I have always loved beauty.
Beauty in nature, beauty in people, beauty in fashion, and always, beauty in design.
I'm Bethany and I wanted to tell you the story of how I fell in love with design and decor. It's taken me some time to get where I'm at today. I'm so happy to share it with you today!
When James and I purchased our first home in 2007 it was a foreclosure. Our budget for our first home was not very much *ahem* at all. I was pregnant with our first baby, and I can remember going into homes that would literally make me vomit. Homes where countertops had been taken off, and where people had made huge holes in the walls. This is what you get when you're looking at foreclosures. But what we found was not what we were expecting. It was adorable!
When we walked into our home on Durango Street, it was like a breath of fresh air! Bright yellow and rich red walls were abundant. Dog stained carpet, dirty appliances, and no bathroom on the first level (for real). But hey, we had countertops! We were beginning our second chapter together. Starting our family, turning a small house into our first home. I was in heaven and in nesting mode! I was 37 weeks pregnant when we moved into the house and James and my mother in law did most of the painting. I remember being so swollen and laying on my NEW COUCH (that was our first couch of maybe 897 that were to come, (I have a weird thing about couches), and I remember thinking "This is the life. This is my dream." I picked out my own wall colors and my own decor. This was amazing. Being 38 weeks along and having horrific preeclampsia, that part was not fun, but the nesting, that was fun! Folding tiny baby clothes and hanging teddy bear wallpaper, that was my joy.
We had one more son in that home (not in that home, in the hospital, but you get my drift) and then realized it was time to move. This home was not going to fill the needs of our growing family. So the hunt began. This time we were able to buy a new build. Here's where the fun really began.
I was able to go to a design center and pick out what I wanted! Yes, please. We still didn't have a very high budget and I refused to invest in any upgrades. We used our "incentive money" to upgrade the countertops (granite, WHAT IS THIS LIFE), the flooring (laminate, bad laminate, mind you), and an upgraded finish on the cabinets (I chose cherry and to this day I don't know what I was thinking). This was a dream come true. New carpet, new appliances, new furnace, new AC. Everything was new and it was fantastic. We began with very minor changes. Paint and decor. Then we dove into the backyard. It was completely unfished, just a massive hill of dirt. The majority of all of our renovations went into that yard and the basement.
We made those spaces pretty! We loved that home. As time went on we ended up finishing the basement. My first ever design project. I poured every ounce of my creativity into it. And it was gorgeous. These photos, don't do it justice. You're just going to have to take my word for it. It was gorgeous, and still is, I'm assuming...
I found this old door a friend was selling and refinished it with my father in law, and now I'm mad we didn't bring it with us! The original handle!!! But hey, you live and learn!
We didn't have the basement finished for very long when we decided it was time to find forever. We looked for over a year, these things take time. And what we wanted wasn't easy to find. At all.
We were looking for our forever house on land. Land isn't impossible to come by where we live in Colorado, but it's certainly not cheap. Right around the corner from us are 2 acres for sale with no utilities on it for $275K. So yeah, not cheap land.
We didn't look at very many houses. We did nearly build a custom home on 10 acres east of where we live now. But it didn't work out. All for the better. Our realtor took me to see a house on just about 2 acres in our current city. When we drove into our neighborhood I just about died. I had no idea this was here! All of the houses are gorgeous (mostly ranch style) on land! It was residential land. Impossible! Mind you, we are not land seekers because we are farmers.....
The home she showed me a was a hard "NO". I called it the clown house, because of a creepy unexcavated part of the basement. My heart sang when friends of our's purchased it and ripped it to the studs. You should see their reno! Talk about an architectural renovation. Amazing.
But while I was complaining to the realtor about how hard it is to find what we wanted she told me there was another home for sale in the neighborhood and we should get look at it. It was only $75K above our budget, so sure, that sounds "fun". When we drove up the pothole filled driveway my draw dropped and I literally gasped. Unobstructed mountain views. The house backs to 2 family farms and a horse farm. It feels like the middle of the country. But's it 4 minutes from the grocery store.
I couldn't believe it was still on the market. And had been for a really long time! We walked in the front door and I saw forever. The smell hits you first. Dogs, lots of dogs. Then the emerald green carpet, super damaged hardwood, knotty yellow oak kitchen, orange ceilings, and an awkward layout. I saw nothing but potential.
And it was over. We negotiated the price way down, bought the home and the renovations began. We were in for the ride of our lives and things don't ever go to plan. But, we will leave it there for now. I have many stories to tell of how Bethany Brittenham Interiors came to be.
But this, this was the beginning.
This is the journey of how I got my quirky, painted, white brick, dream home.
So the real fun begins!
Cheers, friends!
