Houzz Interview: The Brick House

I've been keeping tabs on The Brick House for quite awhile. One of the things that is SO delicious about this blog is that it takes place in real time, on a real budget, with real D.I.Y. projects (including D.I.Y. failures, how great is that?). By real, I mean a budget and schedule I can actually relate to, and think "hmmm, maybe I can do it too!" Also real? A rule to strive not to spend over $100 on any one item. This rule is sometimes broken, but it's a great guideline.

Both the blog and the home are works in progress, and both just get better and better. We've followed Morgan and the boy's renovations as they've accrued the time, money, and resources to complete them. In the meantime, she provides us with all of their inspirations. I love seeing how all of these factors merge together and result in her enviably groovy rooms, indoors and out. As new inspirations strike her fancy, the rooms evolve. Oh, and it doesn't hurt that the photography is absolutely gorgeous.

If The Brick House is new to you, you have a lot of catching up to do, but don't fret. If you hop in now, you will be able to catch them putting a lot of work into the exterior of the house and the yard, which is their focus for 2010.

Welcome and thanks for stopping by houzz Morgan! Please tell us about your “first meeting” with your house.

What ended up being The Brick House was something like number forty on the list of houses we viewed in a forlorn little retirement community in Southern California. This was our first time buying a home and the crazy market of uninhabitable foreclosures and distressed properties made things seemed pretty hopeless and unnerving. Along the way we eventually fired our first real estate agent and lost a bid on one crappy house in a fantastic neighborhood.

Walking in this house for the first time after seeing ugly house after ugly house, it was an immediate YES for both of us. The online real estate listing had one image of the exterior which looked incredibly
abysmal, so it was a shock how quickly we fell in love with the place. The price was right, the amount of work it needed seemed reasonable and I was pretty done looking at boarded up houses.


What was the very first step of your remodeling/decorating process?

Feeling helpless and overwhelmed. It was terrifying!

We started researching what to do with the floors, which caused me to start the blog to keep track of sources and show my family what we were thinking. We stumbled through the first six months pretty
blindly. The internet is an amazing resource for newbie home owners though, we got inspired, got some advice, and slowly started working things out. I'm pretty sure the next house will be way better.

Tell us about the biggest renovation/decoration challenge you faced.

Money. Still facing that challenge.

Just being young, broke and in a completely strange environment is super difficult. It was such a giant shift to move from Los Angeles to a little town I'd never heard of. There isn't a huge amount of renovation resources here so learning to be crafty and stretch a dollar has been (and continues to be) a huge challenge.

What are your favorite style and colors?

I tend to lean towards a modernist or Scandinavian sensibility on a budget. Hopefully tempered with a bit of humor and comfort. Loving white (pure pure white), black, caramel cracked leather, brass, raw wood and sumptuous navy.

Where is a favorite spot in your house that makes you very happy/proud?

My living room couch in the late afternoon. Delicious.

Besides pets and photos, what would you grab in a fire?

I don't really have any personal photos, but the ones I do have - I'd totally let those burn. Probably my computer. Not very romantic, but all my important crap is on there. I'm a pretty unsentimental person
and at the very least a fire could let me start all over and redecorate.

What is your next house project?

Currently we are overwhelmed trying to fix up the exterior of the house. Over the last sixty years it seems that over multiple owners none touched up paint, landscaped, fixed the weird exterior pipes or
doors, or really paid much attention to the house. The good thing is that we get to almost start from scratch, but it's a big process for two people who never landscaped or built fences or fixed roofs. We are
slowly learning and trying things out. I'm resigned to the fact that everything takes forever when you DIY.


Please give us your best tip for the remodeling/decorating beginner.

Go slow. Live in a place for six months if you can, just to see how you actually use the space. Get lots of inspiration and steal great ideas.

What is your favorite source for home decor?

Thrift stores.

What is your biggest design pet peeve?

Wall decals. Ugly paint colors. Wires. Scale gone horribly awry. One stop Home Depot remodels. Ceiling fans and those awful new garage doors on old houses.

Is there anything you'd like any uninitiated readers to know about your blog before they hop over there?

I have a potty mouth. Also, it's chock full of awesome.

It is chock full of awesome indeed. To hop on over to The Brick House, click here.

In honor of all of the hard work and ingenuity over at The Brick House, we're giving away a $50 Lowe's gift certificate. Leave a comment by Saturday, July 3 to enter.