A Very Brady Renovation on HGTV – Takeaways and Inspiration

The Brady Bunch show started airing the year I was born!  Told my age there.  But having three older sisters I watched every single episode at least 10 times growing up.  I even attended one of their concerts in the late 1970’s and can remember the crazy bright green, orange, and yellow jumpsuits they wore.  Like lots of people in America, the Brady Bunch kids were like family and their house is etched in our childhood memories.  The recent reveal by HGTV of the Very Brady Renovation episodes will certainly inspire a few interior designs.

 

 

That house could be why I have loved mid-century modern decor since design school.  Childhood memories of watching that show influenced my favorite design style.

 

 

So did you watch the shows on HGTV ?  You wont’ be disappointed.  It is both entertaining and brings back lots of memories.  At least for me it did.

I am also a big design geek so of course I absorbed every little detail of the spaces.  I loved how they searched every available thrift store and online auction to find every little item needed to recreate the rooms.

As a designer, I can already see how the renovation of this famous house is going to influence design styles in the next year or so.   So below are some of my takeaways from the 4 episodes and the 2 bonus episodes and how it is going to inspiration design trends and how you can bring some of the same features to your own home.

 

 

Let’s Talk About Those Walls!

Wood paneled walls are going to show up in interiors again.  But not the cheesy photographed version people installed in the 1970s (which I still have in my house) but more like the custom paneled walls they created in the show.  Designers are going to have walls painted in dark colors and custom wood stained panels installed over it.

This is much different than the Farmhouse style shiplap walls which are boards painted in bright whites and installed horizontally.  This wall treatment has now become a classic style and is not going anywhere anytime soon.  But you will see more and more vertical paneled walls coming back in wood tones.

 

Stone fireplaces and stone accent walls just might make an appearance in a few homes but it won’t be as prevalent as the paneled walls.

Bring back the wood tones on furniture.

Second, restoring old furniture instead of painting over the worn features will be more acceptable.  Mid-century furniture celebrated the natural wood tones in furniture and more and more home owners will opt to restore the wood texture in furniture instead of covering it up with paint.  Especially if the piece has the clean and straight lines of mid-century style.

 

Those orange and avocado kitchen colors!

 

 

Shades of orange and avocado will be back in homes but with more softer tones and shades.  You have to admit that the iconic kitchen colors of the Brady Bunch House just would be overwhelming in today’s homes as a stand alone space.  What I think is that you will see more modern and softer shades of those colors.

For example, Behr’s new Color of the Year for 2020 is called Back to Nature.

 

 

It is NOT avocado but it is certainly in the same color family.

If you go to Home Depot in the next few weeks, they have been changing out the paint sample display to the 2020 colors and you will see several similar shades of green and a beautiful orange called Rumba Orange.  It is a much more pleasing and comfortable version of the avocado and orange shades of the 1970s.

 

Lamps!

One of the biggest challenges in recreating the 1970s interiors for the Brady House was the lamps.  The episodes showed Lara Spencer and several of the Brady actors shopping at thrift stores and online to source the retro and unique lamps for the master bedroom, the family room, and the living room.  I know it was stressful but also very rewarding to find those lamps from 50 years ago.

 

 

Those lamps were such a conversation piece for the episodes that I can already envision that large scale lamps in retro styles are going to make a comeback in online stores.

 

 

Thrift store are going to see a rise in mid-century furniture sales.

Thrift store shopping is going to see a boost in sales.  Vintage mid-century furniture is not easy to find and in good condition.  I am very fortunate that Knoxville, TN has several small boutiques that sell refurbished mid-century furniture, accessories, and light fixtures.

For example, my 1960’s Burke Tulip Table which is the exact same table the Brady house had in the kitchen just not in the orange and avocado colors.

 

 

 

 

Earlier this year, I also found my Dixie Furniture console and dresser that was part of my 2019 Spring One Room Challenge.

 

 

During our shopping trips we found two 1960 retro light fixtures that I have yet to show you. Don’t worry, as soon as I finish the rooms that they are for you will see them next year.

Even if you aren’t convinced to bring a little bit of the Brady House inspiration in to your own house, I still recommend you watch the 6 episodes of how HGTV brought that house to life.  It is not only entertaining and fun to watch, but brought such an insight to what that show and that house meant to my generation.

 

Enjoy!

Colossians 3:23 “Whatever you do, do it enthusiastically as something done for the Lord and not for men.”