cozy Cottage in Lake Worth Beach.

I loved pulling it together, which was a brain reward, but then our cousin noticed the beauty and the effort to create the moment, which brought its own reward.

Double. Doozie.

Slowing down enough to make small moments beautiful has big benefits — and brings a lot of joy, in my (and also science’s) humble opinion.

Baby girl worn out from her entertaining duties

We visited our Airbnb with new thrifted decor pieces over the weekend, and I think the place is looking a lot better.

>> Visit my previous post to see how the space looked before.

First stop – pick up the truck from Home Depot

One of the bedrooms with the trunk thrifted from Goodwill for added storage and a wall hanging I’ve had for years from Stone Button Studio in Northwood.

We found the new couch on Facebook Marketplace, and it brightens and airs out the space. We’ve been told we need to reconfigure the placement and swap the chair and couch. We also need to move the rug further under the furniture (and potentially add a new rug?).

My mom thrifted this table from Goodwill and it was in our guest room for a while. Now it’s a sturdy side table and I’ve added a basket to hold the remotes and some new artwork from Goodwill.

I’d love to replace the coffee table — keeping my eyes peeled in the shops! I found all the couch pillows at Goodwill.

I’d also like a few new lamps for all the rooms in the house.

This little bedroom table had an ugly canvas basket on the bottom shelf so I replaced it with a thrifted basket. We’ll continue to make incremental updates as I source things.

Last week’s thrifted ‘fits:

Tank top, pants, and tote from Goodwill West Palm Beach

That New Build Charm

Our cookie cutter 2020 home has all the amenities of modern living — a garage, a laundry room, and ample closet space.

All things we didn’t have in our first home, which was full of historic charm but had little convenience.

When we chose to leave our first family home, I was initially devastated to sacrifice the charm, but quickly grew accustomed to not having roof leaks, rats in the attic (a horrific chapter of my life), roots growing through old pipes, etc. etc. etc.

New build homes have their own version of charm — the charm of a lifestyle devoid of constant home repair.

At least, not major ones. *raps knuckles against forhead*

As new build home owners, we quickly learned of the term “builder grade” and its true meaning when the appliances that came with the house started falling apart, along with the cabinets.

So, we’ve found ourselves in a state of constant cabinet repair. Which is not as big of a deal as rats in the attic, so it’s okay.

This last repair round, we decided to finally add knobs to our cabinets!

I have no explanation for why we didn’t have knobs for six years. This is a safe space, I know you’d never dream of judging me.

For someone who cares deeply about design and aesthetics, I was oddly pretty hands off with the knob choosing. Vince wanted knobs that could be delivered next-day, which limited our options, so I picked out of a set of Amazon links he provided and I think they look great!

While we were at it, we installed a fan on the lanai (fancy word for porch) and added shelves to the boys’ room due to our increasing number of house plants that need surfaces to live on.

I shall not provide photos of the boys’ room — you’re welcome.

The knobs might be six years late, but they’re an example of how incremental tweaks over time make a house a home.

While I still miss the charm and character of our first home, I certainly do not miss squeaks that echo in the night or the scrabble of taloned paws overhead.

For now, I’ll happily take my builder grade cabinets, Amazon knobs, and structurally sound roof, and I’ll layer the charm on with my thrifted wares.

Speaking of thrifted wares, I finally styled some of my finds around the house last weekend:

I found the small pressed flower art on top at Goodwill recently; I’ve had the butterfly pressed flower art for several years and found it at American Thrift in West Palm Beach

I purchased this crocheted garland from The Cozy Cottage in Lake Worth Beach and layered it over a garland purchased at World Market in our loft.

I hung this sconce from The Cozy Cottage in Lake Worth Beach in our entryway and placed beach treasures on it.

Everything in my entryway is thrifted – the antique chair, pillow, table, and lamp

These shells and sea fan remind me of beach days in the Bahamas.

Another sconce from The Cozy Cottage in Lake Worth Beach, now holding more beach treasures and resting underneath a gorgeous needlepoint piece I found at a garage sale in West Palm Beach

Last Week’s Thrifted ‘Fits

Dress secondhand from a friend, sunglasses from Goodwill West Palm Beach

Top from Goodwill Denver, Tote from Goodwill West Palm Beach

The Thrifted Party Idea that Stole the Show

The crowd faves at my daughter’s birthday party were Goodwill finds.

As you might have gathered by now, my baby girl is a princess. She wasn’t really given a choice – my husband had it decided long before she was born.

The moment she arrived he stuck a bow on her head – perfectly coordinated with her outfit, of course.

As she grew and became more aware, she leaned right into the princess role with ease and it was reflected in her clothes, accessories, and attitude.

She dresses the part as often as possible and has drawers stuffed full of princess dresses – some passed down from her older cousin, but most found during my thrifting trips to Goodwill.

Elaine’s birthday party wasn’t princess themed, but of course we knew she’d want to wear one of her dresses for the occasion.

We rented out The Schoolhouse Children’s Museum for the party and invited all her preschool classmates.

I decided to bring our collection of thrifted princess gowns, tiaras, and a vase of little wands (also found at Goodwill) so other girlies could be princesses too if they wanted.

We found this gorgeous Belle dress at Goodwill in West Palm Beach

As the kids arrived, before exploring the museum (which is a dream, by the way, Palm Beach County parents — run to take your kiddos if you haven’t been!), they immediately beelined straight to the rack of princess dresses.

It was a blast to watch how much joy this brought to the party — and it was such a simple add-on.

I thrifted the vase of wands and the basket holding the tiaras – don’t tell Elaine I gave most of the wands away to her friends!

When it came time to sing the happy birthday song, in true princess fashion, Elaine interrupted the festivities to announce to the room that she did not want anyone taking the wands home and they all needed to end up back in the vase. lol.

That’s our girl!

Last week’s thrifted ‘fits:

Bag and sunnies from two different Goodwill stores in West Palm Beach; Chintz necklace by Sarah Bray Bermuda

Dress from Poshmark, Kate Spade bag from Goodwill Palm Beach Gardens

Shirt made from a vintage tablecloth; found at the Rust Market in Lake Park; Elaine’s little skort is from Goodwill West Palm Beach

Shirt from Goodwill West Palm Beach, Jeans from Goodwill Boca Raton

Dress and belt from Goodwill West Palm Beach

A Very Vibey Guest Bedroom

I re-styled my guest room and in a word it’s giving: vibes.

My mom stays in this room several months out of the year, so she has collected most of these pieces.

I don’t know where this came from — is it Gen Z terminology? My algorithm? — but now I just say, “vibes” in response to most things.

I say it so often that Vince asked me to stop.

Rude.

Sadly for Vince, this verbal tick is here to stay and now a core part of my personality *shrug*.

So, as I was saying — the room is v, v vibey and (naturally) full of thrifted finds. Here’s how it’s laid out:

My mom lives in this room several months out of the year, and there’s only one small closet, so coming up with storage solutions for her stuff has been tricky.

She found this gorgeous dresser at The Cozy Cottage in Lake Worth Beach last month which has been a total game changer. It’s just missing a handle on the top drawer, so she’s on the hunt!

My mom was worried this piece would crowd the space, but placing it against the wall near the head of the bed has actually made the room feel less crowded to me.

We have more than 60 house plants at this point, so we’re in a phase of coming up with creative ways to place them and make sure they’re getting enough light.

This little macrame hanging shelf does the trick in this room.

I love styling with books and stack them everywhere, much like our house plants. Mom’s old yearbooks and a few others are leaning against the chair in the corner here.

Mom found this chair and pillow at separate thrift shops. The chair previously lived at The Breakers Palm Beach.

Baskets are utilized as clothing hampers and extra storage.

The artwork was gifted to my mom from our neighbor in Columbia, Missouri. We have lots of this artist’s pieces throughout our home.

The tassel pillow is from a local thrift market and the crochet throw is from The Cozy Cottage in Lake Worth Beach.

My mom almost got rid of this little dresser because she thought it would be too heavy in the space across from the other larger dresser she found.

I convinced her to keep it for more storage (it now holds her purses) and also because I’m obsessed with it. The stud detailing and color is perfection — we found this piece at Quantum House Thrift in Jupiter.

The basket tray keeps tabletop items tidy and is sourced from Goodwill, the mirror is from Stone Button Studio in Northwood, and the matching pair of lamps is from The Nearly New Thrift Shop in West Palm Beach. They originally came with old fashioned lampshades so I replaced them with these modern gray ones I found at Home Goods years ago.

My favorite thing in this room is the macrame hat organizer I gifted to my mom for her birthday last year. It’s so practical but also feels like art.

I love the use of trays to organize surfaces. Mom found this tray at a local garage sale and I styled various thrifted and gifted items inside. The gorgeous shell box next to it is from Stone Button Studio.

This room is the only one in the house with so much gray. I tend to stay away from “millennial gray” but the cool tones in this room feel refreshing rather than bland.

Let me know if you want to come visit, the room is ready for ya. 😉

In other news, I wore a $15.99 Goodwill gown to a Gala over the weekend and truly felt like a million bucks.

My super comfy shoes are also from Goodwill.

I fear this is the type of dress you can only wear once, which kills me because it’s perfection.

I forgot to snag a photo of the back — it’s sheer!!

The only good full length photo I got of the dress. Here we are with our handsome cousins!

I found this gown a few weeks ago while shopping with my mom and remember telling her, “When am I ever going to wear something like this?!” I debated over it and decided the price was too good not to take it.

Who would have thought a last minute gala would plop onto my calendar?!

Goodwill comes through in all life’s moments, friends. Have I turned you into a thrifter yet??

Last week’s thrfited ‘fits:

Dress and Bag from Goodwill West Palm Beach

An Airbnb Refresh

Vince and I purchased our first home in 2017 — a tiny, historic Spanish Mission style house with a cottage behind it.

We had our two boys and lived on top of each other but absolutely loved that little house.

Vince used the Florida room as his office, we knocked out a closet to put in a stackable washer and dryer (a lot of old FL homes don’t have laundry hookups indoor or in the main house), and I filled each space with thrifted finds.

So many sweet memories in our first home as a family.

Had so much fun styling and sharing with my friends.

Love, love, love this piece and will never get rid of it.

The hardest thing about living in this house was that our headboard was right against the boys’ bathroom, so they were constantly waking us up!

I had a blast making style choices for the boys’ room.

Was obsessed with this bird chandelier we ordered on Etsy but had to eventually dismantle because of our cats.

We filled the cottage with thrifted finds.

We moved to our current home just as the pandemic started — it couldn’t have been better timing. I can’t imagine us weathering lock down and virtual learning on top of each other in that small space.

Our new house is much bigger, but it’s a cookie cutter new build, so we sacrificed the historic charm of our first house for modern comforts as our family grew.

It was fun and special to watch our new house being built.

We did keep our first place, though, and now rent out both the main house and cottage.

With my hectic schedule, I hardly drive by the house and haven’t been inside in over a year, maybe longer. With all the amazing thrift finds I’ve come across recently and left behind, Vince asked me to consider snagging some and saving them for an airbnb decor revamp.

The current styling of the airbnb is much more modern, neutral and less eclectic than my house — it needs to appeal to broader tastes — so my challenge is finding ways to update decor that fit within as specific palate.

I went out over the weekend and came away with some starting points:

At Goodwill, I found four matching pillows to brighten up the couch, a basket that can be used on the kitchen counter or maybe living room coffee table, some artwork for the kitchen, and a woven trunk.

I’m thinking the woven trunk would be good to double as a table and extra storage in the secondary bedroom of the main house.

We are in desperate need of a new couch (maybe leather this time around?), so I’ll be visiting the Nearly New Shop in West Palm Beach weekly to see if I can find the perfect piece.

What do you think? I’m open to all suggestions for sprucing up the place. I’ll share styling details here as I go!

Last week’s thrifted ‘fits:

Shirt thrifted and passed on from a friend, Madewell jeans (my fave) from a Goodwill Boutique in Boca

Passion Baby Turns Four

My baby girl turned four over the weekend and, though I’ve never considered it before, I’m starting to wonder about the meaning of her star sign.

The world of horoscopes has always been beyond me, and I honestly didn’t know where she fell on the zodiac chart until strangers began to inform me.

Elaine is an Aries, a sign associated with traits like boldness, ambition, energy, confidence, and natural leadership.

Apparently a tendency toward firey anger is associated as well.

All traits are extremely spot-on for my little girl.

In fact, when she was born we used to refer to her as “passion baby” because she often became overwhelmingly passionate and insistent on having her way, far before she could even speak.

If she didn’t get her way, she would dramatically throw herself backward, sometimes nearly out of our arms and sometimes hitting her head, which did not stop her from continuing to throw herself in rage, to our dismay.

Vince says we can all find things in each star sign that apply to us and doesn’t give it an ounce of credibility, but I’m wondering if I should start paying attention to astrology.

To celebrate Elaine’s brithday, we took the Brightline to the Aventura Mall with her besties / our neighbors to visit Bluey’s Backyard.

In preparation for the Brightline ride, I took her to the Dollar Store to pick out a few activities to entertain her and her friends, and as we perused the coloring books, this little book popped out at me — coincidence???

There were no other star sign books on the shelves.

How crazy is that?!

Anyway, if you have any insights on Aries, let me know. We’re currently in a screaming phase so, holding on tight as we ride that not-as-fun-as-the-Brightline train.

I think I’ll google some tips for Gemini moms raising Aires daughters as I white knuckle this speedrail. 😉

Last week’s thrifted ‘fits:

Linen Set from City Girl Consignment, Bag from Stone Button Studio

Sweater, Maxi Dress, and Tote from Goodwill West Palm Beach

Top and Linen Pants from Goodwill West Palm Beach

The Day Vince Gave Goodwill a Chance — and Immediately Regretted it.

One of my proudest accomplishments in life has been converting my husband to thrifthood.

Vince is known for his bougie nature and has historically paid full-price for brand new items, but over our 13 years together, I’ve whittled away at his resolve and he is now willing to visit thrift stores with me.

He actually shops quite well and finds treasures!

Wearing a v expensive, non thrifted shirt. To be fair, it was a gift from me. 😉

Try as he might to embrace my lifestyle as his own, though, he has always struggled with the Goodwills, friends.

Perhaps it’s the general odor, the flavorful clientele, or the fluorescent lighting. Whatever the reason, he tends to avoid a Goodwill trip.

I did, however, drag him into a Goodwill in Wellington on our way home from lunch with his aunt recently, and I want so badly to tell you the visit changed everything and he’s now super comfy with my favorite store.

Though he did find and purchase several pieces without my guidance or prompting, this trip only solidified his prejudices toward my precious GW.

*le sigh*

Unfortunately, friends, the spicy patrons of this particular Goodwill were wild and ready the fateful Saturday I dragged Vince in.

We actually *almost* made it to the check out line when the incident occurred.

As we stood taking inventory of our cart near the dressing rooms/making final decisions on things we’d keep, we began to hear a low gasping sound.

That gasping, which was coming from a dressing room stall, turned into loud wailing interrupted by bouts of what sounded like retching.

I wondered if we should grab an employee to assist!

My eyes, the size of dinner plates, looked into Vince’s unmoved and unsurprised face.

“We’ve officially outstayed our welcome,” he said. “This is why I don’t come to these places.”

Oooof! Goodwill!!!! We were so close!!!

Turns out, the person in the dressing room was a middle-aged man who was not ill or injured — he just thought it would be funny to scream like a woman in distress.

He was chastised by the staff and Vince escorted me to the car, never to return to this store again.

In a happy twist, Vince did accompany me to my friendly neighborhood Goodwill last weekend. Thrift haul coming to Instagram and TikTok soon!

Last week’s thrifted ‘fits: