My Houzz: Bright and Playful Colors in a Kentucky Family Home
Vivid hues, a hand-painted mural and delightful decor bring this graphic designer couple’s 1860 renovated home to life
Sean, left, and Brittney, pictured holding their 10-week-old daughter, Basil, both work as graphic designers. Brittney also owns Handzy Shop + Studio, which sells art, paper and home accessories. The couple worked together to create spaces in their home that are both clean and functional, and filled with color and personality. “We want our space to feel comfortable, lived-in and generally reflective of us,” Brittney says.
Before moving into their house, the Braemers had lived in a one-bedroom apartment, which meant their existing furnishings didn’t fill the new home. “We took what we had and tried to use it differently in our new space to make it feel fresh,” Brittney says.
The home is painted white with select bright accent walls. “Paint colors are an easy way to do something interesting with a space without breaking the bank,” Brittney says. The Kelly green painted wall was inspired by the interior of the Victorian flat of London designers Luke Edward Hall and Duncan Campbell.
For the couple’s first Christmas together, they made each other stockings. Sean crafted Brittney’s from orange felt, which inspired the creation of a matching set for this year’s holiday season. Brittney also inherited a handmade wooden box filled with holiday ornaments and trinkets from her father, who passed away last year. Some of her favorite inherited things are displayed on the mantel.
Daring Jade wall paint: Sherwin-Williams
For the couple’s first Christmas together, they made each other stockings. Sean crafted Brittney’s from orange felt, which inspired the creation of a matching set for this year’s holiday season. Brittney also inherited a handmade wooden box filled with holiday ornaments and trinkets from her father, who passed away last year. Some of her favorite inherited things are displayed on the mantel.
Daring Jade wall paint: Sherwin-Williams
Since the birth of Basil, the couple has started to spend more time in the family room. The white flower ornaments on the tree are from the couple’s first Christmas together.
Brittney’s father made their living room coffee table. “My dad passed away in December, and I got this coffee table from him. He made it himself when he was younger, around the time when my parents got married I think. He used it every day, so it had a lot of wear and tear.” After Brittney inherited the table, Sean refinished it. “Now it looks just like when my dad first made it. I love it so much,” she says.
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Brittney’s father made their living room coffee table. “My dad passed away in December, and I got this coffee table from him. He made it himself when he was younger, around the time when my parents got married I think. He used it every day, so it had a lot of wear and tear.” After Brittney inherited the table, Sean refinished it. “Now it looks just like when my dad first made it. I love it so much,” she says.
Shop for round area rugs
Suzy Strachan, a close friend and the co-owner of Handzy Shop + Studio, handmade this miniature version of the couple’s home as a gift. The framed screen print of the Queen City (Cincinnati’s nickname) is by artist James Billiter, and the oval black-and-white portrait is of Brittney’s mother.
The Meaning of Color: Green
The Meaning of Color: Green
The living room includes this vignette of collected things, including an open shelf displaying a framed tiger print by Billiter and a record player atop a bright yellow vintage console table.
Shop for display and wall shelves on Houzz
Shop for display and wall shelves on Houzz
“We definitely spend the most time in the kitchen,” Brittney says. The graphic black-and-white floor tile adds contrast to the white Shaker-style cabinets. “We love cooking and hosting, and everything revolves around the kitchen table: meals, conversations, work, games and parties.” The couple chose black hardware and pulls to match the floor tile color scheme. Also, a movable kitchen island adds counter space and storage.
Kaligaris porcelain art tiles: Bay
Browse graphic kitchen floor tiles
Kaligaris porcelain art tiles: Bay
Browse graphic kitchen floor tiles
The couple enjoy having an eat-in kitchen; their dining table and chairs are included in this space. A braided indoor-outdoor rug underneath helps warm up the tile flooring and helps delineate the eating area. The open bookshelf in the corner is used to store cookbooks and a small collection of houseplants.
Shop for yellow dining chairs
Shop for yellow dining chairs
The renovated downstairs bathroom features a classic design with white subway tile and dark grout. Opposite the vanity is an accent wall painted in Pink Flutter by Valspar.
The framed print of the backyard pool is by New Zealand artist Joanne Ho of Helo Birdie.
The framed print of the backyard pool is by New Zealand artist Joanne Ho of Helo Birdie.
This downstairs bedroom was originally intended to be an office but now serves as a nursery for Basil. “We had so much fun designing it together — it is now our favorite room,” Brittney says. The couple designed and painted the abstract mural together by hand before Basil’s birth. “The bright colors and shapes are already holding her attention,” Brittney says.
14 Crazy Cool Hand-Painted Walls
14 Crazy Cool Hand-Painted Walls
Inspired by a colorful muslin blanket, the nursery theme evolved to include brightly colored jungle art prints by Amber Davenport, seen here above the changing table-dresser. The couple added new yellow knobs for to the dresser for a colorful touch.
Browse dresser and cabinet knobs
Browse dresser and cabinet knobs
The couple covered the existing concrete floors with baby-friendly and water-resistant ashen oak-look vinyl plank flooring by NuCore. The framed pink cheetah screen print is by Marc Howell and Luke Paisley of Sorry Design.
Browse popular pink shag rugs
Browse popular pink shag rugs
The master bathroom is on the second floor. “We love how it feels like a hotel. It’s very intimate and intentional,” Brittney says.
Built-in wooden shelves store the couple’s shoe collection. New white knobs adorn the pine dresser.
Both Brittney and Sean try to be very intentional with their decor. “I have never felt so happy. Having a smaller home keeps us from buying a bunch of junk and filling up rooms just for the sake of it. We only buy items we absolutely love,” she says.
The exterior is painted white with black trim. When the couple bought the home, it already had an addition, but it had some structural issues. The new addition includes the kitchen and nursery.
My Houzz is a series in which we visit and photograph creative, personality-filled homes and the people who inhabit them. Share your home with us and see more projects.
More on Houzz
Read more My Houzz profiles
Find a general contractor near you
Browse popular Christmas decorations
My Houzz is a series in which we visit and photograph creative, personality-filled homes and the people who inhabit them. Share your home with us and see more projects.
More on Houzz
Read more My Houzz profiles
Find a general contractor near you
Browse popular Christmas decorations
Who lives here: Brittney and Sean Braemer; their daughter, Basil; and two rescue dogs, Pearl and Forest
Location: Covington, Kentucky
Size: 1,280 square feet (119 square meters); two bedrooms, two bathrooms
First-time homeowners Sean and Brittney Braemer went bold with jewel-box colors to personalize the interior of their family’s renovated two-bedroom house in Covington, Kentucky. The couple bought their once abandoned 1860 home from local nonprofit The Center for Great Neighborhoods in the fall of 2016. The nonprofit then restored and completely renovated the interior and exterior for 13 months before the couple moved in, in December 2017. Major updates made to the house include an entirely new roof, plumbing, electrical, HVAC and a new addition.
Pictured here are the stairs that lead to the master bedroom and bath, painted in alternating shades of red and blue.
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