How ‘Tropical Barbie’ Miranda Miele turned her home into a 1980s Miami inspired dream house
The Hull native, who goes by @pineapple_princess_creations on social media, has accumulated 230K followers as she redesigns her Boston area home in Miami’s famous 1980s style.
The content creator refers to her home as her “dream house,” a term inspired by another pink-forward style maven.
“Barbie can do anything,” said Miele. “It’s my dream house, because I can do whatever I want. There’s no rules.”
Her first Instagram Reel featuring the renovation documented her bedroom transformation. Since it was posted in January 2025, the video has approximately 126,000 likes on the platform at the time of reporting. Its 400-plus comments range from “It’s not my aesthetic but you and your dad did an amazing job” to “Living the dream.”
Since, the posts have become a series: Miele documents her remodeling steps, including finding vintage pieces, painting the walls, assembling furniture, and adding decor. The end results are ultra-curated retro pink spaces that would make even Barbie jealous.
For the living room, she added a pink couch, bar seating, a disco ball drink cart, and palm tree decor to create what she dubbed “Miami 80s Sky Lounge.” On the balcony, she incorporated the Art Deco style that became the signature flair of several iconic Miami Beach hotels. Her projects included painting a mural inspired by the former Ocean Surf Hotel in North Beach and re-creating the fish placards from The Marlin Hotel in the Art Deco district.
Miele’s husband and parents have joined in the remodel. Her father, PJ Flanagan, is particularly involved in carpentry and construction. Viewers have come to regularly anticipate and praise Flanagan’s video appearances and handiwork with comments like: “My favorite part is that your dad just goes along with whatever his pineapple princess asks. Wish mine was still around but it legit fills my heart to see yall.”
“We have had so much fun together. It’s been a great bonding experience for a father and daughter to be able to spend this much time together on projects,” said Flanagan. “She’s a really, really hard-working girl, and I’m so thrilled that she’s being noticed for the effort that she’s putting in.”
In December, Miele announced on Instagram that she and her husband are expecting a child this June. The reveal included a blockbuster movie poster-inspired photo featuring the couple holding a copy of the 1984 parenting guide, “What to Expect When You’re Expecting.” Currently, the duo is creating a nursery — for a baby boy.
“Everything I’ve done before is pink, and I’m having a boy, so I had to kind of switch up my whole aesthetic,” said Miele. “I have a feeling that will probably end up being my most watched series, just because it’s so different than what I’ve done before, but with the same vibe.”
For the baby’s room, she and her dad painted the walls red, added black trim, and installed mirrored panels to create what Miele calls the “moody men’s version” of her signature style.
According to designer Eunice Weckesser, founder of Boston’s Crown the Cool interior design studio, Miele’s vibrant choices are unusual for the area.
“Boston interiors can often feel safe, predictable, and honestly a little one-dimensional,” said Weckesser. “There’s a hesitation here around taking risks around being modern, being loud, being different.”
Weckesser shared her admiration for the project.
“Over 200k followers don’t happen by accident. That kind of response proves there’s a huge appetite for originality, confidence, and spaces that feel personal instead of performative,” said Weckesser. “She’s not designing to fit in, she’s designing to stand out. And that’s the kind of energy Boston needs more of.”
While her home remodel expanded her platform, Miele already had a social media presence for her rhinestone art, covering objects like shoes and accessories in tiny gems. She also creates bedazzled gifts for visiting performers for TD Garden — like a red, white, and blue rhinestone-encrusted basketball for the Harlem Globetrotters’ Boston stops on their 100th anniversary tour. And in addition to maintaining her following on social media, Miele is a full-time audiologist.
“It’s crazy, I’m always working,” said Miele. “But I love doing it, so I definitely wouldn’t change a thing,” she added. And Miele doesn’t have plans of stopping any time soon.
“I feel like it’s always going to be evolving,” she continued. “Even once I finished every room, I could see myself going back.”
Ultimately, Miele hopes to create a joyful atmosphere for her followers.
“The whole purpose of the page is to inspire people to get out there and get creative,” said Miele. “If I can create this Miami ’80s time capsule … in 2026, there’s no limit to what people can do.”
Annie Sarlin can be reached at [email protected]. Follow her on Instagram @anniesarlinjournalism.
