A Home Filled With Whimsy and Charm

Some people just ooze creativity, and Bryan Exum is one of those people. A longtime friend, she has always inspired me with her artistic eye and her fabulous sense of fun and whimsy.

Bryan comes from a whole family full of beautiful, artistic, blonde women.  She and each of her sisters had beautiful blonde girls, and all are artistic and eccentric and fabulous.

When she and Larry married in the early 90s, they built a wonderful house tucked away in a cove of trees near Barber Creek. It was to be stucco and rock. We all thought she was crazy at first, but Bryan picked PINK for her stucco color.  Once the house was complete and surrounded by green trees, it all came together beautifully. When you drive into their secret lair, you feel as if you've arrived at a fairy castle.

Larry got a package deal. Bryan came with two gorgeous girls, and the four of them created their home together, blending their belongings into the new home. It is filled with hundreds of family photographs, collections of oriental treasures, Larry's sailing collection and pretty little fun things everywhere you look.

Bryan is a champion at   Her eye for putting together items in complimentary collections is stellar. Walking through their lovely home is a feast for the senses.

Their kitchen is the heart of the home. It is bright and cheery and beautifully wallpapered, which Bryan did. She was a professional paperhanger for years, and that is, in fact, how we became friends. She was my go-to paperhanger for years. She's now retired from that business and surrounds herself with sparkly things at their jewelry store.

I helped her with cute kitchen window treatments, the style of which reflects her personality. The kitchen opens up into a bright pink sunroom full of wicker and more artistic treasures.  Bryan loves the slate floor in that space that resembles the one in her childhood home, which she adored.

The family room is large with a wall of windows looking out at the wooded creek area.  A cozy fireplace is tucked into the corner, but the feature of the room is a large bookcase, Chinese Chippendale style, filled with family photos, collections, books, and sculptures.  The bookcase and all its treasures are one big work of art.

The two-story foyer and staircase presents like an art gallery. Not only does Bryan showcase her collection of the late Alex Perrodin pen and ink and pencil drawings, but she creates a walking gallery all the way up the stairs.  

Especially moving is an entire wall dedicated to her late parents. It is so beautifully put together that the grouping itself is a work of art.

The dining room is something she and I created together.  I did a multi-layered Chinese red glaze on the walls above bright glossy white wainscoting. Just below the crown molding, I stenciled and handpainted metallic gold bamboo, and Chinese words of "family, love, wisdom" and other phrases all around the room.  

I also created the kimono-style window treatments out of shiny gold silk paired with bright green Dupioni silk and accented with an oriental embroidered silk in black.  They were draped over real bamboo rods...gorgeous!

Her talented sister Jane, who is part of a co-op gallery in her South Carolina hometown, paints several of the works featured in Bryan’s home.  

The master bedroom has a spectacular view of the back woods overlooking Barber Creek, which can be seen during winter when the leaves are gone. Year round, that view is the highlight of the room.  I helped Bryan select rich wallpaper for the bed wall, using the coordinate for the adjoining master bath. The bedroom is painted a deep emerald green, which makes it feel like part of the outdoor view.

I am not one to recommend a giant television in the master bedroom, but Bryan even pulls this off.  The black television sitting atop an oriental style dresser is flanked with such creative art groupings, that it seems like part of the collection.

Bryan's favorite of all her collections is her Elvis memorabilia. Elvis is tucked into little nooks and crannies all over the house, but the stairwell to the basement is his main gallery. It is so fun and whimsical. You would not believe the amount of stuff she has placed on those walls.

The basement was a fun haven for the girls when they were younger. It now houses a lounging area, but is mostly Bryan's creative nook. Even her gift-wrapping section is immaculately organized, and her ceramics studio is an artist's dream come true.

When you look at the photos of Bryan's creative collections, perhaps you will be inspired to re-arrange some of your goodies into groupings you never considered before.

Have fun.... and BE INSPIRED!