'My Nest' ... Andrea from Gypsy Yaya

cat

Our family "nest" that we set up for lounging and movie watching together.

For the Third part in The 'My Nest' series we are off to Houston, Texas to the home of Andrea from Gypsy Yaya blog. This beautiful home is full to the brim with beautiful textiles and great vintage finds, not to mention that beautiful red Sofa!!

1) Where do you live and what do you do for a living? 

I live in Houston, Texas in a 1970's era townhouse with my husband, our baby daughter, one sweet dog, two sassy cats and a parakeet. I spend most of my time being Mamma to a very busy 15 month old, blogging at GypsyYaya and hawking my vintage wares in my Etsy shop. My husband {who works from home} and I do a lot of DIY-ing and are striving to be as self sufficient as possible in our little urban homestead so that we are able to live comfortably on his full time income.
 
2) What attracted you to your current home?

Houston has a very limited selection of older/historical homes with character and soul. Especially when it comes to renting. We were just looking for anything at all that had some quirky or interesting design elements rather than the usual new beige box apartments. 

Our 70's pad has {painted} diagonal natural wood accent walls, wood floors, a very 70's floor plan, little built-in shelves, a private brick patio and a balcony off the master bedroom. All of which suits my design aesthetic perfectly and allows for a little green thumbing. It's about as groovy as it gets in Houston with our current budget. 
 
3) How long have you lived there/ will you live there?

Well, when we first moved here from New Orleans we only planned to live here for a year. Then along came baby. Now here we are into our third year. I have finally started to tackle projects that I previously ignored because I thought we weren't staying long. We ultimately would love to buy a house somewhere near Houston where we can get our garden on and I can have completely free reign with the interior. I'm sure that opportunity will present itself as soon as I "finish" this place. I bloom where I'm planted, then I uproot and bloom where I'm planted again. It's a vicious but very fun cycle. 

 
4) What is your favorite/ most treasured item?

It's hard to pick! I just love old things, they have so much soul to them. My red velvet vintage couch is probably at the top of my list, closely followed by my peacock chair that my Mom bought us as a wedding gift. I love anything vintage, artful or handmade! Oh and my plants. I love my plants. When my daughter first learned to wave, she waved at us, the animals and also the plants. 

5) Where do you buy most of your furnishings and accessories?

I am a thrift store addict through and through. Also garage sales, estate sales, flea markets...I love the hunt! I'm not above the occasional curbside/dumpster find either. Some of my coolest pieces have been found that way! Etsy and Ebay are old friends too.  

6) How would you describe your style?

It depends on the room! Bohemian always. Global & Vintage always. 

My main living areas are usually very hippy, 70's, modern/ surf shack/ jungle. My bedroom is Southwest meets Olde New Orleans Bordello with a touch of opium den. When my daughter has her own room I want it to be bright colored, vintage Scandinavian/whimsical wonderland. I'm all over the place haha!  

7) What/who inspires your home style / decision making when buying a new piece?

I like things that tell a story. Old pieces with age, that were made better than things are now. Things brought back from far flung corners of the globe. Items of quality that will last another 50 years or more. Things handmade with love always capture my heart as well. If an item has all of these qualities combined, well I'm smitten.

8) What/ where would be your dream home?

I have multiple dream home scenarios. A 200 year old grand and a bit decrepit home near the French Quarter in New Orleans. A tiny magic cottage in the forest. A vintage A-Frame near the beach. Traveling all over the Americas in a vintage air-stream with my little family. 

In real life it will probably be an older home in the Texas Hill Country in need of some restoration on a huge lot so I can garden into madness.

9) What was the last item you bought?

I just bought a darling vintage chair upholstered in an Indian print linen. It has bamboo styled wood legs and arms and it was $22. I adore it. Perks of having a Mother who also loves vintage and knows your style perfectly. She found it at a local thrift shop and alerted me immediately.  

10 ) Any wish list items?

 My current wish list is all things I hope to come across in a thrift store for next to nothing. Or free on the side of the road. A mid-century credenza for under my TV with space for all my husbands techie components inside. A vintage leather chair with nail head trim for his office. A vintage dining table and chairs {that don't have to match} And a giant kilim rug. Some large scale modern 70's art. A Hoya plant. And a gypsy caravan.