NASSAU, BAHAMAS — Last year was incredibly long and short all at the same time. The pandemic (ugh, we’re so tired of calling the virus’ name) started last March and we blinked, and now we’re almost at March again! Most of us aren’t built to stay inside and be idle and we’ve noticed the budding chefs and gardeners out there who have been putting their creativity to good use in their homes.
However, we are currently obsessed with DIY home improvement and design project ideas and there’s one young up-and-coming Bahamian DIY maven who’s caught our attention. Tanea Miller. Fun, resourceful and down to earth, “Tanea Terracotta” has inspired us to transform our humble abodes into ultra chic expressions of our own home design esthetics, and on a budget! She’s also taken us on a journey into her own learning of photography, home staging and thrift shopping. We at Eyewitness News interviewed Tanea and we’re happy to share the fun we had below.
EWNEWS
We’re so happy we get to chat with you about your Tanea & Terracotta Instagram page. We love it! What made you decide to delve into the world of DIY home design?
TM
Hi! Thank you so much! I’m so happy you enjoy it. To be candid, I watch embarrassing amounts of HGTV and I’ve always been drawn to home decor. I vividly remember begging my mom to let her freshman daughter move on campus early so I could have extra time to decorate my dorm room. She wasn’t impressed. I’ve also basically stalked Joanna & Chip Gaines for the last five years. They’re actually really good friends of mine…in my head. As for the DIY projects, creating things has always given me an overdose of endorphins. It just so happens that I get to blend them together on the internet!
EWNEWS
Tell us what your favorite project is to date. How difficult was it to execute? Don’t hold back on the gritty details!
TM
Sometimes a project that I loathe turns into a favorite because of the messages people send me. On more than one occasion, I’ve jumped up and down reading messages from people, and I get awkwardly giggly. In a world where it’s so easy to criticize each other, people have been so supportive and are motivating me daily to continue creating content.
To be honest, there’s a little something about each project that I like but, most times when I’ve finished a project I find a list of flaws in it and I convince myself to garbage it and start over. My dad has actually had to take my phone from me and press the “share” button himself.
I’m very excited about the current project I’m working on this week — it might be my favorite (and hardest) thing I’ve ever made! Stay tuned!
As for the gritty details, saws are DANGEROUS! I count my fingers all the time and I have no idea how I still have ten. Don’t spray paint things white on a windy day after you wash your hair. Oh! And glue guns are MEAN!
EWNEWS
Who or what inspires you along your DIY design journey?
TM
I’m extremely close to my dad! We do everything together! Before I knew how to use a drill, I remember us sitting on the floor while he laughed at me trying to put a new drill bit in. It took me 30 minutes to figure it out, but those 30 minutes have turned into our new little ritual we do together. Anytime I start a new project, we have a “meeting” and we sit on the floor together and I ask him math and measurement questions because I can’t multiply or divide to save my life! Spending that extra quality time with him inspires me every time I’m about to start a new project. I really look forward to that.
EWNEWS
How do you want your social media influencer presence to impact Bahamians, especially in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic?
TM
Influencer might be a stretch, but one of the main reasons why I enjoy sharing online is being able to connect while we’re all seemingly disconnected. I’ve learned how to use power tools in 2020. That would NOT have happened if the conventional still existed. If my tiny corner of the internet can inspire someone to learn something new, discover a new hobby or just laugh, that’s the most gratifying thing I can think of. We’re all creative, and creativity is free!
EWNEWS
Give us a tidbit about a new design project you have coming up using three words.
TM
Hmm. Supportive. Retro. “Outside”.
EWNEWS
Can we visit you again in a few months and see what you’re cooking up in your design kitchen? If we can wait that long!
TM
Haha, if I don’t burn down the kitchen with my glue gun, of course. But you have to make something and post it on your Instagram when we connect again. That’s the deal!
Until then, you can find more DIY disasters and tutorials on my Tanea & Terracotta Instagram and YouTube accounts!
This was fun! I can’t wait to see your project when we chat again!
To find out more about Tanea Miller and her DIY projects, follow @taneaterracotta on Instagram or subscribe to Tanea & Terracotta on YouTube.
