STORY BY GAY LYONS | PHOTOGRAPHY BY BEN FINCH

Scott and Annette Brun’s updated home sits on four acres minutes from Kingston Pike in Farragut. The home, built in 1951, was the first home constructed in the neighborhood.

“It used to be a dairy farm,” said Annette, “so the soil is good. The house wasn’t great, but we wanted flat land. We liked the potential.”

Scott and Annette, Ohio natives who met at Scripps Networks, bought the house in 2006 and moved in after they were married in 2007. Annette is currently working in Protocol and Community Relations at Oak Ridge National Laboratory; Scott is a freelance video producer.

For the renovations, Scott and Annette enlisted architect Randall DeFord. They turned the original garage into an office/library and “bumped out” a foyer in front, a room for their dogs in back and nooks in two guest rooms. They created a master suite which includes a walk-in closet that leads to the laundry room.

The biggest addition was the porch which dominates the front of the house, which Annette describes as her “happy place.”

Another addition was a three car garage, home to “Scott’s toys” and his workshop. The second floor of the garage is “the manattic,” a portmanteau word for the space created especially for Scott. The space, filled with collected items including a mannequin named Manny and a working scoreboard, includes full bath and kitchenette and is also used as a guest house.

Recently Scott and Annette asked Craig Shelton and Chris Davis of The Drawing Room in Bearden for help.

“We told Chris and Craig we just want to brighten it up,” said Annette. “They came out and the first thing they did was the porch. Then they removed layers of nastiness from the [stone] fireplace [in the living room.]

“The kitchen was dark,” said Annette. “Dark walls, dark cabinets, dark backsplash.” Painting the kitchen cabinets and replacing the countertops and backsplash brightened the space. The original kitchen cabinets were painted a shade darker than the walls. Furniture covered in solid, light fabrics completes the look.

“Chris and Craig said, ‘Don’t go crazy with patterns; you’ll get tired of it,’” said Annette.

The result is an open, inviting space that mixes different neutrals and textures.

“It’s a comfortable place for people who like to spend time at home,” said Annette. “Everything’s very casual.

Scott’s the cook in the family. He can cook, and I can sit in the living room. It’s not a huge space.”

Annette and Scott do all the work on the property themselves and enjoy collecting items to complement the outdoor spaces. Rustic garden implements are combined with bird houses and bird baths to create a tranquil oasis filled with the sounds of birds.

“It’s been a labor of love,” she said. “Scott will see me sitting on the porch and say, ‘You think you’re chilling, but you’re figuring out what needs doing."