At Brookside On Main I focus primarily on how we decorate our homes. How we carefully choose the pieces and styles to incorporate our own personality into our spaces, thereby creating a home that is both personal and inviting for ourselves and our loved ones. I love to hear the stories of how people come to a particular style in their space and why they choose the decor elements that they display in their homes. I find that every home in which the occupants thoughtfully show their personality to be like works of art. The home can truly be an artful expression of ourselves. Therefore, when I met Kansas City artist and Brookside resident, Samantha Sullentrup of Public House Co., I was so excited and intrigued by how she takes the love and pride that people have for their homes and then turns their home into a meaningful and lasting work of art.
Original work: Public House Co.
Samantha, who grew up in Raytown and eventually settled with her husband in the Brookside area of Kansas City, began her career teaching art in the grade school setting. When the couple started their own family Samantha transitioned to staying home with their two (and one more on the way) young children. While enjoying her time at home with her little ones, Samantha began painting portraits for her friends. Through word of mouth she started gaining more clients who commissioned her to create her beautiful home and family portraits for their own families. With her client base growing, and with a nudging from friends, Samantha launched Public House Co. on Etsy to bring her artwork to a larger audience.
At nearly the same time that Samantha’s art career was gaining momentum, she and her family found a lovely older home in the Brookside neighborhood of Kansas City. Moving into their new home proved to be another factor in Samantha’s motivation to get her newly formed art business up and running. In their new home Samantha, “finally had a space to work,” she said. The space she speaks of is a light-filled studio room adjacent to the couple’s bedroom. The serene space provided the perfect spot to create her art. “I also was motivated to bring in some extra money to do home projects in our new house,” she said.
Photo: Courtney Payne
Currently, Samantha’s work consists fairly equally between home portraits and family portraits, although she does confess that she enjoys the home paintings most. “I appreciate architecture, particular beautiful older homes. There is just something about older homes,” she said, “And I love the idea of making something meaningful for someone’s home.”
Photo: Courtney Payne
When asked why she thinks people like to have a portrait made of their house, Samantha said, “Homes are meaningful. There are true heartfelt emotions tied to our homes, whether it’s a place we grew up in, raised a family in, or if it’s a first home.”
Original Work: Public House Co.
Samantha shared a story of a particular home she painted for a past client that has stuck with her. A couple had recently moved from their small Kansas hometown to the suburbs of Kansas City in order to be closer to their grown children. Loving their old home, the move proved to be an emotionally difficult one. One of the couple’s children commissioned Samantha to paint a portrait of their old family home to present to their parents at Christmas. “At their old home,” Samantha said, “there was a large tree in the yard. I added their children playing in the tree for the portrait.”
Emails from the client after the gift had been given conveyed how meaningful the portrait was to their parents. “It makes me happy to give them a reminder of their old home that they can carry into their new home,” she said.
While keeping busy with clientele locally in Kansas City, she does receive business from all over the United States and beyond. The most exotic location from which she received a painting request was from a homeowner in Thailand. “Since I launched Public House Co., I never know what I’m going to get,” she said, “It keeps it interesting.”
Original Work: Public House Co.
To view more of Samantha’s charming artwork, and to place your own order, visit her shop at Public House Co..
You can also view Samantha’s thoughtfully designed home and learn more about how this young family has worked to transform their space into a peaceful and beautiful retreat in the Houzz story below. Written and photographed by Jessica Cain.
