LIVING SPACES
By Nancy Peevy | Photos by Chadwick Turner
Bentonville Roots
This couple’s home honors their heritage and provides a place to entertain friends and family
Both Michael and Lisa Brewer’s family trees have roots running deep in Bentonville soil. Their Bentonville stories began when both sets of their great-great-great-grandparents moved to the area. Michael’s arrived in 1843, homesteading on Osage Creek. His family farmed and owned all the land from J Street to Rainbow Curve in what is now Bentonville.
Lisa’s and Michael’s dads played Little League Baseball together, with Michael’s grandfather as their coach. Their moms were also best friends and ended up setting Michael and Lisa up on a date. Now, 22 years later, the couple is still going strong.
With so many family connections running through generations, it’s fitting that Michael is president of the Bentonville History Museum.
Proud of their heritage, the Brewers envisioned their new home as a place to celebrate family history and entertain their loved ones.
Photo by Houston Gage
As an ode to their Bentonville legacy, the couple included a mural in their game room, which houses a pool table and a home movie theater. Painted by Jane Davidian, the mural features landmarks throughout the city, including the Terry Block building on the downtown square, the water tower and Old High.
“My family is related to the Terrys,” Michael said. “We include the building because of my lineage and because when Lisa and I were growing up, the Terry Block building was a very iconic building. And it’s one of the oldest buildings that still stands on the square.”
As for the Bentonville water tower, Michael said, “Just about every picture postcard you see of Bentonville has the water tower in it, so it’s a very monumental structure here. I can remember climbing the water tower as a kid when I went to R.E. Baker (Elementary School), and we had to drop an egg in an apparatus we built to try to keep it from breaking.”
Both sets of grandparents and parents graduated from Old High, which the mural features alongside Bentonville High, where Michael and Lisa graduated.
Representing Bentonville’s past is a version of the downtown square from the Brewers’ memories — before it transformed into what exists in the community today. And representing a newer Bentonville is the Ledger building, with its unique architecture and relevance to the ever-growing biking scene.
Since Lisa has worked for Walmart for 29 years, both the old Walmart Home Office and the new campus are pictured. Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art and the area’s trails appear — as well as, of course, a Razorback. “We bleed red,” Michael said, laughing.
Another treasure of the game room is artwork of Mickey Mantle hanging next to the mural. “My grandfather, Fred, grew up with Mickey Mantle, and they played ball in Joplin and Commerce,” Michael said. “This was a picture given to my grandfather for his birthday by Mickey Mantle himself. It says, ‘To my dear friend Fred.’”
The interior of the home is inviting, with warm white walls and furniture that brighten the space and wood beams and flooring that ground it. Gold furniture and hardware paired with marble accents bring a touch of elegance, and soft blue tones bring out the colors in the kitchen island quartz.
One of Lisa’s favorite features in the home is her walk-in closet, complete with a vanity, an island counter, plenty of storage space and a chandelier. It conveniently opens into the laundry room next door.
In a secondary building, connected to the main house by a breezeway, the couple have their own personalized spaces where they spend time and entertain friends.
In Michael’s, an oil painting of Fred and painted lettering that reads “Welcome to Fred’s” greets guests as they enter his hangout. “This is my bourbon bar,” Michael said. “I like to drink bourbon and have friends over, so it’s all about conversation out here.”
With dark colors and wood tones, the room has a cool, speakeasy-like atmosphere. And there is no TV — to ensure everyone is focused on one another. “I named this bar after my grandfather,” Michael said. “It’s a tribute to him that I know he would love. He passed a few years ago but was a lover of reading good books and music. He gave me a love for Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin and all the old music that I love to play and sit with friends and enjoy.”
Lisa’s hangout is just down the curved staircase and offers a completely different mood, with pink chairs, a pink rug, and even a pink toilet and sink in the bathroom. The floor is black-and-pink swirled resin, and a mural of her and her closest friends laughing and enjoying a glass of wine graces one of the walls. “We have lots of laughs down here and just good times,” Lisa said.
When it came time to build on their 2 1/2 acres, the Brewers turned to Oliver Kiesel of O.A.K. Homes & Landscape, who they went to school with growing up. It was a special project all around, as Kiesel also has deep roots in Bentonville. Coming from four generations of builders, O.A.K. has been building homes in the area for 50 years.
“We liked O.A.K. because Oliver was a one-stop shop,” Michael said. “His dad was the architect. He’s very hands-on during the building process, and they’re very easy to work with. They also built our pool and did the landscaping.”
The outdoor space was an important feature for the couple, who love to host pool parties and barbecues. The pool has built-in seating and a tanning ledge for lounge chairs, and the hot tub means they can enjoy the outdoors even in the cooler months.
“We wanted a house that kind of wrapped around the outside, so we can enjoy being outside or inside, regardless what time of year,” Lisa said. “Oliver really helped bring our vision to life.”
Overall, the goal for the Brewers was a home that was the perfect backdrop for creating joy-filled memories with loved ones.
And with two teenage sons, the couple envisions their Bentonville legacy continuing. “Hopefully they’ll start families here, and we’ll just keep it going,” Michael said.
Home Pros Used:
Appliances: Metro Appliances & More
Builder/Landscaping/Pool: O.A.K. Homes & Landscape
Cabinets: C&C Renovations
Concrete/Driveways/Walkways: All in One Concrete
Décor/Furnishings/Fabrics: M Grace at Home
Designer/Interior Decorator: Katelynn Dixon Designs
Fixtures: Ferguson; HOWSE; Wayfair
Flooring: Matt Grogan
Garage Doors: Elite Garage Door Services
Granite/Marble/Tile: Townzen Tile; Pacific Shore Stones
HVAC: H&K Heating & Air, INC.
Masonry/Bricks: NWA Masonry Group
Painting: Dre Painting & Construction, LLC
Plumbing/Fixtures: Ferguson
Shower Doors: Bentonville Glass Inc.
Sound System/Security Cameras/Landscaping Lights: Lockman Consulting LLC/NWA Techs
Windows/Doors: Pella Windows and Doors
Additional Vendors: Movie theater equipment by Willtech Enterprises; outdoor motorized screens by Screenmobile of Northwest Arkansas