THE UPDATE OF A LUXURY RACETRACK suite is not the only transi-tion Glen Boudreaux has been working on as of late. He’s also moving his interior design business into a new level of service, based on a lifetime of experience and a desire to serve others.
“I’m in that mode of giving back and helping people,” says Boudreaux. “It’s a whole other level of helping people, beyond just helping them create a better home or office.”
A good example of the latter has been his work for Valor Farm, the home of Alysheba, winner of the 1987 Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes and Super Derby. In 2017, Boudreaux remodeled the farm’s office and guest center in Pilot Point, Texas. More recently, he redesigned the farm’s luxury suite on the finish line at Lone Star Park in Grand Prairie, Texas. The client’s parents were instrumental in bringing thoroughbred horse racing to North Texas, and the suite was overdue for a new look.
“We brought the suite from 1985, when the track opened, to the present,” says Boudreaux. “The new look is entertaining and vibrant.”
The décor continues the aesthetic and color palette that Boudreaux established at Valor Farm: blues and browns in coordinated shades and textures. The floors are oiled walnut, with a textured area rug in blues and tans. A sitting area is framed by chairs upholstered in leather and soft fabric, and accompanied by occasional tables and consoles in combinations of glass, metal, wood and granite. A custom dining table with sleek, upholstered chairs bridges the sitting area with the bar at the back of the suite.
The bar features quartz countertops in lapis and a glass tile backsplash in gray, tan and white. Leather and wood barstools coordinate with the blue in the countertops. Custom cabinetry is medium walnut and includes
a lighted glass-door case displaying glassware and bottles. The bar is illuminated by can lights set in a coffered ceiling.
Walls extending the length of the suite are light blue and decorated with the framed silks of Valor Farm. A painting near the bar is an original work by Fred Stone, from which a wall-sized mural of Alysheba was painted downstairs in the public area at Lone Star Park.
Compared to the farm’s 5,500-square-foot guest center, the suite is a long, narrow 504-square-foot space. Also narrow was the timeline for the project: just three months for construction between race seasons.
“This was a complete gut and redo, and it had to be well orchestrated,” Boudreaux says. “Everything had to be designed, planned and ordered in advance.”
Boudreaux says that when the project was completed, the client told him, “My parents would be so proud to see this.” That, he says, is the ultimate reward of designing, and what he wants to share with others. “All of us are here to be of service. You can’t do anything good if you don’t have the spirit of being of service.”
Propelled by that philosophy, Boudreaux is paring down his design work, from 10 projects at a time to just one. He’s been teaching and leading seminars for 25 years and wants to devote more time and energy to that.
“Teaching and speaking have always been my biggest passion, other than designing,” he says. “Seeing the light come on in someone is the beauty of helping people become their better selves.”
Boudreaux is a certified trainer in Canfield Success Principles and Barrett Personal Values Assessment. He is melding those principles with his lifetime of design experience into seminars to present to corporate clients.
“Our behavior is based on our core values, and creating a better self leads to a better corporate bottom line,” he says.
Boudreaux is also writing two books: a design book, and a completely different approach to work-life balance. He’s an avid woodworker, too, and wants to spend more time in his woodshop.
“I’m going to work on my artistic side and on training,” he says. “It’s time to enjoy life and give back. I want to give back to the design industry but also to people in general.”
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Jeff Hampton is a freelance writer based in Garland, Texas. Find out more at jeffhamptonwriter.com.
