We spent the day with surfer Bruna Schmitz at her Redondo Beach home. Bruna told us about what it’s like to hunker down at home and how she took on a huge outdoor building project to bring a wellness sanctuary into her home.
SLOWTIDE: This is the first home you and Dane bought together! What attracted you to the home initially and was it love at first sight?
BRUNA SCHMITZ: It was definitely the opposite of love at first sight, haha. Dane found the house while I was on a trip. He called saying he was going to look at it with his friend Tommy - I didn’t think anything of it. He then calls again saying that the house has a ton of potential and he was going to put an offer on it. I asked him to send me pics, he sent me the flyer of the house, I will never forget, I got the picture and I cried. The house was so so ugly. I could not see past that.
Dane saw the bigger picture and I'm so thankful for that, because he forced us out of our comfort zone. The offer was accepted and we never looked back.
S: Do you and Dane have similar styles when it comes to design and decor?
BS: We battle on little things here and there, but for the most part we end up compromising and meeting each other halfway. Dane is super into getting the bones of things done, like the big stuff, and he usually leaves the small stuff up to me, like decor, but we always pass everything by each other and make sure we are aligned and love what we're doing.
S: What are your favorite parts of your home?
BS: Dane is a big yard guy, he loves making sure our grass and plants are happy and healthy. I love our kitchen, I love the openness and how we always end up gathering there with friends; it’s definitely the place that brings everyone together. But I would have to say that recently the zauna area is definitely winning for both of us :)
S: What colors, textures, or patterns resonate most with you, and how have you implemented them throughout your home?
BS: When we were discussing the look and feel we wanted to go with, we had thoughts of warm colors, we chose the floor based on the warm feeling it brought. We like clean white with dark small features, wood, and hints of green (plants.) I would say we didn’t adventure that much on pop colors. It's all very cohesive but homey.
S: Having a sauna in your backyard must be a dream, and we saw that you built it yourselves! How important has an at home wellness routine become to you and Dane?
BS: We talked about getting a sauna for over a year. But it seemed like such a huge and expensive commitment, so we would always talk ourselves out of it. We got a few quotes for the deck and the price scared us away. So when Covid hit and we found ourselves at home a lot more, sitting outside a lot more, Dane did some extensive research and one day decided that we were going to build the deck ourselves. I LOVE a good project so I was in. On top of that, our sauna went on sale and it made it all feel so right. We ended up building the deck and the Sauna ourselves, and we spent 1/3 of what was going to cost originally, so that was a very worthwhile desired project to accomplish! And we couldn’t have asked for a better time to have this little wellness haven in our backyard. It's truly been a place to decompress and recharge during this time.
S: You two are avid travelers, what are some of the ways you’ve made home feel like a sanctuary with being here a lot more this year?
BS: The sauna and ice bath was a huge addition this year, we also both got murf electric bikes which was honestly life changing. We bike everywhere, to the beach, dinner, friends, we recently went to Venice and back and it's just been such a nice way to get places while enjoying the journey. I also cook a lot and it's been amazing to eat at home this much and try different recipes, I love trying to remember and recreate meals we ate on our trips.
S: What are some of the activities you both enjoy doing because of the location of your home?
BS: Going to the beach is a huge part of our lives as surfers. Recently biking everywhere has become another really fun hobby. We love trying new different delicious restaurants around town, there is always something fun and new popping up. We love how close we are to the mountains and snowboarding, and something that always made our lives so easy is how close LAX is, traveling is always a breeze.
