At-Home Harvest

Missouri’s climate allows cold season vegetables to continue growing through the end of October. Plots sown in late August have the ability to last through Halloween depending on the weather. If you’re interested in keeping the plants growing through the cold season, greenhouses, cold frames or containers can help extend growing time. Since these vegetables are in season, they’re built to grow in cooler temperatures and don’t do well in excessive heat.

On the walls of Carolyn and Rick Dames’ bar area, you’ll see a young Lucille Ball and Judy Garland, along with many other stars of the early 20th Century.

Carolyn found the autographed celebrity photos about 25 years ago in the basement of her family home. When the couple recently remodeled and moved into a different condo unit in their building, Carolyn found the perfect placement for the photos on the bar area walls. “I have treasured them since (finding them) and have created special spaces for them in our last three homes,” she says.

In 1878, near the town of Malta Bend, a small city about 2.5 hours from St. Louis, architect John Daniel Walters, a Swiss immigrant from Berne Switzerland, built a home and impressive barn on the Henry Blosser Estate. But by 2014, both the massive mansion and barn were almost in ruins.

Surrounded by a whimsical hummingbird loom rug, flowerpots, comfy pillows, a couch and a golden retriever sidekick within a cozy atelier, Stacy Rolfe submerges into magical inspiration to create children’s books about animals on her R&R Ranch in Wildwood.

“The studio’s a beacon of warmth, nestled into the woods, and a place to call your own. It’s very different than having a home or bedroom office, for example, although it does double as my office,” Stacy explains.

With open-concept layouts becoming a staple in newly built and renovated homes, it can be difficult for homeowners to find transitional rugs that fit comfortably in multiple areas of one room. For example, a one-of-a-kind hand-knotted rug that is perfect for under the couch, doesn’t have an exact match for under the dining table. Amini’s is tackling this predicament with customizable, hand-knotted samples and swatches that can be transformed into custom size rugs.

Pullenvale, Australia