One updated split-level ranch home makes a fine place for an annual Kentucky Derby party. It now also makes a mighty fine space for its homeowners to age in place.

Even after living in their home for ten years, Lisa and Scott Null never felt like it was truly theirs. Located in Wildwood, in the suburban hills of Chesterfield, the original layout and interiors didn’t match their tastes or personalities. When they purchased the property in 2012, the home’s color scheme was burgundy, beige and orange. “The colors were very dark and even with tons of windows in our house, it never felt like we had enough light,” says Lisa. “We wanted a brighter vibe on our main floor, and the kitchen had always been at the top of our renovation list.”

The owners of this home both grew up in multi-generational families, where grandparents resided with them. It seemed natural, then, the practice would continue, with the husband’s parents living with them when the couple started having children.

    After nearly a dozen corporate moves and almost as many home purchases, a couple now living in Chesterfield knows how to pick a good house. But as the husband approached retirement, they began to consider where they would live when the choice would be entirely theirs.

    “We love St. Louis,” says the wife. “We lived here twice before, and our daughter graduated from high school here and stayed. We have three adult children in three different cities. St. Louis is in the middle.”

        An idyllic setting and great bones are sometimes all it takes to make a home suitable for renovating rather than replacing. Overlooking the picturesque grounds of a local country club, with a back yard nestling into a private wooded oasis with a creek, this late 1960s Neoclassical-style dwelling seemed a perfect candidate for a fresh yet refined makeover. Its unique features include subtle level changes on the first floor, with the foyer and east/west passageways at one height and sinking two steps down into the primary spaces.

After Ellie Redders, CEO and Principal Designer of Ellie Redders Interiors, and her husband Brian Redders, had their 25-year-old home renovated a few years ago, Ellie realized that reimagining their formal dining room would make the space more useful.   

    So she transformed the dining room into a vibrant music room and lounge. The family uses the new room far more now than in its previous life, when it was only used on holidays twice a year.