Houzz TV: Animals, Love and Color on a Florida Farm
“I learned a long time ago that I have to make whatever space that I’m in my own,” Gany Lalo Bernal says. “It has to say something about who I am.” That philosophy was paired with Gany’s lifelong dream of living on a farm. When she came across a blog post nine years ago about a woman who had moved from the city to a farm in the country, making jam preserves from fruit from the garden and enjoying fresh eggs from chickens she raised, Gany admired the woman’s bravery in making such a change in her life. “But here I was, 34 years old with four kids and going through a difficult divorce,” she says. “I pried out the dreamy post and saved it, hoping that one day I too will have a beautiful story.”
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I love the Neo-bohemian style (I call it, and have it), so interesting and colorful. The people have made it their home, not a home using someone else's rules. And the result is lots of lively personality, and is absolutely wonderful.
Wonderful Home
Thanks for sharing.
I love everything about this place so much! The kitchen made me teary, it was so much what I'd love to have in my kitchen. Thank you!
we are now living on our second farm - we have alpacas as our pets instead of selling them - you will always find a way to do what you love if you have the courage to trust that you can do it - I like this family style because it expresses who they are and not copying some design magazine ideas
The décor of this family's home is not something I would have in my own house. But it is so vibrant and alive, you just have to admire how it all comes together. The colors, history and animals all meld together to make something that says we are enjoying life to its fullest. Bravo!
Love the place...love the horses...love the article. Of course, before I could read it, I had to browse through to see if you included photos of the horses and other animals -- I was delighted to see not only photos, but their names! Overall, this is my kind of place. Our animals -- horses, dogs, chickens and cat -- are all members of our family, and our newly completed house is designed to include them, with views of the horses from almost every window and an interior suited to antique furniture, books, and frequent muddy, furry feet. This is the life!
wow what an amazing ,beautiful magical place i love all of it.
This is one beautiful place. Some people might say the decorations are too busy, but different strokes for different folks I believe. To me this bright enlivening colourful environment can only lift one's mood and keep you on a "high".
wonderful place, nothing pretentious here - so refreshing, and the way we all should live - to reflect our personalities, rather than to fit a "style" - bravo, to them.
Wow, what a fun colorful home! And the land and animals--well just magical!
This freewheeling, fun Florida farm is a clever, cute, colorful, creative, casual, charming, comfortable, cluttered, cacofony of joy. Have that?......
I am happy they are following their very own design drummer because that is truely what it is all about, but I find absent the use of a foil, aka a place for the eye to rest.
I seem to have a "love-hate" relationship with this home. Love many of the design elements, but not necessarily how they come together. Nonetheless, the house has great vibes! Love the bold colours.
It's not my style and I wouldn't feel comfortable living there but if the homeowners are happy with it, that's all that matters.
Many of the rooms are too busy for my eyes and relaxation quotient but it still looks like fun to visit.
Wonderful, happy, positive place.
Magical fun place so full of life!
Wonderful kitchen. But how can you binge watch Orange is the New Black on that couch! Ouch!!
Love the mudroom, tv nook in the living room and that incredible tack room. Looks like a place filled with love and happiness. Kudos to them for being brave enough to share.
Ever thought of offering a room or two to weary travelers? I would be your first guest!!!
Groovy and delicious!!
Looks like a dream life! Creative, resourceful, colorful, and happy people (and happy animals). Love the kitchen, but I did wonder about painting granite???
That looks amazing i have a country house i wish i had someone to put some of the ideas in my place like that,love it
There is soul in this place, as well as beauty. Such a rarity today. <3
I appreciate the feel of the kitchen but not the working arrangement - stove on the opposite side from the sink, and relatively far away, with refrigerator in between (cross traffic). I would enjoy visiting here.
I need to know more about the tile that looks like hardwood floors! Now going on a hunt....
They have used the ideas this place embodies and highlighted them beautifully. Thank you for sharing a complete "picture" of this homestead. It's inspiring.
Oh boy. What a paradise. Love the colors, love all the wonderful, happy animals, and the "life" that this family has breathed into their farmhouse. Bravo!
A little slice of Heaven...thank you, thank you for throwing the doors open for us to visit!
I absolutely Love the house and grounds :-) Well done !
What a stunning farm/home you have designed and decorated. A real tribute to the non-conformists... those of us who enjoy different ages , colors and the nod to a "bit" of antique clutter. Hats off...agreat job.
while this farmhouse would definitely be a delight to visit, i could not stay long in this noisy environment of over stimulating color and decorative arts. i like classy and calming. but the farm animals and pets always tickle me in a million ways, and i envy them the farm atmosphere and land.
Stunning. This evokes so much joy. Thank you for sharing.
Well lookee here. This isn't cookie cutter recipe following. These are people who have not only money and natural light (which are sort of par for the int design feature), but taste and the time to express it as well. About the only thing I'd raise my eyebrows at is the red porch. I can't handle red walls anymore. They're *still* everywhere in the West Outer Mongolia hinterlands where I live. Yuck. Everything else is pretty savvy.
I'm a white/cream/pastel color lover but you have "nailed" this as it's amazing! Thanks for sharing your beautiful home.
The "mish mash that works" is sophisticated taste. Decorators say that good decorating is a compilation of eclectic taste using old and new.
@arizonasnoopy Inside the rack underneath the top spine there are two angled holes called pocket holes, and one more at the bottom inside of each wing. This hole style does two important things: keeps the mounting holes hidden and avoids ugly brackets for class and creates a strong sharktooth effect at each connection point. Send me your email address and I'll see if I can get you some photos of how it was done. ucreativething@gmail
@kbk51158 I'll see if I can get you some photos this week.
@arizonasnoopy If you look closely you can see an interior hole at the rear bottom point. There is one on each side and a couple at the top. Any homeowner with a drill can join this way. A company called Kreg Jig makes an inexpensive shortcut tool. Get one at Lowes, Home Depot or online. Just follow the directions and watch a video or two...you'll be an expert in no time. In this case the wall was panelled an thus allowed for strong mounting wherever we wanted. If your substraight is not as tough, such as sheetrock, you'll have to find studs or pre-mount a board to mount the rack to. Remember, its holding a big 'ol saddle so you want integrity. In fact, you can see in the photo that the rack pieces themselves (mitered to 30° I think) were joined in the same manner. They our simple and easy, but strong...will support just about anything you throw at them. We since added a thin bottom to each rack...Gany realized she would like to store dressage helmets inside. Let me know if you have any more Qs!
I love reading all about a local in Houzz. It's not what I expected from a South Florida farm, but I love that you made it your own. Bravo!
@adkslade We might consider doing Bed and Barn for travelers with their horses. We work close with Dagge Dressage and DM Show Jumping who always have international students flying in and would like to stay close to their premises. Or just come in for a weekend and lessons at their barn.
Not one, but two Big Chill fridges. Wow!
You are living my dream!
It's visually too busy for me, but I admire the color and energy in their home, especially that red fridge!
What a lovely little paradise! Everything oozes character, a happy marriage of bold colors and original DIY work.
Reading about the wood-like floortiles, I just wondered couldn't this be something also for a kitchen worktop?
@arizonasnoopy We always aim to make things one-of-a-kind and creative, but at times also like to be able to design for speed. That let's us make awesome stuff for folks that don't have a lot...we think everyone should love where they live, rich and poor. We believe happiness in ones environment promotes life contentment and allows people to identify and focus on the things that really matter in life, rather than feeling the need to run out and buy a future garage sale object every time they are feeling bad. You would be amazed at what can be done with that tool and how satisfying it is to have an idea and be able to design and create it with your own two hands (although I never want to discourage anyone from asking me to do it :-) I have a good relationship with @kregjig but sometimes I wonder if they even realize what can be accomplished by even the novice with their little jig. I have so many outside-the-box, simple design and fabrication tips to share with folks, told from an artsy creative point of view, that I don't see in online videos...but am too busy partying with @bluestallionfarm!
@kbk51158 Here is that photo of the kittly litter friendly handmade utility sink.
Thank you Curtis Spoertein!
Wood and whimsy... wonderful!
My dream!
What a beautiful bright home! Love that there are so many colours and they all still work together.
Sorry, but the only room that appeals to me is the tack room - orderly. Too many colours for my taste.
Not my style, well except the green room, but to each his/her own and they definitely made it their own!
Wow! Heaven on earth! That's what this dream of a farm is! Much happiness to this inspiring family! And poo poo to all the naysayers!
At last, a home on Houzz with some character and life about it. Beautiful :)
Very colourful. Lovely grounds.
My idea of the perfect life.
How refreshing to find this personal home instead of the ubiquitous, grey-painted, slick, London, ubiquitous architect cold homes that are being featured recently.
What a fantastic exuberant home. It seems so relaxed, friendly and fun
I love this farmhouse...so creative with heartfelt spirit in all of the rooms. My favorites are the dining table and that glorious red fridge!!!! Thanks so much for inviting us in!
Gorgeous
A happy home - you can hear the corks popping.
Wonderful, vibrant yet relaxing and obviously a very happy family home.
Total contrast with the previous article!
Love it, A touch of NZ. lots here like that.. the colours are fabulous
So much beauty in this home!
Very nice, love the colors!
For those wondering, a zebu is a subspecies of cattle characterized by a hump on their back and sometimes drooping ears. If you have more than one zebu, you have zebus, :)
The lighting in the video made the place look cluttered, disjointed and garish, but the natural lighting in the still photos flattered the home, and offered cohesion. While I admire the craftsmanship of the custom plywood shelving throughout, I thought it was far too much of a good thing. So much hard, angular geometry thrown in with a multi-culti stew of knick-knacks, color combinations and furniture styles. As a huge fan of eclectic decorating, Abigail Ahern and British whimsy, this place, while clearly demonstrating a full and soulful lifestyle, lacked an artist's eye for restraint, tension, scale, proportion, negative space and the like. I'm thankful at the end, however, to witness such a residence. Keep 'em coming.
Thank you, Gany, for sharing your wonderful home with us. All the colors and interesting designs make my heart sing! Best wishes and shalom! Molly / L.A.
For an individual who is totally into nature and stuff this can be a delightful one. It is worth to give it a shot for my ranch back in Texas. Very inspiring story indeed. Zuffa Home
I love everything about this house and how everything falls into place with a story to tell, its great !
This is so inspiring. You and your family have created a paradise - and it's so comfortable and looks like so much fun with all your furry and feathered friends. Thank you for being so kind to share it with readers.
Absolutely beautiful in every way! Thanks so much for sharing! Your love for your family, friends, pets and surroundings really shines through! Blessings to you all and to your talented artist/designer/craftsman who helped you put it all together! :-)
What a beautiful job they have done fitting each and every piece to the place in which it is located, even the bed with its barn-door backdrop. I love it and would love this piece of land for a small farm.
What a wonderful dream-come-true lifestyle. Love the whole well-thought-out cozy comfy colorful vibe and the successful collaboration with their carpenter. But for me the pig is the star of the show!
Beautiful story, the kids are having an experience they will never forget. Love the whole family and the house and barn. Wonderful life.
Beautiful woman and beautiful life.
I love how they saw the potential in this home. I probably would have turned back when I saw the heavy dark doors. Very nice!
What a beautiful family! Loved everything about their attitude, their style and their animals :)
So happy for this family. I'm lpoking to do screen/barn doors for way to hide my kitchen, did you use any special hardware or just standard hardware from barn supply store
Truly an inspiring, invigorating and authentic lifestyle.
Thanks for sharing this beautiful slice of paradise - I don't see this house as being "decorated" - I see it as being filled with pieces of love and I think the homeowner is quite an artist - unique - following her own style and passions. THE whole place is a work of art in process -from the barn - animal pets - collections of beautiful colored glass - it's all a living piece of art. AND you can tell it's a labor of love!
One of the best Houzz video profiles ever! I love Gany's sense of style and the fantastic way she has combined disparate elements in her home. A great house to LIVE IN - joyful and personal. And a special thanks to the family for sharing their lives with us.
Thank you for sharing your beautiful home and life! I have somewhat the same dream and this has inspired me to go for it! Thanks again.
Beautiful . I pray for the family's well being, long life, and and ALL the blessings. you guys are angels. i love you for the love you show for everything especially animals . your dogs,cats, pig, horses, hens --- wow you guys deserve to live forever. Continue the wonderful life. you are already blessed. most of us would like to have a life like you, but its not to be because the blessed are the only ones blessed. love you guys. you will be in my prayers forever
Utterly charming, loved everything about the warmth and inviting atmosphere created here ... a genius homemaker for people and pets - hearty congratulations to you all
Truly a home with heart and character. I admire the property and the family that lives there and loves it. I am also so happy to see the love and kindness with which all of the animals are treated....does my heart good!
Thanks to Houzz for introducing me and others to your wonderful world - best wishes!
A lovely expression of lovely people. What a fabulous place to grow up in and come home to! And I'm imagining lots of very happy grandkids exploring one day.
Wonderful and eclectic personal style. You can tell that there is lots of love in their home.
Everything
about this home speaks volumes about Gany herself & the love & warmth
of her family life. There is such a vast array of creative design ideas incorporated
into not only very original & useful organizational tools but with the added
benefit of the beautiful character of self-expression. First my eyes immediately
took me to the light green tinted 40’s style refrigerator & I believe dishwasher.
They reminded me of the style my mother had & I think it was in the forties
or early fifties I love the open shelving in the kitchen to display the beauty
of her collections and have done the same in my own. I was a bit hesitant at
first but now am very pleased with the result & have received complements
on the look. There are too many clever ideas to name them all but the dog bed
hidden under the bed & the kitty litter box are just two that I found
unique. The old barns doors that slide & are pained the rustic deeper blue
tone placed behind the bed in her bedroom are to me the stand out feature that
I really love. I thoroughly enjoyed this 8 minute video that took me out of my
world and into hers.
Beautiful home, full of life and harmony
Thank you so much for sharing. Your family and your farm are both beautiful. My dream!
This is the greatest house I've ever seen. I wish I had the courage to do this to my own place.
I love the sliding shutters in the bedroom. I just had an inspiration for a sliding shutter in a tiny house that I would like to build someday. Lovely, peaceful home!
Could you tell me what make the kitchen sink is?
Your home is the definition of a home. Some of the features are so beautifully created the barn doors behind your master bed. The mastiff's bed. I was suprized to see a cat box on a farm, the idea and design is great. Tack room is a wonderful use of space. Thank You for sharing your home.
Be still my heart. Those blue doors, the farmhouse kitchen, those chicken coops... your home is as beautiful as your personal story. Just wonderful!
I love what you guys did in your house, barn chicken area, and I love the pool. This is awesome.
USDF Connection! Who woulda thunk it on HOUZZ!
Since the return of modern austerity, I thought I was the lone ranger regarding supposed "clutter and/or busyness" until I saw YOUR amazing home! It reflects your life and your joy. I hope you keep evolving, reflecting and continuing your incredible spirit. Afterall, a home should take forever and never be "finished".
Hanging out with chickens before they go to bed, SUBLIME! The turquoise couch rocks.
What a little slice of pure Heaven you have created for your family, thanks for sharing.
It looks like a. Ideal lifestyle enjoy thanks for sharing
Some may think this is too busy and cluttered, but I love the color and interesting decor and storage solutions and all those animals! Wonderful place that I would never want to leave.
I have a cat and dog and this looks stunning!
I love it! Minimalists and clean freaks can suck it.
Two year old article posted as though new?
Oops! Not sure where all the ‘junk’ that precedes my words came from....kindly excuse.