In August 2019, St. Louis native and young professional Jackie Stout decided it was time to fly the family coop and purchase a home of her own. There was no question her parents, Renee and Brad, would play an integral role in helping with the search, purchase and decorating. They started the process by pulling up open house listings based on Jackie’s price range.
The first house she looked at was in Brentwood, and while she liked it just fine she felt no connection. On their second outing, the sparks flew! “As soon as we pulled into the neighborhood, I felt like I belonged here,” Jackie says. “Walking up to the house I said ‘We’re going to paint the front door purple.’”
Jackie and her parents loved how vibrant the neighborhood felt noting there were people walking dogs and pushing strollers. “It is full of a mix of young people, starter families and older couples. Everyone is so friendly,” says Renee. Jackie loved how safe the area was and that she could walk to restaurants.
Once inside the recently rehabbed home, her feeling was further confirmed that this was the house for her. “Literally every room I walked in I felt a belonging to,” Jackie says. But she knew she had to do her due diligence in checking out other options. After looking at nearly a dozen, none compared to the South City home. “I also loved that out of all of the houses we looked at, this was one of two my dad actually saw in person. It was important he was part of this experience too,” Jackie explains.
As soon as her offer was accepted, plans got underway to furnish and decorate the home. Renee has a degree in interior design, but she says life took her in a different direction and she never put it to professional use. She has been fortunate to help family and friends with design consults through the years and was so honored to get to help Jackie.
“The decorating was a complete labor of love and collaboration,” Renee says. “Jacqueline was a dream client.” Since Jackie was moving from her family home, she had nothing to work around or with, which Renee says was both a blessing and a curse. While they didn’t have any specific pieces to work around, they also had to start from scratch to furnish an entire home. “Great attention was put to where to splurge and where to spare,” Renee adds.
While Renee had dozens of ideas swimming in her head as they were on the house hunt, her first order of business for the new home’s décor was sending Jackie pictures of vignettes, both modern and traditional. To Renee’s surprise, Jackie had strong and immediate reactions to the choices, which was a huge help in knowing what direction to take her home.
“Jacqueline has as strong aversion to anything modern,” Renee notes. So traditional they went with a chinoiserie influence. From the get go, Jackie entrusted the whole design process to her mom. She didn’t want to be involved with that aspect. “I wanted my house to look the best it could look, and I knew with my mom’s talents she would make it spectacular,” Jackie explains. To which Renee adds, “Jacqueline has the most amazing, happy spirit, and I wanted her home to reflect that.”
Jackie has been drawn to the color purple her entire life, so Renee suggested a combination of blues and greens with purple accents for the color scheme. While Jackie loves color and drama, Renee knew that given the size of the home they needed to paint the walls in the entry, living room and dining rom white to make the space feel as spacious as it could.
With the entry, living and dining rooms all connected, the design elements had to work together and complement one another. Renee found a beautiful rug with a watercolor look that was the anchor that married their color scheme. The first rug she had selected for the dining room was solid, but she replaced it with one with bold colors and pattern to give the dining room high drama and whimsy. They splurged on custom pale blue draperies with a ribbon pattern and curtain rods in the living and dining rooms. Beautiful blue and white vases bring in the chinoiserie influence. “I found a lot of great décor pieces at the Rusted Chandelier,” Renee notes.
Furnishings include more economical pieces purchased online, refurbished family heirlooms and beautiful new fabrics. “I wanted to show Jacqueline that you can put money in certain places and save on other pieces but still have a high-end look,” Renee explains. The Resplendent Crow refurbished Jackie’s grandmother’s dining room cabinet and buffet in a vibrant Kelly green high-gloss lacquer to bring new life to an otherwise dated piece. Perhaps the piece de resistance in the home are the amazing Oscar de la Renta dining room chairs Renee lucked into at Cool Stuff. “OMG! What a find!” She enthuses. “They took the room to a new level. We covered them in a navy suede.”
The kitchen inherited a serene gray palette found in other places throughout the house. Renee changed out the hardware to keep gold finishes throughout Jackie’s home. For added storage, a long buffet was refinished by Resplendent Crow. Hung above is a poster of “The Golden Girls”, Jackie’s favorite TV women who bring her joy. Also hung in the kitchen is a painting of a chef that went to Ole Miss with Jackie.
The sunroom delivers on Jackie’s request for fun and drama. Renee chose a flowered colorful rug and used fun, colorful pillows on an aqua couch. Cheery yellow club chairs finish off the room, which is packed with vibrance and happiness.
A total change from the bold colors of the rest of her home, Renee kept Jackie’s two bedrooms serene with a calming color palette. In the master, she chose white bedding and hints of lavender in the accents. For the guest room, she used the same white bedding but added bold, dramatic flowers to the walls. “Jacqueline wanted a room her sorority sisters would want to visit,” Renee explains. “I think we managed to make the room inviting, restful and fun.”
Jackie appreciates how intentional every piece in her home is and how quickly the whole place came together. For Renee, the best part of the experience was the bonding with her daughter. “For me there is no greater joy than making her home a place she will love and be proud of. I share my love of design with my mother. I felt her with me on this journey, and I know she loves that some of her pieces are now in her granddaughter’s home,” Renee says. “What I love isn’t necessarily a room or a piece but that my mom brought it all together from love. It means so much to me,” Jackie says. “She created a warm, happy home for me.” And in true Renee fashion, the front door was painted Jackie’s favorite color purple within an hour of closing on the home!
Resources
Artwork/Antiques: Rusted Chandelier, Warson Woods Antique Gallery
Furniture: Warson Woods Antique Gallery
Glass/Mirror: County Glass & Mirror Co.
Interior Designer: Renee Stout
Window Treatments: The Great Cover-Up
