By Rachael Lindley
Photos by Danette Adelson
Tarin Wallace, owner of Haute Home, grew up with parents who never bought a turn-key home. In fact, they relished in the process of constant renovations.
“The uglier the better,” Wallace laughs. “We were going to fix it. They always had a vision.”
After a childhood spent embracing creativity, Wallace went into the oil and gas industry. It was her husband who later encouraged her to leave the world of spreadsheets and trust departments, and to return to her true passion: design.
No Millennial Gray Here
While the rest of the world was marinating in a sea of gray in the 2010s, Wallace never wavered from her use of bold color. Her motto is “The more, the better!” regarding saturated tones, rich textures and layered patterns.
“When everything was gray-on-gray, I thought my computer screen had broken scrolling through some listing photos. I mean, where was the life?” she says.
Wallace classifies her style as modern eclectic, with a hefty dose of personality. She wants rooms to tell a story and to feel well curated, blending modern furniture with antique accessories, throw in some wild vintage finds and it all begins to click.
“I love that homes are finally looking collected again,” Wallace says. “Not like someone rolled through one store and bought the entire showroom.”
Making Her House a Home
Wallace’s home, perched along the Trinity River in Fort Worth, acts as her creative playground. The house itself was, of course, a fixer-upper with midcentury ranch bones and a rare two-story layout.
“If I have a wild idea stuck in my head that nobody’s ready for yet, it usually ends up here first,” she says. Her husband laughingly refers to their home as the “Beat Laboratory.”
Over the years, she’s layered in colorful wallpapers, vintage pieces, a giant pink double-sided sofa, and even a poolside kitchen and bar she dreamed up with nothing but a tape measure and a little wishful thinking.
“The first morning we woke up there, there were deer and foxes outside. It was like something out of Snow White,” she says. “We realized right then, we are never moving.”
Pool Party Ready
Wallace’s home sits on 4.5 acres of riverfront oasis, where she has created a pool area that embodies her whimsical style, complete with a Veuve Clicquot label painted on the outdoor fireplace.
The tangerine and pink lounge chairs surround a custom-designed pool with a swim-up bar, outdoor kitchen and plenty of space for entertainment.
“Oh, there have been parties. Many parties have been had,” Wallace says.
Clues with Hues
Wallace finds that her superpower is helping her clients explore their style and find the best version of it. She looks at their art, day-to-day life, even their clothes and spins all of it into a décor style that looks and feels like them.
Not sure what colors to use in your home? Wallace encourages her clients to look in their closets.
“I always tell people: your closet holds the clues. If you wear a lot of blues or neutrals or wild prints, you’ll probably want to live surrounded by the same energy,” she says.
What’s Next? Think Big (and Maybe a Little Red)
Wallace’s mind stays in a design dreamscape, constantly thinking up ideas. She’s inspired by the resurgence of balloon-like French draperies, bouillon fringe and deep reds that are sneaking back into the design world — not the tragic 90s dining room red, a cooler, richer version. Promise.
She’s also itching to design a custom burl wood vent hood for a kitchen.
Wallace specializes in bringing a sense of joy and boldness to her designs that’s hard to miss and impossible to forget.
“Good design should make you feel something,” Wallace says. “Hopefully happiness. But if it’s shock or awe, hey, I’ll take that too.”
Wallace saw the shape of her chimney and was struck with inspiration after noticing it was shaped exactly like a champagne bottle.
