Young was attracted to the architectural details, the light and the possibilities. Today, she’s quite content to shelter at home in this rustic-modern oasis. The sunken great room with a vaulted ceiling is filled with comfortable slip-covered sofas and chairs. A wall of windows floods the space with sunshine and, in the evening, offers a view of the twinkling lights strung across the back patio.

She loved the rock walls, but to soften their look she whitewashed them by hand. She also had the beams painted white, too, opening up the space even more. “It’s obvious how much I love color, but I also love a very clean look, too.” Benjamin Moore Intense White is her go-to paint to create a neutral background.

For a shift in scenery and mood, head to the media room, originally the home’s carport. It’s cool and dark thanks to black-painted walls and a mix of furnishings, both modern (angular Lucite side tables, antelope print carpet) and shabby chic (linen-covered sofas, a worn wood coffee table).

A native of Alabama, Young has always shown a flair for design and art. “I remember rearranging the furniture in my room when I was young. And my mother signed me up for lots of art classes, be it pottery or painting.” At the University of Alabama, she spent a lot of time in the art department and fell even more in love with the creative process.

She was particularly attracted to abstract oils on a large scale, which are now her signature. Young is drawn to texture as much as she is color, and she collects bits and pieces of paper and fabric — antique lace, an old concert poster — that eventually find their way into her paintings.

When she’s working, you’ll find her in a garage that has been transformed into her studio. The concrete floor means no dropcloths are necessary. Inherently organized and neat, Young arranges her bins of supplies by color and medium. Notes, cards, photos and words of inspiration are tacked up between shelves; oversize canvases lie on the floor or against a wall. String lights span the room, and natural light peeks in thanks to all the windows in the garage doors. “When the weather’s nice, I can roll them up, creating an indoor-outdoor studio.” It’s also how she imagines using the space to hold classes.

Young is an art collector herself. Her first job when she moved to Fort Worth was as an assistant with the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth. She picked up artist Ellsworth Kelly from the airport and worked with David Bates on a youth project. “When I left, I decided I wanted to own a David Bates,” she says. It now hangs in the hallway near the front door. But some of her favorite pieces are flea market finds, found objects, things with meaning — an old bird’s nest, a wood bread bowl full of antlers, a string of oyster shells cleaned and left out in the sun to bleach, art made by her sons. “Everything should have meaning. It makes holding onto it that much more special.”