Mid-Century Majesty

Bill Brewer has lived in the quiet town of Paragould, Ark., all his life. He’s seen houses built, remodeled, torn down … including the beautiful home he shares with wife Diane.

The Brewers' home was built in the 1960s by Bill Gatz; he and his wife had 10 kids. Bill Brewer grew up across the street and watched as the house was built. He and the Gatz’s oldest son were friends.

“I remember when the rock came in from Mexico. It was a big deal,” Bill said. The home’s construction took two years and during that time, Bill and the other kids played in and around the site.

Eventually the Gatz family moved and Brewer’s parents purchased the home; when they decided to downsize he purchased the home from them. Bill and Diane remolded the home three years ago, leaving the layout of the living and dining rooms, but redesigning the kitchen for functionality and reconfiguring the bedrooms to fit their needs, as it’s just the two of them.

“Initially we were just going to redo the master bedroom and bath — it still had the ‘60s grass paper on the wall, and Bill was using a set of vice grips to turn on the shower,” Diane said, laughing, “But we talked about it, and Bill said ‘if you don’t do it now, we’re not going to do it.'”

So the renovation began. They added windows to the dining room and kitchen to allow more natural light, updated their kitchen appliances and rearranged the kitchen.

“We added an opening between the den and kitchen. Bill’s one request was a great stove,” Diane said. She’d saved pictures and ideas from articles, and the couple visited several home shows for ideas. The result is a well-designed kitchen with granite counters, tumbled tile backsplashes, an island with seating for three and a great stove with a convenient pot filler.

The large powder room features an Asian theme with red wallpaper, black cabinets and white marble countertops. Its original white tiles are repeated in the guest bath.

The Brewer home has three stories. The upper level includes a guest suite; a third guest room is located on the main level.

The renovation included shortening the main hall by 15 feet or so and eliminating two bedrooms and a bath to create a dream master suite.

Diane once toured the home as a part of a Christmas parade of homes. “It had this really long hallway and all this white carpet. I remember thinking ‘who vacuums all that carpet,’” she said, laughing. The carpet has since been replaced with hand-scraped hickory wood floors.

“We had a lot of room and a lot of rooms that we didn’t need, so we changed it to fit our lifestyle,” Bill said.

The chamber now has an “a.m. kitchen” complete with a toaster, coffee maker, microwave and dishwasher — a convenience to be envied. What was once a “her” master closet is now the “a.m. kitchen,” the “his” master closet is now Bill’s office. These two rooms are located off the master sitting room, which is furnished with a pair of easy chairs and coordinating sofa. Built-ins flank the room’s fireplace and add to the cozy feeling. Just beyond is the master’s sleeping quarters, which are handsomely appointed. The master bath features a soaker Jacuzzi tub, his and her sinks, a large shower, an in-mirror television, water closets and a vanity. This leads to the expansive master closet, complete with built-ins, enclosures and a door to the linen closet and another to the hall is conveniently located across from the laundry.

The Brewers have been married for four years, so, of course, they both owned furniture, which they've blended for a cohesive design. Asian and American, modern and traditional designs are well melded, and the color scheme of blacks, crèmes, white and gold are prevalent.

The Gatz’s original design included several fun factors, such as the extra long hall, which was built for a bowling alley, and a shooting galley in the lower level. These “toys” are long gone; and now the lower level rec room has comfortable seating, including a set of red “easy living” chairs on either side of the fireplace, which is identical to one in the upper level den, a bar with a working soda fountain, a wrapping room and a repurposed projection/dark room, which Diane uses as a silver closet.

The house originally included a lower-level boiler room that used water to heat and cool the home. This space is now used for storage. The house also has a dumbwaiter, which the Brewers use nearly everyday to convey garbage to and groceries from the garage.

The exterior of the Brewer house is no less impressive. Bill replaced the basketball and hopscotch courts with a pool several years ago. It’s surrounded by a number of wrought iron chairs and tables. Steps lead to an upper level outdoor kitchen, fireplace and seating area. This area along with a paved parking pad makes the backyard virtually carefree.

One of the many bonuses of the master suite is a large screened-in porch complete with seating for six to eight; it’s an ideal space for watching television, to enjoy a meal, watch the sunrise or simply appreciate an evening breeze.