AT home

BEYOND THE FRONT DOOR OF THE home of Jim and Denise Lites lies a world where the unpredictable triumphs and other peoples rules fly out the window. Who says that homeowners can’t have one room as sexy as Marilyn Monroe and the next as cozy as a dear little English teapot? Or that between those two spaces, they can’t write their favorite quotation on the wall to entertain their dinner guests?

“We love lots of different styles and tastes,” says Mrs. Lites in explaining the assorted adventures and designs found within the Park Cities residence. “We like doing the unexpected. We want people to walk into our home and he surprised.”

If the reactions put the Liteses in the spotlight, no one should worry. They’re accustomed to the roar of the crowd-Recent (1993) arrivals from Detroit, the Liteses power the Dallas Stars of the National Hockey League. He’s the team president, and she, a member of Detroit’s illustrious Ilitch family, helps plan the team’s marketing and sales strategy as owner of her firm, Bright Lites.

When the Liteses purchased a new home in an old neighborhood as their Dallas residence, they called upon interior designer De-bra L. Owens. Her suggestions for a color scheme of cobalt and neutrals paired against the metallic hues of silvers, golds and bronzes got an enthusiastic approval the first time around. Selection of fabrics and furnishings followed as various rooms began to express the home’s several personalities.

Rather than struggling against one another for attention, the different spaces seem to be related aspects of a single personality, thanks to Ms. Owens’ unerring design sense. Spread over 11,000 square feet of interiors, the various rooms merge their assorted moods into a collective spirit that entertains visitors and comforts the owners.

“The owners kept telling me that they wanted whimsy, nothing overly serious,” Ms. Owens remembers. “But at the same time, they wanted a feeling of warmth and charm, despite the large size of the home.”

Several rooms found their identities as a result of treasured family possessions showcased within them. The international style of the dining room, for example, began with a pair of Art Deco flame sconces from the 1930s, found in a Dallas antique store. Displayed above a marble mantel on either side of another favorite acquisition, a Peter Max oil-on-paper painting of the Statue of Liberty, the sconces seem to light the way for expeditions in dining.

As an added protection against boredom, Mrs. Lites commissioned artist Wayne Blehm, who painted the walls in a fusion of acrylic washes, to inscribe one of her favorite quotations just under the ceiling molding on all four walls. Attributed to the Frenchman Grimod de la Reniere, the quote reads, “Life is so brief that we should not glance either too far backwards or forwards…therefore study how to fix our happiness in our glass and in our plate.”

Just across the entry, the selection of sleek Art Deco-inspired furniture resulted from the display of a portrait of Marilyn Monroe by photographer Alfred Eisenstaedt. “I really wanted this room to be wicked and sensuous,” Mrs- Lites says with a playful laugh. But down the hall, the mood changes sharply in the light-filled kitchen, given a large measure of country snugness by the dozens of teapots on display from Mrs. Lites’ extensive collection. “They’re homey and fun,” she says, “and shopping for them makes me feel good.”

Collecting in general elevates Mrs. Lites to moments of great pleasure. She adores her teapots, plus her other “finds” spread throughout the house: hearts and, ironically, stars. She collected the latter long before the Dallas Stars became the center of the Liteses’ professional lives, and who knows whether fate played a hand in it. “I’m not sure,” she says, “but I do know that stars are happy, strong and bright. They make me very happy.”