I’m so excited to introduce Lexi and her crew to each of you today. She is a successful business owner who loves pretty (as you will see) as much as the rest of us but even more important and what I’d like you to focus on as she shares below, is the heart of gold she carries for what she does and for those around her. It’s my pleasure to introduce to many of you today, Lexi of Lexi Grace Design.
All photography by @rennaihoefer unless otherwise noted in caption.
Name | Alexis Lundberg (Lexi)
Business Name | Lexi Grace Design
City of Residence | Gilbert, AZ
Number of years in current home | 6
Tell us the story of your home. (To you, what sets it apart or makes it unique aside from the fact that you and your family are the ones who live in it.)
Oh wow… well, I actually stalked our house for a little while before we purchased it. the neighborhood sits right across the street from our kids’ preschool and while my oldest was in school I would take my youngest at the time, to go look for animals- horses, goats, cows… there aren’t a ton around in our town but we would go out in search of them to pass the time. Our house is in a neighborhood where quite a few homes have animals so we would visit often. One day I noticed a for sale sign and fell in love with it, immediately! The owner had actually built this little ranch house himself in 1978 and it was the first home in the neighborhood to be built. On the property there are about 20 pine and eucalyptus trees which the owner hand planted as seedlings that are now mature and beautiful. It was the most northwest feeling property I had come across and reminded me of home in Seattle. Upon walking in my husband and I had an immediate vision for the space. Not just the floorplan and finishes… although we were in complete agreement about which walls to take down and what we wanted the kitchen to look like… but more than that we envisioned our kids playing in the yard, family and friends spending holidays and Sunday afternoons at the house. I could picture the birthday parties, baby showers, weddings, and every event in-between we could host there. We knew right away if this house was to become our home it would not just be for us, but for everyone. We are now six years into the space and while we have done a TON to the property (my in-laws now have a house in the backyard, and my business has its offices in the new barn) and still have plans for interior spaces (like a master closet!), what I am most thankful and proud of are all the memories we have made with family and friends. We have been able to host Young Life fundraising events, dinners which support adoptive families, baby showers, weddings and vow renewals. It is my hope that our friends and family find both celebration and rest in our home, that it is a place where you can really be known, a safe place to laugh or cry or just be. I hope this for our kids, our friends, and for anyone who comes by.
How would you describe your personal home style?
Comfortable!!! Honestly, we are a lot of chaos and moving parts… Since my business is design and home staging there are many times I might “borrow” something from our home to put in a client’s. So, it isn’t uncommon for us to be missing a substantial piece of furniture from time to time. Although I am working on that! Ultimately though I want everyone to be comfortable in our space. In every room there is a lot of neutral colors and textures. Our great room holds large reclaimed wood ceiling beams that set the tone for the kitchen, living and dining space. I like clean lines and minimalistic décor but still warm and cozy. You will also find a mix of faux plants looking beautiful and green, and real plants…. looking dead.
What is your favorite space in your home?
The dining space! We just purchased a 120” dining table which I have vowed to never let go to a client’s space! I am so excited to have a dining table that can seat so many people. I am not a huge fan of cooking, but I LOVE meals with friends around the table, and games at it after!
If you could share one thing about yourself with readers that you've perhaps never shared publicly or via social media, what would it be?
Oh this is hard… I can think of a few silly ones… like I just started an adult gymnastics class and did a tumbling pass last week that after 15 years of not doing it, felt amazing and harder than I remember it being! Or, I love late 90’s hip hop and rap and know A LOT of Tupac and Nelly lyrics?! But… what would I want my readers to know… I think it would be how scared I am that my daughter is going to grow up in a world that doesn’t love her, appreciate her or value her because of her skin color… and that I am going to fail at doing everything I can to make a difference in that for her. I have found that through my design business I have this little platform, with a little bit of influence, and I want so badly to use it for a purpose so much bigger than beautiful spaces.
What was life like for you growing up in your childhood home?
Loud! Haha, I’m the oldest of 4 and each one of us had our own interests and activities. My parents entertained and hosted a lot and we were always moving 100 miles per hour, which is why I think I am so comfortable with the pace of our life now!
What does home mean to you? What do you want others to feel when they enter/spend time in your home?
SO MUCH! Home is where you belong. Home is where you are known. Home should be safe. Home should be a resting place. Home should be a celebration. Home is never perfect. Home is filled with people who are not perfect. But it is my hope that whether for our clients or for our family, we have created a home that encourages those things.
Proudest DIY?
Our home! When we purchased and renovated our home, our family was at its lowest lowest point ever. In every aspect of our life there was huge loss and big grief. It was definitely a struggling point. But it was also a time where we were almost forced to rebuild and through the renovations in our home and the time that those renovations took, there was a good amount of healing. So, I would have to say our house. It is still a work in progress with a bunch of unfinished or untouched spaces. But from where it was to where it is now, over the past six years… that is a lot to be proud of!
Do you think you've learned to embrace your story? Your home? Why or why not? Explain.
Yep! It has been amazing to see God’s work through our home and in our lives while we have been there. There is redemption in it. In it there is life. At our house we tend to jump in and take on a lot. Both my husband and I are wired the same way in this (which is why we have excitedly started a lot of projects that might never be finished!) and through this we have taken on a ‘no fear’ mindset. God’s got it. What’s the most we can lose? Our time is not our time, our resources are not our resources, so why have fear? It is often hard to see God’s plan while you are in the middle of the mess. But I promise… we’ve been in the mess, there is a plan.
If there was one piece of advice that you could give to others as to how to embrace their home and their story, what would that sound like?
Learn to love the space you are in. Set it up so that you are able to do the things that are important to you. If you want to have a bunch of people over all the time… maybe don’t invest in that super expensive rug, or get over wanting all white.
ABOUT LEXI
Today, alongside her team, Lexi creates beautiful spaces that encourage community and inspire creativity for both residential and commercial clients. She and her husband Chris, who stays busy with his real estate company, Redeemed Real Estate, live in a ranch-style home they rehabbed together in Gilbert with their three children. They raise chickens, enjoy hosting friends and family, and work from their barn, which serves as a home office and design studio.
Thanks so much, Lexi, for joining in with us for #mywholehome.
YOU CAN JOIN THE #MYWHOLEHOME CONVERSATION
Join our #mywhole home conversation on Instagram and tell us your story of home by posting there and using the hashtag and join us on Facebook as we journey together to bring healing and restoration to one another and those who enter our homes through our own personal stories. See you there, friends.
JOIN RH ON INSTAGRAM
