Vibrant Colourful Mid-Century Home of Kara Brown

What better way to start the week than with the vibrant colourful mid-century style home of @greathomestaketime winner Kara Brown (aka @karaalexisbrown). It’s brimming with pattern, colour, and stylish finds. All of which have been put together on a budget offering inspiration at every turn. Ready to be inspired?…

Vibrant Colourful Mid-Century Home of Kara Brown

About…

When you look around Kara’s wonderful rainbow colour filled, eclectic home, it comes as no surprise that Kara has a major in art with a focus on printmaking. After graduating, she went on to specialise in painting and working in special events. Today Kara works part-time as a Creative Director for a remodeling company called Imagine Renovations. Married for 16 years with three wonderful boys, Kara has recently started homeschooling full time. A feat in itself don’t you think?!

Mid-Century Modern Style Gem

In 2014, Kara and her husband stumbled across an open house of a beautiful mid-century style gem. It was to be love at first sight. The property had stayed in the same family since it was built in the 1960’s. Fortunately, it had been maintained fairly well with just a little bit of TLC required.

Past, Present, Future…

With a huge open plan living area with lots of natural light and an abundance of storage, it was perfect for their growing family. There was also a musical connection with the property too. When they viewed the house, there was a piano which they got to keep with the house. Kara has played the piano since she was 3 and is an avid lover of music.

Creating a bond with your home isn’t always about the architecture it’s about connecting with our past, present and future loves. They allow us to feel at one with our surroundings. For Kara, the piano is symbolic and part of who she is and is an important attribute to her family home and way of life. Kara has even started teaching her youngest son to play.

We got to keep the piano from the original owners (who were very talented musicians) and it always makes me feel like I have an extra bond with our home.  

Kara Brown

Decor Influences…

We’re often told that how we decorate is comparable to how we dress. I for one have never been able to see the connection with my own style. Subtle, calming shades of green have always been displayed in my home but are non-existent when it comes to my attire. I do, however, believe that for some of us, (myself included), we consciously/subconsciously intertwine of lifes experiences/memories and project them into our interiors.

The spectacularly vibrant colors and modern scenes of Miami had a lasting effect on my style and preferences and I’ve never quite been able to break my love affair with bright pinks and blues!

Kara Brown

Kara’s, love affair with vibrant colour and modern styles exudes from her having lived in Miami, Florida from the age of 3 to Junior High. For me, nature-inspired details are highly precedent in my own home. Fed from my early childhood memories as well as my having been a florist for over 10 years. If you’re looking for a place to start decorating your home, you might want to write down things that you are naturally drawn to and go from there rather than your wardrobe.

Rainbow Vibes

Kara’s eye for colour and pattern is spot on. And I love her play on these two design elements. They really make her home sing, adding a playful happy vibe to it.

I’ve always been drawn to modern spaces, lots of color and the lines of mid-century design.

Kara Brown

Introducing colour and pattern into your home can feel intimidating to some. One design trick that Kara has used is utilising accessories albeit on a range of scales. This fabulous wall hanging (below) ties in beautifully with the rug.

There’s also a play with pattern here as this particular rug with its herringbone design creates the illusion of space as the eye is drawn outwards making the room feel larger. And, in this case, brighter and more vibrant. The differentiating textures Kara has used throughout contrast beautifully too.

Kara’s ability to layer texture to add warmth and cosy vibes works brilliantly and is a designers secret weapon when it comes to creating great spaces.

Being true to herself, Kara’s style is influenced not so much by outside factors but through her own personal experiences. From her love of art to childhood memories of living in vibrant colourful Miami.

There’s also a sense of personalization through her thrifted and upcycled skills.

The neutral walls that predominate throughout are a blank canvas for Kara’s colourful displays. Injecting life, character and interest throughout.

Perfect Colourful Vignettes

A great way to start injecting colour and pattern is through smaller collections. Kara has created perfect vignettes of assorted tableware in her kitchen/dining area.

They may not be able to afford their dream kitchen just yet, but Kara’s displays of defined and sorted coloured tableware, inject life, interest, and character. It’s a great alternative to splashing out hundreds or even thousands when you can hunt down smaller useful accessories to bring joy to your everyday life.

Style Tip: If you’re on a budget seek smaller objects/accessories and group them together to create visual impact. It’s much more cost-effective than larger scale items such as rugs. Choosing objects such as tableware that you use everyday ensures even the smallest detail can bring the greatest of pleasures.

Great Homes Take Time…

With a limited budget, Kara and her husband are tackling smaller projects within their home. Mostly painting until they can afford to renovate the kitchen and bathrooms to their dream spaces.

Kara also has an eye for a bargain. Often up-cycling pieces she finds from garage sales, eBay and the like. It definitely pays to keep an open mind when shopping around. A little creativity with a paint brush can often provide you with a wonderful unique piece.

Using accessories, rugs, and artwork, especially in a home of this size, helps provide definition to their open-plan living areas. Kara’s brilliant use of colour and pattern ensures each area flows from one to the other ensuring a cohesive and fun vibe throughout. Having a rainbow of colours in her styling repertoire ensures that it’s easier and more fun to pick out accessories too!

On A Final Note…

Kara and her husband have created a home that they not only love but more importantly have had fun.

We have thoroughly enjoyed making this house our home and bringing it new life with punches of color throughout.

Kara Brown

Be sure to check out more of Kara’s beautiful home over on Instagram here. And, if you’d like a chance to have your home featured, be sure to play along with @greathomestaketime and follow our hosts.

Photo Credit: All images were taken by the incredibly talented @kimwardphotography

Have a beautiful week and as always, thank you for stopping by!

Maria xx