A 1960s House’s Color Palette Is Rainbow

Name: Kara Brown, husband, three boys and a dog
Location: Denton, TX
Size: 3,000 square feet
Years lived in: 4 years, owned

My husband, Dave, and I met in college (University of North Texas—I was an art major and an RA for his sister!) We moved from an apartment to our first home in 2003. It was an 1,100-square-foot fixer upper where we had our three boys. We loved it but eventually began to outgrow the space and so in 2014 started house hunting and found our current home. I’d seen it online but my husband vetoed it because it was over our budget. We happened to drive by when they were having an open house and so we went in to have a look-see. When I was a little girl growing up in Miami my family moved A LOT and so I looked at so many houses with my mom. She would always get “the feeling” when we walked into a house that she knew would be ours and upon walking into the entryway of our current home, I got “the feeling!”

The living room with its gorgeous windows and built-ins immediately spoke to me. Our boys were having a blast running all around the house and loved the upstairs rooms, which they have since affectionately dubbed “Upstairsica.” The realtor basically begged us to make an offer because no one wanted the house due to its unusually microscopic kitchen, which is the size of a walk-in pantry, but with over twice the square feet of our last home I knew I’d be fine with a tiny kitchen! And so a low offer was made and accepted and this 1960s mid-century gem became ours. Our boys, Noah, Reagan, and Alex have done so much better with the extra space and love all the room they have for LEGOs!

Describe your home’s style in 5 words or less: Colorful mid-century eclectic home.

What is your favorite room and why? My favorite room is the living room. It houses the piano (which we got with the house from the original owner whose parents were amazing musicians) and my guitars, and is the central living space where our family gathers. We have movie nights, video game tournaments, family board games, and we’ve even hosted a house concert in there! The acoustics in the room are amazing. I also love looking at all of the treasures and memories housed in the built-in shelves.

If you could magically change something about your home, what would it be? Hands down our tiny kitchen! I try not to complain because I am well aware I’m so blessed but boy would it be nice to be able to open the refrigerator and dishwasher simultaneously. I work for an amazing renovation company though, so as soon as we have the money saved up I’ve got big plans for them and walls will be coming down!

What’s the last thing you bought (or found!) for your home? Let’s see… I’m a bit of thrift shopaholic. Some of the last items I thrifted were a mannequin head, a hot pink leopard throw pillow, and some old records.

Any advice for creating a home you love? You definitely don’t need to spend a fortune to create a space you love. We have three crazy boys who like to make messes and so it doesn’t make sense for us to invest in expensive items and furniture at this stage. We have found some of our most favorite pieces at our local college’s surplus store for INSANELY cheap! Don’t be afraid to buy things used and don’t be afraid to mix and match. I think fear and indecision hold so many people back from decorating their homes. Just get out there and take the first step. Look around your home and find something you absolutely love and build on that.

Thanks, Kara!

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