FeaturesHome Style

HOMESTYLE

By guruscotty February 3, 2021 May 13th, 2022 No Comments

Bright Ideas

By Meda Kessler
Photos by Jeremy Enlow

This young couple gives their home a fresh look that proves pink can be the perfect neutral

Even on a gray day, walking into the Southlake home of Alexandra (Alex for short) and Andrew Stout lifts the spirits.

It’s cloudy outside but, inside, it’s light and bright. We can’t help but smile thanks to the inviting palette of whites and pale pinks.

The Stouts bought the two-story house, clad in white stone, last August. Built in 1999 and located on an acre-plus lot with an incredible terraced backyard, the home backs up to a greenbelt. Inside, there’s plenty of room for their offices and Ava, their 2-year-old daughter; Alex’s mother also lives with them. But it’s still a work in progress. “We loved the look of the house from the exterior, but the inside wasn’t as pretty.”

Alex loves a bright, light palette and had a vision for the house. (They had renovated a small home in Keller previously.) In high school, she interned with an interior designer, sparking her interest in home design. While Alex eventually became an oncology nurse, she nurtured her creative side with a fashion blog, later expanding into beauty, lifestyle and home decor.

Andrew, Ava, Alex and Marlie

Mongolian lamb fur dyed a cotton candy pink makes these ottomans with Lucite legs a whimsical addition to the living room.

“Nursing was fulfilling but a challenge.

I also watched my dad die of cancer, so that was tough,” says Alex. “I knew I wanted to do something that made the creative part of me happy.”

Today, Alex is a professional influencer and has built a large following for her One Love by Alex social media blog. Shopping comes naturally to her, and she’s now turned it into a career. Alex interviewed a couple of interior designers for her home’s makeover but decided to trust her own instincts and taste. She says being a mom has made her more of a homebody, so having a place that’s comfortable and reflects her style is important. Fans of her blog — and her sponsor partners, which include Amazon — get to see a lot of the Stout residence.

Andrew formerly worked for IBM and now is employed by a startup company in Dallas. He also helps Alex build her business (they married in 2017). “I call myself the assistant to the family CEO,” he says with a smile. “And I trust Alex’s taste completely, plus she doesn’t take no for an answer.” To do the heavy lifting on the remodel, the Stouts found Fort Worth-based contractor/builder 9 Brothers Construction to work with them on the design-build process.

One of the most inviting spaces — and the most dramatic “after” — is the family room, which also includes the kitchen and informal dining room. The couple was able to see its potential beyond the existing layout and decor (mundane floor tile, dark granite countertops, lots of blond wood cabinets).

They gutted the entire room, painted the walls white and installed wood-look tile in a neutral gray to set the scene. New construction included closing off a stairwell next to an informal dining area to create a walk-in pantry with a pink door, one of Alex’s favorite details. The addition of a wall allowed for custom cabinetry with a coffee bar and built-in wine storage. The backsplash features subway tile also in pink, a favorite color. She kept an existing dining table and chairs, but added a new chandelier.

When Alex found herself a bit overwhelmed by furniture choices for the main living area, she sought help from Ragan Aguilera, owner of Sally Lynn Home. Alex had shopped at the Southlake store in the past and was impressed with the selection there. Ragan’s specialty is working with clients to find the right pieces — size, color, texture, style — for rooms big or small.

The spacious kitchen went from drab to fab thanks to a white Ilve gas range, new Calacatta Arno quartz countertops and custom cabinets painted white.

The house originally featured a built-in wood wall unit. The Stouts replaced it with a custom-built design featuring plenty of storage and glass-front doors with curved mullions.

“With limited wall space and the placement of the windows and doors in the room, we used two sets of accent chairs to complement the sofa, which is slip-covered in a performance fabric,” says Ragan. Alex knew she wanted a white sofa and was thrilled to also have touches of pink, including the fun ottomans with Lucite legs and topped with dyed Mongolian lamb fur. “I love that the gray chairs with the brass accents look good from the back, too,” says Alex.

A modern chandelier, two-tier round glass-topped coffee table and area rug in muted tones of gray and pink pull the grouping together.

The kitchen originally featured a wraparound counter with seating, a small island and an abundance of wood cabinetry. Now, a spacious island topped in Calacatta Arno quartz helps define the room. Clear acrylic counter stools create extra seating but don’t detract from the open feeling. Alex carried the design theme through the rest of the kitchen with white subway tile on the backsplash, white cabinetry with glass and brushed brass pulls, and acrylic pendant lights trimmed in brass.

The wow factors include a shapely custom vent hood, also in white, and an Italian Ilve gas range in white with brass trim and handles. “I’m still learning how to use it,” says Alex, with a smile. “Thankfully, Andrew has it figured out.”

RESOURCES

Furnishings Sally Lynn Home, 1465 E. Southlake Blvd., 817-809-3127, sallylynnhome.com

Construction 9 Brothers Construction, 9brosconstruction.com

The blog Follow Alex Stout at One Love by Alex, onelovebyalex.com. You’ll find links to her Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest accounts, as well as her liketoknow.it/alexvstout shopping recommendations for fashion, beauty, home goods and more.