Conley House: In the background on the left you see the studio where Bill Brown worked. On the second floor is a dance studio where Brown's wife practiced the Alexander Technique. The property sits atop a ridge and has a boxwood hedge that hugs the house's terrace, making it extremely hard to photograph, but very private. In the foreground is the house. On the left and right of the house are two "wings" that originally were self contained cabins. These two cabins were converted into two master bedroom suites and were joined at the center by an open floor plan kitchen, dining and living area. All rooms look out to the terrace and the view of the Black Mountains.
ConleyHouseWNC@gmail.com
p. 618.924.4108
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The History of Conley House:
The home's connection to Bill Brown and Penland School
Conley House is a mid-century modern home that was built in the early 1970s by Bill Brown, who was a metals artist and the second director of Penland School of Crafts. Created by joining two existing cabins together with a family area and kitchen, the home is unique and full of custom touches - many of which were made by Brown or his son Billy Brown, such as the steel railings. Bill Brown became director of Penland School of Crafts upon the retirement of the school's founder, Lucy Morgan. Brown served as director for twenty-one years. He passed away in 1992. The property was sold in the early-2000s to Mike Davis who made significant improvements to modernize the property and to enhance the landscape. Rick Smith, a former resident artist and studio coordinator at Penland, as well as an artist/blacksmith, purchased the property in 2015 with his wife, Lisa. They are dedicated to preserving the unique character of the home and it's value to the crafts community of Penland. The Smiths plan to live in Conley House when they retire at some point in the future.
About The Smiths
Rick is an artist/blacksmith who was a resident artist at Penland. His work is in the permanent collections of several museum and the homes of numerous private collectors. He also made the railing that leads up to the main entrance of Penland Gallery and Visitors Center. Now the head of the metals program at Southern Illinois University Carbondale, the only program of its kind in the world, Smith teaches at craft schools and universities all over the world. Outside his creative life he enjoys traveling, hiking, fishing and being on the water.
Lisa is a graphic designer and brand manager for a cooperative natural foods store. She speaks at conferences and writes for trade publications on the subject, in addition to doing consulting work. Her favorite ways to spend a weekend are cooking and baking, enjoying time with family and their three shihtzus. Lisa manages the property with the help of a housekeeper and maintenance team.