Fitness and Color Vacuum Up a Dallas Home

A plethora of paradoxical design elements are at play in this Dallas home. Eclectic art meets traditional architecture with an unapologetic use of color to reflect homeowner Mallory Mansour Dubuclet’s Louisiana roots. “I’d like for people to feel that they know who I am when they see my property,” she states. Her contagious joy is present throughout the home.

Dubuclet built her home from the floor up with the Aid of contractor Lou Olerio of Regent Custom Homes. However, when construction ended in 2011, Dubuclet found herself at the beginning of a divorce. Instead of giving up on her dream home, Dubuclet turned into a personal trainer and turned her house into a new fitness business venture, Positively Fit Lake Highlands. The result is a harmonious dual-purpose dwelling ready to nourish and nurture her young family.

at a Glance
Who lives here: Mallory Mansour Dubuclet and sons Drew, 8; Dylan, 5; and Aiden, 3
Location: Lake Highlands neighborhood of Dallas
Size: Around 4,500 square feet; 5 bedrooms, 4.5 baths

Sarah Greenman

Sarah Greenman: Did you work with a designer whilst creating your home?
Mallory Mansour Dubuclet:
I hired an interior designer, Virginia Krejci, to get a couple hours to assist me with a few things I did not know, such as how to create a fireplace.

Paint: Pool Blue, Sherwin-Williams; fireplace surround tile Voguebay

Sarah Greenman

SG: Who or what motivates your personal style?
MMD: My aunt, Sharon Meek, was likely the greatest design influence. She likes eclectic, funky art and pairs it with traditional furniture. Additionally, I used to be an HGTV junkie and watched a great deal of Candice Olsen since I made the house. Her rooms feel glamorous but comfortable too.

Dining table: Freed’s; dining seats: Cost Plus World Market; red and aqua pottery: Merrial Mansour, FunkyPots of Louisiana

Sarah Greenman

MMD: Virginia Krejci also enabled me to pull the trigger on the snowy marble in kitchen. I was very afraid to make a large mistake by not getting granite, but she encouraged me, and I’m glad she did. I love my white marble countertops.

Island counter: Danby Marble; backsplash tile: Vogebay

Sarah Greenman

SG: What a groovy bar space!
MMD: I like to laugh, that is why I love having fun surprises in the decor for people to find.

Mirror: Sharon Meek

Sarah Greenman

SG: Where are your favourite places to shop for home goods?
MMD: Condo sales, Tuesday Morning, craft shows and festivals with local artists. My mother is a potter and painter, and my uncle is working on projects as well. They have given me a great deal of the pieces for my home, which I prefer to buying new items.

Pottery: Merrial Mansour, FunkyPots of Louisiana

Sarah Greenman

The downstairs guest bedroom includes a set of French doors — yet another nod to Dubuclet’s Louisiana roots — that open on the front porch. The room also has a private bathroom.

Bed: Freed’s; bedding: Anthropologie

Sarah Greenman

SG: What is the strangest thing about your property?
MMD: My powder room. It is the one room in the house where everyone goes, and it is filling up with memories of my kids in the kind of their photos and art, fortune cookie predictions and inspirational quotations.

Background: Frames, Graham & Brown

Sarah Greenman

SG: What’s your latest splurge?
MMD: Following months of sleeping on a bed on the ground, I finally got a king-sized mattress. It seems fantastic, and there’s plenty of space for the boys and me to snuggle up, watch films and have tickle fights.

Mattress: The Room Store; bedding: Bed Bath & Beyond, wall paint:
Gray Clouds, Sherwin-Williams

Sarah Greenman

SG: What’s your biggest challenge in designing your home?
MMD: The toughest part has been the sheer variety of decisions which had to be produced and that most weren’t made simultaneously. When choosing fixtures for the bathroom, for instance, I did not yet know what the flooring tile was likely to look like.

Chandelier: Overstock.com; rug: Ikea

Sarah Greenman

MMD: I adore using a two-cup coffee maker in my master bathroom. I will only roll out of bed and begin brewing without having to drag my exhausted body to the kitchen. It is the small things!

Countertops: Bianco Rhino marble

Sarah Greenman

An integrated office rests at the peak of the stairs and shares space with all the family room. “I just can not seem to get rid of my coordinated piles of clutter,” Dubuclet states.

Sarah Greenman

The family room houses an assortment of toys, games and amusement for Dubuclet’s three sons. It serves double duty for child care during Dubuclet’s Positively Fit Lake Highlands exercise classes.

Sarah Greenman

Framed Louisiana Pecan Festival posters oversee the family space, paying homage to Dubuclet’s residence nation.

SG: What do you love most about your neighborhood?
MMD: Lake Highlands is a popular community in the middle of Dallas, and I love that it’s all of the benefits of a suburb. With great schools, community activities et cetera, there is also easy access to the best that Dallas has to offer. I truly feel that my kids and I’m receiving the best possible experience of city life.

Sarah Greenman

A Jack and Jill–fashion toilet connects the boys’ rooms.

Sarah Greenman

The older boys share a bedroom, and a third trundle mattress is hidden below the bottom bunk. The room is decorated in honor of their favourite movie, Star Wars.

Bedding: Goal; bunk beds: JCPenney

Sarah Greenman

SG: Where is your favorite spot in the house?
MMD:My private training studio, a converted three-car garage. I started my small business and transformed the space from the fundamental cluttered and filthy garage into a warm, inviting space which fills me with joy.

Sarah Greenman

SG: What was the most recent upgrade to the house?
MMD: I transformed my dining room into a private training room. I was really sad to see my lovely dining room move, but the reality is that I’ve used it just once or twice and I could use the indoor space for coaching individuals and tiny groups.

See more new uses for an old dining room

Sarah Greenman

Dubuclet’s foyer greets guests with bold color and whimsical accents.

SG: If those walls could talk, what would they say?
MMD: they’d say they’ve seen frustration and frustration followed by success and hope. Like everyone, I’ve had my struggles, but I try to move forward in hope and positivity. I believe my dwelling reflects that.

Sarah Greenman

The back patio is ready for barbecues, lounging and outside entertaining. Pat Juneau created the masks on the back wall in Scott, Louisiana.

Sarah Greenman

SG: What about the house made you realize it was “the one”?
MMD: It is the one since I built the house from scratch! I love it because it speaks to my own Louisiana roots together with the architectural style. Front porch, columns and magnolia tree which were on the property remind me of houses I always admired when I was growing up.

Sarah Greenman

Homeowner, mom of three and private trainer Dubuclet enjoys a glass of wine in her living room. She provides the following advice to other homeowners: “Do not be afraid to be yourself on your style and everywhere. There are other colours out there besides gray and beige.”

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