A Space for All Seasons

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When Carole and Greg Tobin designed their Metro St. Louis area residence, they planned it as a home for all seasons. Both literally and figuratively, the residence, planned over the past two years, reflects the couple's desire to hold family and friends close. The parents of four children ranging in age from 16 to 27, the Tobins worked to create a space that would include their adult children in the rhythm of the family home. “I wanted everything that Greg and I needed to be on the first floor, leading to the outdoors,” says Carole, who worked with Eliot Gray Construction and the Artistic Group to construct a home and extraordinary outdoor living space to ensure that each of their children “always has a space to come home to.” While to many people, main-level living would mean simply putting the master bedroom and laundry on the first floor, Carole ramped up the criteria. The house includes a first-floor “mother-in-law suite,” should an older family member need to move in for a time. Both the spacious kitchen in the main residence and the guest suite open to a same-level, covered veranda that stretches across the back of the residence. The veranda ties the home to the outdoors, offering views of a saltwater pool and park-like landscape beyond. Designed to be multi-seasonal, the veranda appointments include an outdoor kitchen and a fireplace-centered space that can be enjoyed no matter the weather.

The natural stone facing embellishes the open-air kitchen that incorporates a Wolf grill and burner system, refrigeration units and storage drawers. A rich granite countertop provides ample space for grill-side dining. In warm weather, palm-leaved ceiling fans create a breeze, and on chilly days, the family can gather around a grand stone fireplace. A 40-inch LCD television, mounted on a swivel, and Polk audio speakers that provide surround sound make the outdoor area perfect for watching a big game or listening to music. Working with interior designer Lana Schaefer, Carole selected a color palette of browns and greens to give the area a soothing, natural ambience.

“Greg likes grilling, and so many times at our old home, he was standing outside in the rain or snow,” recalls Carole. The new streamlined grill – positioned at the outer edge of the outdoor kitchen – allows for the cook to have a view of the pool. Smoke and soot from the grill are pulled away from the eating area through a hood suspended from the ceiling and vented into the home's chimney stack. “The outdoor living space is fantastic,” according to Greg, whose grilling favorites are steaks, kabobs and on occasion, lobster. “Before, there were times our kids would scatter after events. Now, they come back here and want to hang out.” Greg gives Carole all the credit for the space. “She did a great job. She'd bounce ideas off me, but she knew what I liked, and she thought of everything.”

A spacious island for casual dining spotlights the outdoor kitchen.

Sunbrella fabric covers custom counter stools.

 “I wanted our main level living area to lead to the outdoors.”
– Carole Tobin, homeowner