For 28-year-old photographer Billy Jack Brawner and his wife, Sara, life with their five children—four of whom are adopted—revolves around small moments, like going for a drive in their 1988 Bronco or making dinner together. It’s all there on his Instagram account, which has more than 66,000 followers and is how Joanna Gaines discovered him almost three years ago. So Brawner moved his family from Canton to Waco to become the photography director for the Magnolia brand and bought a midcentury home to renovate. They are making it their own, from the pink front door to the modern family room. “It will always be in process,” Brawner says, “never finished, never completely tidy, and changing and growing alongside us.”
The shelves in the family room helped define the space without closing it off or making it too stuffy. Billy Jack says: “I love how they’re simple and utilitarian.”
The steel table was built by Benjamin Rood, a friend of Billy Jack’s. Brawner says: “I couldn’t find anything on the market that I liked, so I decided to take things into my own hands … and have my friend build something.”
The kitchen was the family of seven’s first renovation project. They took out the upper cabinets and added modern windows. The island was extended with a concrete top, and the light fixtures are from Muuto.
The Brawners painted the front door of their midcentury home a light pink.
The Brawners have been collecting brass candlesticks for years. They pick them up from flea markets when they see ones that catch their eye.
The constantly rotating gallery wall is a mix of paintings by Sara, pieces by friends of the couple, and flea market finds.
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