A Diamond in the Rough

From the moment you enter the classic 1938 Georgian colonial home located in one of St. Louis’ most beautiful areas of the city, its sweeping beauty transports you to a time when the classics were in favor. You’ll discover its quiet, understated interior design – suitably referred to as “a new traditional” by the homeowners’ interior designer, Melissa Buckley, Allied ASID. Traditional design is surely new once again in this St. Louis home, with its decidedly neo-classical, elegant design – updating the refined style from past eras with livable ease.

Working closely with Liz, a design-minded homeowner with a keen sense of style and an intuitive eye for finding “gems,” Melissa set forth on a journey to make the home suit Liz and her family’s lifestyle. With a desire to make their St. Louis house “a home” in a timely fashion (the couple has two busy teenagers), Liz embarked on the redesign process and her collaboration with Melissa eagerly and with decisiveness.

Although the previous owners had modernized the classic Georgian home to an extent, the new owners – with a love of beautiful furniture – asked Melissa to launch a design plan that would honor the home’s history. With its classic architecture by a team of prominent early 20th-century architects, Study and Farrar, the goal was to bring its enveloping warmth and character back to life.

With an appreciation for the excellent “bones” of the house and its unique architectural details, Liz and her husband let the magnificence of the established, traditional home and its surroundings act as a canvas for classic furnishings destined to make their marks as “new traditional” at its finest.

Stunning millwork, Greek key motifs on the cornices and moldings, and inlaid herringbone floors are among the home’s many detail-rich architectural and design masterpieces.

The homeowners and their designer share an admiration for the furniture collections from the Hickory Chair Company, particularly, the collections of Mariette Himes Gomez, Thomas O’Brien and Alexa Hampton. As a result, the design unfolded with an expressive, sophisticated style.

Melissa explains, “Each piece of furniture made by the company tells a story. Stories of history, aesthetics, design, creation and personal touches in crafting abound. I wanted Liz to furnish her house with harmonious pieces, but also be in love with each ingredient. We were thrilled to take advantage of the abundant selection of finishes, fabrics and trims, and were able customize several pieces.” From an architecturally detailed entryway – where an exquisite, hand-knotted rug claims its presence in the space as “art” – to the formal, yet supremely inviting, living room,the warm, muted shades of celadon, baked coral, aquamarine, chestnut brown and buttercream inspire the home’s soothing color palette. Understated tone-on-tone fabric selections and seating areas defined by “sister” Peshawar area rugs add to the soothing, serene ambience and exemplify the living room’s masterful style.

“It is a calm, relaxed space, and it is my favorite room,” says Liz. The well-appointed layout, approached with touches of glamour and a “jewel” effect that radiates throughout the home, also includes Art Nouveau-inspired pieces. A classic French demilune cabinet is an exquisite example in the living room, with clean, smooth lines, simple tapered legs and antique grill overlays, adding a decorative element.

Well-loved art, family heirlooms, and treasures from travels are blended with classically minded custom furnishings from Frank Patton Interiors to achieve Liz’s vision for her home.

Following her design intuition and working in sync with her designer, Liz accomplished a hard-to-achieve combination of vibrancy and calm in each of the home’s rooms. Triumphantly, generous spaces are woven together to perfection with distinct personalities, yet complementary to one another – revealing a brilliant “design” tapestry.

Liz attributes her appreciation of the arts to her mother, who was an artist. Liz and her husband have collected original pictures and paintings – oils, watercolors and photography – from various regions where they’ve lived, which fill their home with memories.

Having lived in almost every major city across the country – Boston, San Francisco, Philadelphia and Chicago – the family is happy to have found a wonderful “home” in St. Louis. “We’ve lived coast to coast and now in between,” says Liz. “I’ve loved every place I’ve lived and made lifelong friends along the way. Although we enjoy traveling, our home is a place we can’t wait to get back to; we’re basically homebodies.”

Liz, who fondly refers to herself as a soccer mom and chauffeur, continues, “We like to cook and be with our kids. And we really enjoy our location, a short distance to the airport and work, for my husband.” (He is a busy executive whose work frequently takes him abroad). “We’re close to shops and restaurants, and it’s an easy drive to the schools our children attend. Now that we’re settled in St. Louis, we are looking forward to being involved in the community.” Giving and receiving – it all begins with a place called “home.”

This article originally appeared in the August 2010 issue of St. Louis Homes & Lifestyles.

RESOURCES
Select decor: through design services/showroom of Frank Patton Interiors, www.frankpatton.com; Interior Designer: Melissa Buckley, Allied ASID; Contractor: Wilson Contracting, www.wilson-contracting.com; Select antiques: Brilliant Antiques, www.brilliantantiques.com; Landscaping: Domien Meert, landscape architect, M & P Landscaping, Inc., www.mplandscapingstl.com; Pool maintenance: Scherrer Pool Service, 314-842-5353; Master bedroom draperies: The Curtain Exchange, www.thecurtainexchange.com; Fireplace screen and bronze statue: Ivey-Selkirk, www.iveyselkirk.com; Hand-knotted rugs: Rugs by Saga, 14169 Manchester Rd., 636-227-8555; Living room mural: Carol Holden, muralist, www.carolholden.net.