Brave New Home

May 16, 2013
by Jennifer @ Brave New Home 8 Comments

,m;Patio Dreaming

Thank You: Many thanks to Elisa of Fancy Free Me for nominating Brave New Home for its fifth Liebster Award! If you’re still interested in getting to know me better, feel free to catch up on my past survey answers here and here.

Psst, we’ve been house hunting! We even put in an offer on a condo in my dream neighborhood (spoiler alert: we didn’t get it but that’s okay by us, it was a little on the higher-than-we’re-comfortable-with side anyways) that had a cute little enclosed patio. As soon as we put in our offer I did the totally sane and rational thing and started planning how I would decorate this new home that we were destined to own! I’m no gardener and would be completely happy with a little piece of enclosed land for Anak to tackle messier projects in (like play dough and all things glitter, wait, that’s me) or to have simply have an outdoor space for us all to lounge .This enclosed patio got me excited because unlike other properties we’ve seen, this one actually has sound earth to play around with!

For my inspiration images, I purposely chose a few from our region; we get lots of intense sun and very little rain. And since land comes at a premium, yards tend to be on the smaller side.

(source)

I’m crazy about that outdoor fireplace in this Los Angeles backyard!

(source)

I’m loving the balance of modern and minimal with organic growth in this Hollywood Hills home.

(source)

This Palm Springs home epitomizes weather appropriate landscaping while not screaming desert.

And here’s what I came up with:

Of course, I’m all about adding a rug wherever possible! Since a fire pit would likely be a no-go with most HOAs, I thought these modern fire torches would be a nice way to bring in some warmth without taking up too much space in a small patio. I would build a low deck for seating and leave the other half (or maybe even two thirds) of the patio a cement slab/grass combo.

For more outdoor space ideas, check out my Outside Spaces/Gardens board.

Linked to Our Fifth House, Liz Marie Blog, Design Your Dwelling (if you feel so inclined, feel free to hop over and “like” my mood board for next week’s featured mood board).

Does your outdoor design philosophy extend from what’s already indoors? Do your outdoor spaces serve a function or are they mostly decorative?

May 8, 2013
by Jennifer @ Brave New Home 13 Comments

You Picked, I Painted

Thank you all for voting for your favorite painting for my work office mini-makeover! As of today, the votes are split evenly between painting #1 and #3 BUT when I sat down to my blank canvas to paint, painting #1 was in the lead by one vote. In the end, I think I made the right choice and a few reader comments had me nodding in agreement.

Jen said,

“Absolutely number 1. I think it pulls the look together nicely without looking TOO on purpose (number 3, with the green–of the chair–and the orange–of the clock–seems a bit too matchy-matchy for my taste.”

And Elisa chimed in,

“#1-It’s a delicious mess of color I love how soft it is against all the hard lines of your inspirational images. I feel #2 has too many lines and will compete with your knock out selections and to me #3 has too many colors.”

It would help to see the painting in the completed office but…I’m still working on that :P

Since this painting was originally inspired by a pin, I’m participating in The Pinterest Challenge – Spring Edition with Emily from Sparkle Meets Pop, Renee from Red Bird Blue, Katie at Bower Power, and Sherry at Young House Love.

(source)

The challenge is to take a pin and make it happen! The process was pretty simple:

1. Pick a pin from Pinterest. A recipe, a DIY project, anything goes.

2. Use your pinspiration to create your own version linking to both the pin and the original creator.

Here’s my inspiration pin (it’s a painting by Emily Rickard, gotta give the girl credit!) from my DIY Art and Projects board:

(source)

I had this canvas wrapped in some fabric from Ikea from my previous office. I took the fabric off and got to painting. Here’s a little overview of my process and some tips for creating abstract artwork:As you can see, I worked in layers of color letting each layer fully dry before moving on to introducing the next color. To keep things looking more painterly and less color block-y, I mixed in different shades of the same color (most pronounced in the orange). Since I was using cheap acrylic paints (those little plastic bottles that cost less than $1 each, you know ‘em!) I made a glaze (also from a cheap little bottle of paint), gave it a tone, then went over some areas to give more textured brush strokes (and the illusion I was using higher quality paints!).

For comparisons sake, here’s a side-by-side.Be sure to check out Emily Rickard‘s other work on Society6. She does amazing paintings and mixed media pieces that are serious eye candy for any wall.

Have you ever tried creating an abstract painting? Any tips if you were to go at it again?

May 6, 2013
by Jennifer @ Brave New Home 10 Comments

A Dose of Thrifty Inspiration

I’ve been doing a good bit of thrift shopping (but no buying) lately. Come have a look!I’ve driven by this thrift store a handful of times but never made it a point to stop in. It was huge!This lamp minus the lampshade (I know, gasp!) has some great potential. I could see it working with a bright fuchsia lamp shade to pick up on the pink of the flowers.

(source)

This chair was in perfect condition! It didn’t have a price tag but I bet it would have been a steal—how could it not? If I had a place for it I would have snagged it for sure.I think it would be instantly updated with something a bit hip and maybe in mint. You know how I feel about mint!

(source)

Speaking of mint, check this bad boy out. Yes, I really must not have been in the buying mood to pass up on this piece.This particular thrift store had lots of great art. It’s good to recon thrift stores to know what they carry so you know exactly where to go when you are on the hunt for something specific.This piece could help ground a gallery wall and give it some history.

(source)

On to another thrift store! I took my little brother out for his 19th birthday and he actually suggested that we do a little thrift shopping since they were so many great thrift shops in the area. How could I say no? It was his birthday after all and he made the suggestion ; ] We stopped into this thrift store down the street from where we had lunch.This wicker stool would have been perfect topped with some seating. And for just $6, too!I’m still sorta kicking myself for passing up on this deal. Even Julianne Moore made it work!

(source)

This mid century ottoman/foot rest was such a great little piece to work with! It was a bit wobbly but again, it was something to the tune of five bucks so it wouldn’t have been a huge investment.I think it would be fun to update it with a modern print—it’s sort of unexpected.Any pieces that you would have snatched up? What’s your favorite trick for breathing new life into a dated piece?

May 2, 2013
by Jennifer @ Brave New Home 18 Comments

Rifle Paper Co. “Inspired” Painting

Lately I’ve been enjoying heart shaped florals and painting. So I put the two together and voila!

(source)

This one from Rifle Paper Co. is obviously my favorite. Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, right? Seeing them side-by-side, I think I still need to spring for the print. I was just in the mood to paint and not necessarily thinking about what to paint!I just made a little heart cut out to guide the shape of the flowers and painted onto foam board.I swapped out the current print in the bathroom for this one and gave some vases a coat of leftover chalkboard paint to temper the sweetness of the flowers.

Linked to Somewhat Simple, The Gunny Sack, House of Rose, The Shabby Creek Cottage, The Crafty Blog Stalker, Liz Marie Blog, Design, Dining + Diapers, Alderberry Hill, Lines Across.

Have you ever DIYed a project only to realize you need to spring for the real deal? Has spring brought out any home design tastes (like florals!) that you didn’t know existed?

April 28, 2013
by Jennifer @ Brave New Home 12 Comments

An Updated Entry

The title probably should have read “an updated kitchen” because that’s what I initially got this Turkish rug from Pottery Barn for. I was going to layer it on top of the impact absorbing mat currently in there for more visual interest but this indoor/outdoor number isn’t something you want to be standing barefoot on—washing dishes is already enough of a chore!I tried it at the front door and The Hubs commented that it was just too nice for such a high traffic area. So I moved it over to the little hallway that leads to the first floor. And things just snowballed (in a good way! should I say snowconed instead?) from there.Here’s what the wall looked like before. I found this frame next to a trash can and painted it white (it was originally black). White seemed like a “safe” color at the time.The rug really helped giving me some color guidance. I was sorta stuck on what color to paint the frame then I looked up and saw the grey concrete pot in my living room and went with that color. I had leftover paint so I painted a dollar store frame I had on hand a shade darker.I thought it would be neat to make a wall mounted coat rack for Anak’s jacket and my purse (which is always laying around on the kitchen floor) so I bought some wood for $4 and three coat hooks for $4.30 a piece. The hooks were on the more expensive end of what Home Depot carried but I knew exactly the look I wanted and these hooks didn’t protrude out too much which is exactly what we need for a high-traffic narrow hallway.
I had this wood medallion made in Thailand that I picked up from Ross for $12 a few years back but have never been able to incorporate into my decor for some reason. So I popped it off the stand to play around with it a bit more.Here’s my tip for rug pads: buy drawer liner at the dollar store and just cut it to size (works for smaller rugs). This was all I had leftover—I think a trip to the dollar store is in my near future!Here is the coat rack mounted pre-paint.
And here’s the view from the front door. I’m quite tickled with it since I never had any intention of updating this spot. I think the rug helps anchor the space and define it as an entry way. I think this wall would be a perfect candidate for wallpaper treatment, too!I’m hooked on these hooks!The view from the stairs. I thought my little color scheme could be too heavy and dark especially going into spring but the yellow really helps liven it up.And my little floral arrangement is another dollar store deal (this post just seems full of those!). I bought two sprigs of flowers for a total of $2 and the little pot was from Target’s dollar bin. I just put in some of that green floral foam and stuck those branches in.