The couple – along with daughters Danielle and Lindsay, dogs Allie, Maggie and Freddie and cockatiels Gordita and Joey – live in a three-story (plus a basement) abode in the Costa D’Oro section of Naples, where a mural of the famed waterway is the beginning of a pseudo-European excursion complete with an 1880 buffet converted into a bar, various tiles that became Tuscan-themed walls, Venetian plaster in the master bathroom, a handmade French stove, a Clive Christian kitchen and more Old World relics than an antique shop. This cross-Atlantic motif stems from the house’s original architecture (which previously featured Bavarian-inspired arches) combined with the Brennans’ love of Italy and France.

“After we bought the house and just before the renovation,” Karen says, “we took a trip to Tuscany. The Tuscan colors on the leaves and sunflowers were a feast for our eyes. And having visited France, I wanted to incorporate the French style, because they are so good at making the simplest things look beautiful. I loved the look of France and the feeling of Italy, and the home lent itself to the blending of European styles.”

The Brennans’ residence is a perfect combination of immaculate possessions, spot-on attention to detail and down-home livability. The items and craftsmanship inside the house are merely one part of the beauty equation, as the family calls Alamitos Bay its front yard. Each floor overlooks the water, and Karen has a long list of things that make living here amazing.

“The multiple generations that have learned to sail their sailboats in this bay,” she says. “The sea of young children all learning the power of the wind and what it can do to propel you around the water. Watching the fog roll in from one side of the bay to the other, filling the bay and obscuring the view of the homes across the water. The thunder storms with lightning are a sight to witness as they move across the skyline. It is interesting to watch with such a window that seems to be endless out to sea.”

Although the Brennans purchased their home in 1999, the family embarked on a sevenyear remodeling process which included removing the first floor’s indoor swimming pool, spa and sauna. With the pool gone, the couple added Charlie’s antique bar, where an expansive liquor and chilled wine selection mingles with three beers on tap, which is operated using a kegerator sending beverages from the basement to the first floor using cold lines.

Due to the approximately eight-foot ceilings on the first and second levels, the third floor, with its nearly 16-foot ceiling, is where visitors encounter the kitchen, dining room and living room. This layout maximizes the height and livability of the Brennans’ home. Having these typically first floor rooms on the third floor isn’t the norm, but it’s working out well for the family of four.

“Charlie liked having the height on the third floor because it creates the best view possible,” Karen says. “When we were part of the Steel Magnolias tour, people commented on how interesting it was to see these living spaces on the third floor. People see the first and second floors and it’s so different than the rest of the house that the third floor is very unexpected. People don’t realize that they haven’t seen the living room, dining room or kitchen yet.”

Although the Brennans knew what they wanted when they bought their home, Karen is quick to mention that the day-today design was a constant work in progress. Thanks to the help of muralist Joni Herman and contractor Rob Snellen, the mother of two was able to participate in the renovation process, and in doing so, has a lifetime of memories attached to the aesthetic. In fact, Karen and Herman built such a strong bond that the artist used the Brennans’ home for her wedding, which allowed Herman’s friends to view her creative endeavors.

“When I walk around my house,” Karen says, “I see Joni painting the murals and Rob helping me with the construction on every floor.”

Karen points out that after a recent excursion to Orange County, where she had the opportunity to embark on a home tour, she was reminded why she loved her residence so much. That reason, she says, is the city – and more specifically, the neighborhood – she and her family live in…with its sights, and its sounds. Moored boats rub on the docks, the engine of a passing watercraft hums slightly, fog horns that start to sound in the middle of the night as the fog rolls in – Karen says that all of these sound like music in some way.

For her, slices of life such as offering a glass of water to the familiar faces who run past their boating dock on a daily basis, kneeling down to share a doggie treat with one of the many canines who stroll her neighborhood, or hearing her name called from a friend sailing in the bay, makes the community known as Costa D’ Oro a tight-knit social network where the good life mixes with great neighbors.

“I love Long Beach,” Karen says. “To me, Long Beach is a very accepting environment. We have a huge population of diverse people and somehow we all get along. It’s a lovely thing, because it’s unusual and such a friendly place.”