When Renée Flanders drove by the brick and stone storybook house on a quiet residential street in University City in 2021, she thought it could be the perfect downsized house for the newest chapter of her life. The large arched front window of this house, its colored glass panes sparkling, seemed to invite her in. She had to take a closer look. The house didn’t look occupied.

Impulsively, she walked across the lawn, and in a fairytale move Goldilocks would have applauded, brazenly peeked inside. It was not too big. It was not too small. In fact, it was just right for all the purposed spaces Flanders planned to create. Stylistically, the interiors needed help and the general condition of the house required repairs, but Flanders wasn’t worried. She had the know-how and the skills to take on the work.

She named her new home The Rock. “This is a little detail, but the people who lived here before had written their business name on mailbox in script — Rouse House. I thought all I need to do is change some of the letters to get Rock House, which I did. So it is written. I love rocks, and I thought ‘On this rock I shall build my home, my future,’ so it has the lot of symbolism for me.”

“The house was built in 1933 and displays the values held then for workmanship and charm. This was a backdrop that appealed to me to allow for a dialogue between old and new, a very important theme in my life,” she says. She bought the house.

Flanders drew on a lifetime of learned skills to tackle the big job in front of her — making a house that needed work become the first home she chose on her own.

“Ever since I was a child I’ve changed my surroundings. I brush painted rooms in my childhood home at the age of 8 and my parents let me do it. I didn’t even know paint rollers existed,” she says. “I got compliments from their friends, too,” she says. “I’ve always been handy. I learned to sew early on, and I figured out how to fix broken things to make things better and more beautiful.

“That’s ultimately what compelled me to take the fork in the road and become an interior designer rather than make a career as an artist,” she says. Although she attended Washington University’s School of Fine Arts, and earned her BFA and MFA in painting from Fontbonne, she enrolled at St. Louis Community College at Meramec to get her associate’s degree in interior design.

She was working on her MBA when she went to work at Fortune Interiors where she added even more to her skill sets. “My job at Fortune enabled me to learn how to use power equipment to design and construct furnishings. I also learned upholstery there. The job enhanced my value as an interior designer because I understood these practices. I put them to use on my own homes and saved a lot of money,” she says.

She did a lot of the hard work on her new home herself. “I personally prepped and painted nearly every square inch of the interior and exterior, saving a huge amount of money,” she says. Thankfully, she didn’t need to pay an interior designer. “I couldn’t have done it without the help of loving friends, who donated their time and talents to make my house a home.”

Flanders documented her house project at The Rock in minute detail. She also took extensive notes for each room from the colors of paint to the furnishings, textiles, and window coverings right down to the art pieces in every room.

She views her home as a living sculpture that allows her to fully explore the next phase of her life. “Every space has its intention for creating a balanced life,” she says. “Core values such as making art, playing piano, exercising, entertaining, meditating, cooking, and reading are easier to practice when the stage is set.”

The original art that she’s curated in each room adds to her enjoyment and delights visitors. She is passionate about both art and music. Consulting about displaying art is one of her specialties, as is the positioning, care and maintenance of grand pianos.

“This house could be a metaphor for my life. Renée, means ‘reborn’ in French,” she says. “As I breathed new life into the house, the next chapter of my own life took shape. This is what I do: I make things beautiful and fix broken things. I believe in everything living up to its potential and purpose.”

This spring Flanders added another meaningful piece to her skills. She shares her creative life as an emerging creator on YouTube videos, Instagram and through her website. Check in and visit this artist, designer and musician living her best life in a storybook house.