Haus of Blaylock: Inside Brenda Blaylock’s independent design studio in Fort Worth
By Rachael Lindley
Photography by Jill Johnson
Haus of Blaylock, owned by designer Brenda Blaylock and one of the West Vickery Boulevard district’s newest tenants, is unmistakably chic. Visitors to the interiors shop, at 3525 Lovell Ave., are met with a seamless mix of organic influences — luxe textures, various shades of wood, nature-inspired patterns and glowy light fixtures — with an edgy undercurrent.
Blaylock, the lead designer, started the business in 2019 and opened the brick-and-mortar location in summer 2023. At first, she wasn’t sure if brick and mortar was practical, but Blaylock missed the dynamic environment of a physical store and how it facilitates the creative process.
Blaylock grew up south of San Antonio and realized her dream of working for an international merchandising firm in Dallas, where her interest in cotton and textiles rooted.
“Interior design wasn’t even on my radar back then,” she said.
It became increasingly clear Blaylock had an entrepreneurial spirit. After marrying, she and her husband started a medical billing firm and built a home. She fell in love with ground-up construction and interiors.
Blaylock opened a design store and coffee shop in Decatur called B Kay’s Interiors and Coffee Haus, while maintaining the billing company. B Kay’s grew to include a café and florist.
Blaylock began a collaboration with another designer on a few projects. The pair became partners, and the business grew to include the sale of large furnishings and drapery designed and made in-house.
When Starbucks made its way to Decatur, it forced Blaylock to close the coffee shop and lean fully into her design businesses. Ultimately, she and her partner decided to move their business to Fort Worth before the two then chose to go their separate ways.
“I learned so much, but I am so excited about my current venture,” Blaylock said.
Blaylock, who now boasts over 25 years of design experience, founded Haus of Blaylock as a full-service firm in 2019 and has been working with families in North Texas, Florida, New Mexico and elsewhere.
Both of Blaylock’s children, Brooklyn and Aaron, now work with their mother at Haus of Blaylock.
“It’s so wonderful working with them,” Blaylock said. “They’ve been with me on my full journey. They are both so talented and we have so much fun working together. We work hard and it can be stressful, but we love it.”
Blaylock has a process for each client that begins with an in-depth questionnaire. This determines how they live, what excites them and what design style, colors and patterns appeal to them.
From there, Blaylock creates a base palette and has the client choose textiles and fabrics.
“My goal here is to begin creating a cohesive and beautiful thread throughout the project,” she said. “Each design element needs to talk to each other. I need to determine what catches the client’s eye.”
Blaylock also prepares clients for the unexpected by building extra cushion into the timeline of each job.
“When you’re on this journey with me, I make sure that you are very comfortable and aware through every phase,” she said. “When we were in the thick of COVID, the supply chain issues were very challenging, but it forced everyone to educate themselves. It created an ‘all-in-this-together’ mindset.”
Blaylock’s expertise goes well beyond putting a room together. She has relationships with manufacturers and knows how mills create fabrics with various dyes and patterns.
Blaylock’s attention to detail led to the creation of another business: Love Your Layout.
This allows clients to see how a piece of furniture will physically fit in their home.
While her showroom represents Blaylock’s personal style, she doesn’t push that on her clients.
“While I can follow my client’s leads on style, I do find that I always go back to mixing nature-inspired designs with a bit of moodiness and refinement,” Blaylock said. “I always tell my clients that I want their home to feel well-traveled. It’s about feeling curated.”
Blaylock is looking forward to the continued growth of her four businesses: Haus of Blaylock; Love Your Layout; clothing company Silhouette Wrap; and a new concept, Curated Design Palette, which helps people choose no-fail color palettes.
She credits her success to curiosity and her team. “I have the best team,” Blaylock said. “They help me implement everything and I couldn’t do it without them.”