EXCLUSIVE: Inside "Bohemian Princess" Joey Mead-King's Eclectic Hideaway
With an edge of class, Joey has created a home reflecting nothing less of who she is—courageous, eclectic, and bold. | Dress by Rajo Laurel
Stepping into the modeling industry at just 15 years old, Joey Mead-King flourished and took control in print, television, and hosting. A jill-of-all trades, Joey launches her latest venture with Angie King, a collaboration with Colourette Cosmetics: ColouretteXTheKings featuring Dualitint, a collection of eight velvet lip colors and Facegloss highlighters to celebrate pride month. Known as one of the most beautiful personalities locally and internationally, Joey has shown how she can do it all without losing herself in all the glitz and glamor.
Having spent her early years with her mother and stepfather in Australia and the Philippines, Joey never had any direct connection with her biological father, who was of Iranian descent. Despite initial exposure to customs from both Asia and the West, she always found herself connecting to and embracing the ethnic, Mediterranean cultures, conveyed in her sense of style and shared through her personal space.
Hostess with the “mostess”
Entertaining friends and family is one thing Joey looks forward to. For her, there is nothing like starting off with a laid-back afternoon hangout moving into dinner, celebrating with great company, good food, and drinks. When asked for the perfect formula to hosting guests at home, Joey expresses that it all comes down to your guest list. With that in mind, she gives great importance to understanding a person’s needs. To her, that is what makes a good hostess. “It’s all about engaging first. Being the person who offers a drink (to a guest) and knowing how to make them feel comfortable. I think that’s probably the main responsibility of anyone who hosts in their home. Just to make sure that everyone’s got their little enclave. You know who’s going to gravitate towards each other, and just making sure it’s good and letting everything organically smoothen out.” When it boils down to it, Joey has three key ingredients to ensure the perfect set-up:
- Space: She and her friends love to get together outside, lounging around her lush garden space, or in the dining area where a spread of snacks and dishes is set for her guests to enjoy. Echoing Joey’s experimental tastes, her dining room boasts an array of decorative plates from Portugal and Turkey, including a selection of tajine pottery and Arabic tea sets from her travels, while her ornamental lamps cast a warm and inviting atmosphere.
- Music: The perfect way to set the ambience for any occasion. In Joey’s case, this would be a throwback playlist. “With our barkada, it’s definitely ’90s music, even the early 2000s. Because that speaks of everyone’s 20s. So that usually gets everyone like, “Oh my god!” ‘NSYNC, Backstreet Boys, even Christina Aguilera, Britney Spears or Spice girls lightly playing in the background,” she conveys.
- Vibe: Joey makes it a point to recognize who she’s having over, and arrange her home in a way that she knows would appeal to them. She remembers: “I had a gathering for an anniversary, so I had invited more peeps and knowing them, I needed to make it aesthetically beautifully and comfortable. So I put out super nice comfy chairs and tables, like the more stylish ones in a nice area where it’s facing the pool. I guess ’cause you know your guests, you set up the vibe for them.”
With an organically warm aura, Joey takes pride in being able to welcome and treat her friends and family. She explains: “You are including (guests) in a personal part of you. And you want them to enjoy that part of you. It’s very nourishing when everyone has a nice time. If you see them totally comfy, feet out, having a beer, or you see the body language as very open, and you hear the laughter—it feels like a good pat on the shoulder.” To her, it is of utmost importance that guests are able to feel like themselves. Small personal touches, providing little comforts—these make anyone feel special.
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In the most dynamic, stylish way possible, her living room is a total reflection of her aesthetic, most definitely the pièce de résistance of her household. | Representing the love for her Iranian heritage, the dining room is the ideal hang-out spot for friends and family to enjoy each other’s company. | Pushing the envelope, Joey brings this wicker lounge chair to life by painting over its original white frame to a vibrant sky-blue shade, complementing her energetic personality. | Summer never ends with this refreshing set-up. A blissful canary yellow hammock brightens up her wide garden space, inviting anyone to kick-back and forget about their woes. The rattan chair designed by Aranaz is a fitting throne for any bohemian princess, while the Moroccan side table and lamp bought during her travels are the perfect accent to her glassware and throw pillows.
Exotic refuge
Entering Joey’s home, you find yourself transported to a world of cultures—a mix of Moroccan, Turkish, and Indian accents are peppered throughout her home. She shows a strong passion for Arabian concepts with southern European and Latin American touches. She candidly states: “If I could turn (my house) into a Moroccan palace, I would!” in decorating her home, Joey made use of references from Moroccan and Mexican design books, while tapping into her own heritage, gravitating towards exotic or Middle eastern influences: “As you can see, I just love it. It just happened. I think naturally, with any human, when you really feel at home with who you are, you will hone what you appreciate and you’ll want that around you. I felt finally at peace and at home with myself, so everything started coming out.” She continues: “I am so attracted to very ethnic, very Moorish things, I think that I’d probably lose my mind down in Turkey, or Spain. I’ve only been to Morocco, and I already broke down crying arriving and leaving (she jokes).”
Designing her house never felt like a chore as she simply followed what she defines as her personal intuition. The challenge of finding the right furniture to suit your color scheme comes down to what aesthetically pleases the end user, and that is the best part of decorating a home.
Joey holds a special place in her heart for all animals and is an advocate for animal rights and pet adoption. Her brood of cats and dogs—some of which have likewise mastered the art of modeling—is the center of her household. “I communicate more with an animal than a human child—they’re easy, and you don’t have to bring them to college! (she jokes). For me, I feel like, animals make a house a home.”
Another must-have for Joey are lamps. Her eyes light up at the thought of the colorful, intricate patterns that illuminate her space. In an almost dreamlike state, she shares: “I can look at them for hours! I don’t know if it’s a child-like feeling, but I feel so safe, like in my own little fantasy land. I guess that emotion of a child, how exciting that is, that’s how I feel towards the lamps I have in my home and bedroom. It’s just like seeing the dancing patterns, I dig that s***! (she laughs).”
Joey explains that she has several favorite spots, depending on her mood or time of day. In summertime, she prefers to take a dip in the pool. In the afternoon, when the sunlight hits perfectly, she loves relaxing in her lanai, reflecting and centering herself, feeling closer to the universe and spiritual elements. When it comes to starting the day right, she mentions that nothing beats her guest room: “I get to see the garden as my view, and I think when you see nature or you ground yourself in nature, it’s a good start to the day.”
While Joey was fully involved in designing the overall look of her home, she commends Maggie Wilson-Consunji, one of her closest friends, for helping her decorate the guest room. The vibrant wallpaper features flamingos on a glossy metallic backdrop, and the room holds a customized daybed and goldframed glass coffee table. Joey credits Maggie for instantly understanding her personal aesthetic, giving her the freedom to bring this room to life. Joey adds a further pop of color and softness through plush seating from Philux, without forgetting that exotic twist brought forward by the accent lamps, camel-bone side tables and stools purchased from her travels in Morocco.
A profound animal lover, Joey’s home would never be complete without her furry friends. | Vintage maxi dress by Donna Karan
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Home is where the heart is
With a preference for bold statement pieces, experimenting with color, pattern, and a generous dash of comfort, Joey has made a home that is the definition of who she is: eclectic, warm, and fun.
When asked what advice she would give to anyone planning to decorate, she says: “I think it’s best to note down what makes your heart beat faster. Whether you’re a person who likes things ergonomic, classic lines, or mishmash—put that on your mood board. It’s up to you what your flavor is, if you want help with it or to do it yourself. For me, it’s all myself, so it’s a mishmash of stuff.”
Joey Mead-King has created a tranquil oasis where she can get away from the world, a home with a feeling of inner peace.
This article was originally published in Metro Society June 2018 issue.
Photographs by Paola Aseron
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