Pink is synonymous with the name Mary Kay Ash. Whether it’s the Cadillac, the packaging of the Mary Kay skincare line, or the “Pink Passion” lipstick, you pretty much are thinking pink. So it makes perfect sense that Ash’s grandson Ryan Rogers is living, well, in the pink. It’s in his blood. Of course, it doesn’t hurt that his wife, Maleiah, has an affinity for dramatic decor. Their University Park residence is full of sublime surprises: Murano lamps are part of the patio furniture scheme, baby Everlee’s nursery houses sketches by Austin Scarlett of Project Runway fame, and lush draperies by Donna Fadal adorn every window. This is a place where youth and glamour mix quite nicely. Think Paris Hilton meets Jan Showers.
The Rogerses found themselves moving to the Park Cities two years ago by accident. “We lived in Devonshire, and we loved it,” Maleiah says. They were looking to get a bigger place but wanted to stay nearby. “We used to walk around the area, and we ended up finding a lot in Bluffview,” she says. But for whatever reason—luck, fate, good karma—they opted to see the house anyway. It was love at first sight. “This isn’t your typical ‘they-all-look-alike’ kind of house,” she says. “And it was move-in ready.”
That may be a bit of an understatement. The house came with a pretty lofty pedigree. Its previous owner was noted designer Susan Baten, and it had been photographed for PaperCity and Elle Decor. Even better, Baten agreed to leave some items behind. “She let me buy a couple of pieces, and she helped me when she could,” Maleiah says.
For the remainder of the furnishings, Maleiah got creative. She and her husband bought art on their travels. She found old pieces and had Fadal work her magic with fabrics. “She did the drapes, pillows, furniture, anything with fabric,” she says. As for 1-year-old Everlee’s dreamy baby retreat, Maleiah had grand plans for that room before the baby was even an idea. “I work at Phillip K. Thomas,” she says, “and I had a client whose husband creates custom baby beds. I told her that I was going to call her when or if I ever became pregnant because I had the design of the baby bed in my head. And then the rest of the room was designed around the bed.”
So is that her favorite room in the house? “I think every room is my favorite,” she says. “I live in every bit of it. We even spend a huge amount of time outside,” she says. They love to entertain. But forget the fancy dinner parties. She and Ryan prefer to invite friends and family over, hire an acoustic guitarist for the backyard, and hang out. “Everybody just kind of flows throughout the house,” she says. “It’s nice.”
Then, after a pause, she says, “I change my answer. My closet. That’s my favorite room.” Mary Kay would surely approve.
