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Rachael Victoria

@raeparini

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I’m starting to realize that my imagination works kind of backwards. I had a vision of this room, yes, but before I ever knew what I was going to put in it, I knew how I wanted it to feel. I wouldn’t ever think to call myself an interior decorator of any sort. With what credentials, right? I only know what I know, what I like, and what I like to do. To that end, I guess “decorate” isn’t quite the right word. I’ve started thinking of my spaces as… ✨domestic installations.✨ I don’t ask myself, “Does this match?” but “Does this fit the narrative?” I prowl antique stores, not looking for specific objects, but missing puzzle pieces. A birdbath may be a birdbath, but it can also absolutely work as a table for a porcupine quill bouquet. See?

I wanted our little reading room to feel like someone had stumbled upon an eclectic old enchanted library in the forest. And I think I nailed it 💅🏾

But there was another reason to love this room. Like my dressing room upstairs, I used our basement as a way to process the trauma of what happened to me when I was sick. I’ve been able to repurpose so many of the utterly random things I bought when I was manic. Things I never thought I could use. Beautiful things I thought I’d rendered unsalvageable, that I had destroyed by dyeing them, painting them, or outright breaking them. Things I never really thought I would be able to look at again, let alone actually enjoy. And now, instead of seeing the relics from 2022 and feeling shame, I feel pride and a huge sense of relief. It’s art therapy, truly.

It took me four weeks to create this little ecosystem, and I’m very, very tired. 😅 But now, as I sit here in my little den, amongst what are now treasures, I feel at peace. I feel proud. And most importantly, I LOVE it.

Before I painted the walls, my Grandma started referring to the space as the green room. So, welcome to The Green Room. by @raeparini

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2 months ago

I’ve always been creative. For years, ballet was my primary outlet, but it was never the only one. I write. I draw. I do a little decoupage here and there. I’ve recently taken up floristry. I love putting unconventional outfits together (whether or not they work out is a different story…) and I absolutely love creating spaces in my home. I’ve never fancied myself an interior decorator, by any stretch of the imagination. I just really like decorating. It sparks joy, as Marie Kondo would say (though she’d likely have something to say about my maximalist tendencies). My aesthetic has always been a little… unorthodox. Eccentric, some might say. I don’t mind. I’ll be the first to admit it: I do be out here doing the most, sometimes. 😅 But I’ve learned to love that about myself.

I decided to create this room because, like everything in my house, our drab gray basement needed a bit of whimsy… okay, a LOT of whimsy. I wanted a space that rewarded curiosity and inspired wonder. Something fun. Something different. Something ✨alive.✨ Something I’d never seen before, except maybe in my head. I wanted the space to feel both welcoming and enchanted, kind of like Alice in Wonderland, minus the need for psychedelics. A fairytale space where I could lounge on a Victorian fainting couch and lose myself rereading The Dark Tower for the dozenth time.

The process involved literally hundreds of micro-adjustments: the flowers looked too dense, the hummingbirds were too close to center, the painting needed to move exactly 2 inches to the left, or “crap, the cherry blossom branch is too low, now, doggone it!” I don’t know how many holes I put in the wall, and I really don’t want to. That’s a future-Rachael problem.

So, welcome to The Green Room, as my Grandma called it. It has a lot of evolving to do, but who doesn't? I’ve got paint to buy, antiques to source, and a basement to raid (it’s seriously like Ariel’s grotto down there, y’all. I 100% have a set of sterling silver dinglehoppers down there somewhere.) And with every change I make, I’m that much closer to the vision that used to exist only in my mind. Hopefully you stick around to see it come together! by @raeparini

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3 months ago

Very proud of my little cabinet display! These @claudiasavagefashion headphones are ✨EVERYTHING✨ by @raeparini

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3 months ago

Apparently, I missed National Tattoo Day. Oh, well, better late than never. Thanks for your art @skotydont by @raeparini

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3 months ago

How I love these people 💕 @delaneykatiegirl @dcdebonair by @raeparini

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3 months ago

I’ve never been good at social media. I never really know what to post, or when. Ballet stuff? Bipolar stuff? Fashion? DIY projects? Interior decorating? Moments from the whirlwind that was 2022? Food, pets, nature, adventures?

I’ve always felt like I had too many options, and not enough IG savvy. Analysis paralysis is real, y’all.

But the more I think about it, the more I realize it doesn’t really matter what I post, when I post, or even why. I take pictures of things I find beautiful. Things that are important. Things I’m proud of. Things I’m afraid of forgetting.

I’m no photographer, believe me, I know. But I do have a unique perspective on life now, and what’s actually important. Nearly dying will do that to you, I guess. 😅

I don’t care about building the perfect Instagram page, or what people think of me on the internet. I care about sharing my life through the photos I’ve taken and the stories they tell.

So, I’m going to start sharing more. A lot more.

It won’t be chronological, and it certainly won’t be ✨curated.✨ I’m just going to share moments from my life. Serious and silly. Exciting and ordinary. Finished and unfinished.

This is how I’m documenting the life I’m blessed enough to still be living.

You’re welcome to come along. 💕 by @raeparini

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3 months ago

I was so proud of this.... by @raeparini

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3 months ago

And so it begins! Starting my next chapter, and I'm so excited ☺️ by @raeparini

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3 months ago

My hummingbird setup is finally complete- I didn't know they made noise 🥹 by @raeparini

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4 months ago

On this day 10 years ago, I met him; exactly 2 years later, I married him. I'm still deliriously, almost painfully in love, and I thank God for him every single day. Happy Anniversary, Bunny! ♥️ by @raeparini

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4 months ago

Wiz Khalifa might just be our most spoiled child... 🐍 by @raeparini

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6 months ago

@nickfancher always makes me feel like a rockstar: a throwback, and a belated #nationaldanceday post by @raeparini

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a year ago