A welcoming Jones Street home is filled with art, antiques and history
Written by MARY FITZGERALD
Photography by MICHAEL SCHALK
THE ONLY THING the homeowners of this historic house on Jones Street love more than researching, sourcing and acquiring fine antiques and artwork is sharing their passion with others. In fact, Vance Peacock and Darren Bryenton, partners at architecture firm Peacock Bryenton Bayne, recently opened their home to do just that during the Savannah Antiques & Architecture Weekend, sponsored by The National Society of The Colonial Dames of America. As visitors walked from room to room, the homeowners expounded upon the unique history of every item, relaying its provenance — where it was purchased, its previous owners, who the maker was and its historical significance. Every piece in their home holds a story.
More than a hobby, collecting is a shared vocation for the couple. They have been amassing and curating their collection over many years, purchasing from the finest dealers, antiques shops and auction houses.
Now retired, Peacock has returned to his hometown of Savannah after working in Michigan for Gulf Stream/Chrysler with a stint at an international company in Southeast Asia. Bryenton hails from Prince Edward Island in Canada and has a background in television and film. They both love Savannah for its charm and hospitality but, more importantly, for its history.
They purchased the circa-1850 home in 2017 but didn’t move in full-time until 2019. There was a lot of work to be done to the 7,850-square-foot structure, but fortunately, tackling a home renovation was nothing new to this pair — they previously restored a 1913 French Arts & Crafts style home in Michigan.
However, the Savannah residence presented an entirely different set of challenges. The former owner had purchased the home for his daughter, who was attending the Savannah College of Art and Design, and it was set up more like a dormitory than a home — divided up into five condominiums with five kitchens, five bathrooms, five laundry rooms and seven systems for heating, ventilation and air conditioning.
Peacock and Bryenton have worked systematically to convert the historic home back to its original glory as a private residence, setting up camp on the lower level while tackling the main floor and the carriage house. (The penthouse is rented out, and the second floor is currently reserved for guests.) Just this year, the parlor level was finally complete for the couple to inhabit, enjoy and share with friends and family. They were more than ready to unpack their tucked-away treasures and begin showcasing these prized possessions.
When asked how they decide where and how their art and antiques should best be displayed, Peacock quickly answers, “They’ve always kind of found their place. Things just gravitate to where they ought to be.” Bryenton adds, “You have to be creative. We change things around all the time. We will go in and fill a room and then say, ‘Let’s Sister Parish this room,’ and we will take a bunch of things out and fine-tune the room.”
“We try to be really sensitive about what we do, not just ripping out the old. The house has withstood this long.”
— Darren Bryenton, homeowner
Greeting visitors in the front hallway, a collection of Continental and American livestock paintings lines the Farrow & Ball Hague Blue walls. The gold-framed oils have monikers like “Samson” and “Twin Beast.” The couple maintains detailed records of each piece they acquire. For example, for one of the paintings, they have notes on the name of the heifer, what ribbons it won in its lifetime, who fed it and where and when it was slaughtered. They are both so knowledgeable, with an encyclopedia of information at the ready for every piece. How does Peacock keep all the facts in his head? “I just do,” he says.
A piece that clearly holds pride of place for Peacock is a chest he acquired from Arthur Smith Antiques in Savannah in 1986. He proudly recalls that this was his first significant purchase — the first of many.
The parlor houses important American folk art, including portraits, furniture and cherished duck decoys. Well-known artists of the 18th and 19th centuries are represented, including Horace Bundy, Joseph Badger and Joseph Whiting Stock — painters who can be found in such prestigious museums as the Metropolitan in New York and the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C.
A pair of American, green-painted Windsor chairs, previously represented by Leigh Keno’s auction house, were purchased from Christie’s. Keno is recognizable as the American antiques expert and appraiser for PBS’s “Antiques Roadshow” and served as this year’s keynote speaker for Savannah Antiques & Architecture Weekend. When he stopped by the Jones Street house on the tour, he spotted the chairs. “He said, ‘I want these chairs again,’” Peacock jokes.
Pointing out a circa 1730–1760 Connecticut Highboy, Peacock says, “This piece is one of my favorites because it’s been untouched.” A true collector knows that a piece is far more valuable in its original state, and the couple recognizes the beauty in the imperfections. “It’s missing its moulding, but that doesn’t bother me,” Peacock notes. He explains that things like burn marks, missing hardware and patina from years of wear authenticate a piece, demonstrating that its beauty has withstood the test of time.
Anchoring the dining room, an English William & Mary dining table with barley twist legs dates back to the 1600s. “I’d like to think that people who came to Savannah originally might have brought things like this from England,” Peacock says.
The original back porch, off the dining room, was enclosed years before the couple arrived and partitioned into tiny spaces: a cramped galley kitchen, laundry room and closet. “We brought it down to the boards again,” Bryenton says. They leveled the floor and installed a one-inch-thick sandstone tile for stability. A wet bar, equipped with a refrigerator, dishwasher and ice machine, was installed, and they added a powder room.
Floor-to-ceiling bookcases were built to house their extensive book collection. A silk stripe lines the back of the bookcases, and Bryenton pulled the spice-inspired wall color (Benjamin Moore’s Goldsmith) from that fabric. “The mood changes in this room during the day,” Bryenton says. “In the morning, when the sun is back here, it is beautiful and bright. At dusk, it becomes this really lovely mellow color.”
“The mood changes in this room during the day. In the morning, when the sun is back here, it is beautiful and bright. At dusk, it becomes this really lovely mellow color.”
— Darren Bryenton, homeowner
They were purposely daring with their paint selections in this home, and the risk paid off. Their previous home was more subdued, but Bryenton found “a lot of our pieces were disappearing into walls.” The strong hues enhance the artwork, and, as Bryenton is quick to note, “it’s only paint. This is the time to play.”
Leading from the library to the courtyard, a pair of stone greyhounds (a birthday gift from Bryenton to Peacock) guard the original stone steps. In the garden, twin follies, designed and built by the couple, provide shelter during cold winters and relief in the hot Savannah summers. When they purchased the house, this area was completely overgrown. “It was Jurassic-looking,” Bryenton says. They redesigned the space but kept the original Savannah gray brick. “We try to be really sensitive about what we do, not just ripping out the old,” he adds. “The house has withstood this long.”
The carriage house serves as an office space downstairs and guest quarters upstairs. Two large murals by Jonathan D. Poor hang in the office. They were salvaged from a Maine house before it was torn down, and the couple had them shipped south. The murals date back to 1840 — a decade before the Jones Street home was even built.
Living with antiques and living in an older home requires a certain mindset, reverence and patience. “You have to enjoy the imperfections in these old houses,” Bryenton says. “If you don’t, find a new build.” The couple admits the home will always be a work in progress, but they believe by preserving this home and their collections, they are safeguarding a bit of history. “We are stewarding these things into the next generation,” Peacock says.
DETAILS
- Homeowners: Vance Peacock and Darren Bryenton
- Neighborhood: Downtown Design District
- Year built: circa 1850
- Year purchased: 2017
- Timeline of renovation: 2017 to present
- Number of bedrooms/bathrooms: 6 bedrooms, 5 bathrooms
- Square footage: 7,850
- Interior design: homeowners
- Furniture: homeowners’ own collection
- Paint: Farrow & Ball; Benjamin Moore
- Lighting: antique; vintage; Visual Comfort & Co.
- Windows/doors: original and added antique doors/shutters
- Bathroom sink: Stone Forest carved Carrera marble
- Door knobs: HRLBrass
- Wet bar appliances: Sub-Zero; U-Line; Miele; Wolf
