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Brit Morin, the veritable Martha Stewart of the tech generation, stopped into the Lowe's on Bayshore Boulevard last Saturday. She was there to demonstrate —and to lend a helping hand with— her 15-minute, coat rack DIY. It was an early start to the morning and yet Brit entered the home improvement emporium looking polished, baby bump and all, in an olive green jumpsuit. "My husband doesn't like the jumpsuit look," Brit divulged to us. "But women dress up for other women." The Brit + Co founder also gave us a few home decor pointers and local shopping tips, including every girl's must-have from Lowe's.
We noticed on your site that you also teamed up with Lowe's to build an edible garden. How long did that project take?
The garden took two to three weeks of building. We actually just harvested it for the first time. The zucchini were huge.
And how's the process of decorating your new home in Mill Valley?
It's had its challenges. My husband thinks he's a designer so our first marriage battle was over how to design the house. But we compromised: I took over the kitchen renovation in exchange for him to design the master bath.
How did you design your kitchen then?
I chose to add floor-to-ceiling tiles, wood floors, a Viking range, concrete counter tops, and walnut cabinets.
Where do you shop for your home?
I like unique products from small indie sellers—anything with a story. Locally, I like to shop at Heath Ceramics, David Bina in Mill Valley, Dzine for modern furniture, and thrift stores in the Mission.
Would you give us three easy tips for updating the home?
First: change up the walls by rearranging art or adding decals instead of wallpaper.
Second: rearrange the furniture—it really changes the look of the room. And every season, I change the rugs and the pillows in my house.
Third: Repurpose items and think outside the box—for example, use a ladder was a bookshelf.
And what's the one item you'd suggest that every woman own for her DIY projects?
A Dewalt drill. I think it's great for every woman to experience a drill.
What's next for Brit + Co?
Our e-classes are going really well. We offer everything from electronic tutorials to caligraphy. It's all about empowering our community of makers and designers. We also launched an e-commerce aspect to the site that's connected to our store in Union Square. That's also where the Makeshop is located. And our annual, two-day event Remake is around the corner—it's happening from September 12 through 13 at Fort Mason.
· Brit + Co [Official Site]
· Lowe's [Official Site]
· DIY Website Brit + Co. Gets $6.3 Million Investment [Racked SF]