When Kidd Kraddick in the Morning Show co-host Kellie Rasberry Evans was growing up in South Carolina, her mother’s friend — a professional decorator — offered a memorable piece of advice:
“You have to have one piece of Asian art in your house, and you have to have something red.”
That idea stuck.
Over the years, Kellie began collecting pieces inspired by the elegance and symbolism of Asian art, whether at local consignment boutiques or chain decor stores.
The first of these pieces sits in her entryway still today.
A Hooker Furniture Asian Cabinet, hand-painted in a rich, red color, is the anchor for the home’s aesthetic.
When she married Allen Evans in 2018 and the pair moved into a home together, blending their families and styles, his fit right in.
Together, they co-host A Sandwich and Some Lovin’, a podcast originally created to discuss the blending of the two families — which turned Kellie’s one-child house to a family of six — and now to talk about relationships, family dynamics and everyday experiences.
They record in an office/studio that blends their hobbies and interests, with Allen’s love of Japanese-style tattoos and toy motorcycle collection and their combined array of books. Even here, you can see nods to Asian art and pops of red, like their Plano Profile cover, the last of the publication of that title.
Throughout the rest of the home, unique Asian-inspired finds, red details and functionality are a recurring theme. To a careful eye, fu dogs can be found in nearly every room.
Some are antiques. Others are HomeGoods finds. It’s a careful balance of “I’ve gotta have thats” to avoid being kitch-y. In their living room bar, there’s a hand-drawn tattoo of Kellie by Allen, with a nickname “Two-Drink Kellie” after a piece of advice she was given to reduce social anxiety.
“It all goes back to that woman saying, ‘You have to have at least one Asian thing’ and for some reason that stuck in my brain,” Kellie says. “I just love it. I think it’s beautiful.”
In the dining room, a 19th-century Chinese kitchen cabinet found at a consignment store holds extra liquor and cocktail supplies. There are four intricately carved top doors adorned with calligraphy and delicate lattice sliding doors frame the bottom of the cabinet.
Red details go into the kitchen, which was renovated by the previous owner who was a professional chef, Allen says. Though the appliances are “lost on [them],” the red Viking oven blends into the home’s eclectic style.
Outside is Allen’s domain. The two host a huge Memorial Day party every year, and the lively plants and Asian themes persist into the backyard entertainment space.
He cut trees in a bonsai-like formation, planted Japanese maples, filled the in-between areas with dichondras and found potted, seasonal colorful offerings. Of course, Kellie has hidden little figures around the area.
