At Home with Bruce and Shelly Evans

April 1, 2016

By Denise DePaolo

Images by Liz Painter

When it was time to buy a home in their native Rapid City, Bruce and Shelly Evans knew that they wanted to be surrounded by nature. That is what drew them to an 11-acre piece of property just south of town.

It was 1999. The driveway was a city block’s worth of winding gravel, the deck was decaying, and the 1974 house and had never been updated. The Evans’, an orthodontist and a physical therapist, knew it would be a lot of work, but the 3,000-square foot structure situated near the edge of a canyon had potential and the views could not be beat.

Over the past 17 years, the couple has paved the driveway, built new decks, and added 1,000 square feet to accommodate their family, which includes three teenage sons – Brady, Andrew, and Samuel. However, the process hasn’t been without its challenges.

“I have no idea how to decorate, but I know what I like and I know who I am,” said Shelly. To help make the home feel like her own, she enlisted the help of Rapid City interior designer Kara Monroe.

“My husband loves blues. I love greens and reds. I love flannel, plaid and stripes. So Kara knew how to tie all of those things together,” she said as we stepped into the whitewashed shiplap entryway, which feels very Western with its framed landscapes, stylishly rustic wooden coat stand, and brown leather bench topped with a turquoise-accented fur and leather pillow from Poppy + Pine. “We love South Dakota. We love the Black Hills. We love the whole state. We try to buy everything local, when possible.”

From the entryway, one could go in five different directions. We go straight ahead into the living room, where one’s focus is immediately drawn to the floor-to-ceiling windows, which reveal a breathtaking view of the surrounding hills and towering pines. The furnishings represent all of the colors and patterns that Shelly and Bruce love in a way that makes sense, largely due to the symmetry of their arrangement. Long bluish-grey couches face one another, each adorned by pillows in a rust and white graphic-print alternating with those covered in an intricate floral Schumacher fabric. The fabric ties in not only the colors of the couches, but of the earthy coral-colored chairs situated near the windows.

Above a banquette table is a rust and blue Bob H. Miller collage, which the couple had enlarged to fit the space, and above the mantel is a Southwest-inspired painting of calla lilies.

“We had them in our wedding,” said Shelly. “My second favorite place in the U.S. is Arizona and that’s by an Arizona artist.”

As we pass through the dining room, Shelly points out the curtains, made of the same Schumacher upholstery. Here, however, the floral motif is paired with a coordinating rust, cream, and green striped fabric – echoed by the dining room walls, accent lamps, and artwork. It is a color scheme that extends into the kitchen.