Whoever installs a porch swing in their kitchen is a risktaker, unique and FUN. This kitchen reflects the unique beauty of the homeowners themselves – fun, creative, unique, cheerful, intelligent and not formal. They like to live life to its fullest and embrace the beauty of the moment. Every detail of this kitchen was carefully planned and selected according to their personalities and desires. The hood is a statement piece, mixing metals of stainless and brushed brass. The brushed brass straps mixed with the stainless have a ship like nautical feel. The backsplash tile is a light sage green with ever so slightly glazed distressing so it resembles a smaller painted brick color. The cabinetry is top notch quality with an inset design and classic door style. The light upper cabinets are not just regular white cabinets, they have a black glacier paint layered on top that adds a luxurious contemporary feel. The base cabinets are a rich cherry stained color, almost black with a charcoal gray sheen. The countertops are breathtaking. The island quartzite with light green hues and showstopping veins runs the length of the slab with an added two-inch mitered thickness. It’s an anchor of an island. […]

Perch atop the Plaza in Clayton sits this 290 sq. ft. kitchen with a majestic view. Inspired by the fashion empire of Ralph Lauren, this basic black tailored kitchen is the essence of classic. It’s clean lines and dark colors cohesively meld to surrounding rooms. The simple flat panel door and use of dramatic color create a stage for the countertops to shine. The perfectly appointed brass hardware lend just enough contrast and drama. Remodeling in a multi level condominium building is not without its constraints. Limitations on locations and distance in which you can move water and electric confine design. Constraints just make you think harder and more efficiently. Slight adjustments and tweaks to the original layout blended together with whispers of an iconic design house, lay rise to nothing ordinary magic.  

Charm and character exudes from this adorable and functional Caterer’s Kitchen created in an historic World’s Fair-era mansion. This kitchen sits off of the main “show” kitchen and intends to hide the “dirty” work area during entertaining and also gives the homeowner (who loves to bake) a place to practice his passion. Through the remodel, the home’s impressive original features were preserved, so the main kitchen respects the glamour of the home. In contrast, this Caterer’s Kitchen reflects a working kitchen- industrial and hardworking, yet a place that is modern, warm and inviting. Material selections are reflective of the period. Shaker inset cabinets with glass expose the serving pieces they contain, clean white subway tile and marble- look quartz countertops  provide the look of times past, but with the function of modern materials. The giant center freestanding island with a butcher block top adds dimension, but also keeps the room feeling open. Brushed brass add a pop of metal. The real star of this room is the custom sage green cabinet color; it makes you want to peek inside the door from the main kitchen to see what is happening inside and linger. It’s a delightful surprise! As a Caterer’s […]

Some houses are so special that they bring a tear to your eye when you walk into them. You feel an instant fear and sense of pride the moment you realize that remodel of this home is held in your hands. The weight of that responsibility is enormous. Will I do it justice? How did ever I deserve to get to work on this? Then, you make it through the project and see the end result of all of the hours of pondering layouts and material selections and your heart swells with pride. That’s what happened with the kitchen remodel of this World’s Fair-era home on Portland Place.   The Main Kitchen is in a grand space. This kitchen was meant to serve as the kitchen for guests to be entertained in. It had to be grand. It had to be elegant. It had to shine. Walls were removed to open the kitchen to a casual living space just off the French doors to an elegant and inviting back yard. The cabinetry in the main space is tight and functional; the stone hood serves as the focal point and is flanked by windows that allows you to enjoy views of […]

A quietly luxurious and rustic home that rests in the calm country in the distant outskirts of St. Louis now has a unique kitchen haven. The homeowner is kind, exuding a ‘zen’ like presence around herself and those she meets. She wanted a kitchen that embodied her unique tastes, with out-of-the box touches while also feeling balanced, warm and inviting. One of the challenges to designing her kitchen was the massive space and how to plan it in a way that felt intimate, embracing the rustic qualities but also married to an industrial edge with touches of feminine charm. The backsplash mosaic tile has hints of flower designs in contrasting dark colors that pick up on reflective mirror tones. These tones can ever so slightly sparkle in certain light which complement the stainless steel Sub Zero Wolf appliances. The dark wood beams channel the rustic roots of the home and its location. The stainless appliances have an industrial vibe, like a pro chef lives in the house, ready to whip up a delicious concoction at any hour. The dark herringbone floor tile has hints of wood tones, echoing the rustic wood beams on the ceiling, but laid in a herringbone […]

This was a difficult space to redesign as the old kitchen was cramped and blocked off from the old butler’s pantry. This made for a difficult kitchen to entertain guests in because it was sectioned off from the rest of the house and dark and cramped. The new design miraculously fit an island into the space. It took out walls, incorporated a new butler’s pantry and added in wider archway openings so the remodel looked like it was meant to be in the hundred-year-old home. A goal of the homeowners was to have a space that flowed for entertaining as they host guests in their home often. They like to have guests help in the kitchen and the island was a perfect addition for this goal. They also wanted it to feel highly functional, as functional as possible for every inch of the space. One of the results for the functionally driven design was the skinny spice pull-out wall cabinet discreetly designed to the left of the range hood wall cabinets. It’s a fan favorite. The corner wall garage cabinet hides their everyday appliances from sight, freeing the counters from clutter. They enjoy having their microwave hidden from plain sight […]

Sometimes when you are pushed by limitations and break all the “rules”, magical things happen in a space. The space in this adorable (detail-packed) Tudor home started with a small kitchen that had seven doorways, 4 windows, several closets and a poorly functioning powder room crammed under a stairwell. The space was re-imagined to open the kitchen out onto a precious manicured backyard to create an indoor/ outdoor kitchen and also give room to add a full bathroom to service an aging-in-place parent. The first “rule” thrown out the window was in the use of color. You will hear to only use light monochromatic color schemes to make the space look larger. To the contrary, the use of Mouser Ebony black cabinetry and Big Chill black appliances with bold Brushed Brass trims was chosen and creates interest and charm in what could have been a bland and uninteresting room. The space was packed with textures in the white wall tile, wood tones brought in through the hardwood floors, bar stools and insides of glass fronted wall cabinets. Diresco Concrete-look countertops with chunky mitered apron edges add an aged, yet modern look to the space. Contrasting this with brass light fixtures […]

Originally the plan for this kitchen was an all white space.  We get that a lot, like A LOT.  Somehow white feels safe.  As designers we try to help people step over that comfort line.  Sometimes it’s giant steps and sometimes it’s baby steps. Regardless, our clients have never regretted the leap.  The sisal color island in this kitchen warms the white and makes us feel like we took a trip to the coast.   The lights on the hood create rare detail that balances the lights over the island.  The backsplash is a creamy white rather than a stark white like the cabinets establishing a soft transition between the two.  The stainless of the Sub Zero refrigerator equalizes the stainless of the ovens flanking the back wall.   The extremely neutral palette will allow for the evolution of style and taste that will travel easily through the next 25 years.

The transformation of this little cottage by the creek was a work of love. The community in which it sits is where this family, a dad and his 2 sons spend their summer. The original structure built in c.1898 consisted of one main room and a porch built on nothing more than an old tent platform. When we set out to reconfigure, remodel and restore this charming space, we quickly figured out that not much had changed in about 100 years. The timeframe was tight, the budget was flexible but small, yet the journey from rotting boards, sagging floors and squishy walls was astounding.   This project was about summer living in a cottage snuggled up next the woods.  We had to make it functional and easy to live in.   The most significant enhancement was the redo and opening up of the kitchen to the original one room cottage. What was previously a small door leading to the kitchen became a giant opening that matches the opening to the porch directly across the room. One huge living space that extends from the front porch to the rear of the kitchen was created. We painted the dark wood walls a welcoming cream and added shiplap to […]

The right mix of color and use of space can make a small kitchen rich with interest.  The combined soft grey mixed with warm gold tones is turned on with the sparkle in the lights.  The open layout allows for perfect entertaining and conversing with family and friends.  The backsplash is a soft pink handmade looking tile that had all of our designers swooning! It is not often we get to play with something like pink tile!  It was so much fun!