All the pieces fell into place after Amanda Unanue bought her first two-family home in the charming Dutchtown neighborhood of South St. Louis. It was 2002, and the wisdom of her purchase was rooted in the idea that a renter could contribute to her mortgage payment while she lived there. But what happened was far more magical—an unpredictable destiny written in the stars.

    Fast forward to 2008, when Amanda repeated her success and bought another two-family right next door. The following year, a renter moved out of her first home, and into it a young man named Colin Webb, who wanted to help refurbish the properties. Long story short, the two of them became friends and eventually married—two new loves in a two-family home. Soon thereafter, the couple had a daughter, prompting them to move to a larger space. It was 2017, and another two-family property, but this time, the project required extensive work. “It’s a typical South City two-family home built in 1897,” says Webb. “We purchased it in its 120th year—the oldest on the block—and it remains a double lot with 900 square feet per floor and some really great Victorian millwork that had mostly been stripped out.”

    After rehabbing multiple homes, the couple had planned to continue their tried-and-true process of buying a multi-family property, making it livable for them in one unit, and then making the second unit a desirable rental before starting the cycle all over again. However, during the demolition, they discovered another baby was on the way—as well as the birth of a new building company just beyond the horizon. After completing the second floor in 2019, where the couple and their two daughters now reside, Webb started a new business with Sean DePass, a friend he had met while working together at Habitat for Humanity in St. Louis.

    Rosette Remodeling, which eventually evolved into Rosette Forever Homes, was born and immediately needed a warehouse and staging space. The unfinished first floor of the couple's new dwelling became that space, where they housed tools, millwork, and all necessary supplies to create beautiful bespoke homes. "Each floor was instrumental in starting the business," says Webb. "The second floor housed our office, where we learned how to estimate, build proposals and run a business properly."

    Rosette's staff and project sizes quickly outgrew the space on the first floor, so they relocated to a warehouse in Soulard. "At that point, Amanda and I had to decide how to use the first floor for the greatest benefit to our family," Webb adds. "And it turns out, the best way to support our family was also to continue to support the future of Rosette. So instead of doing a quick remodel, we opted to pull out all the stops and really invest in something special."

    Instead of a regular rental, the couple decided that an upscale short-term rental for traveling nurses would be the goal. As a manager at Washington University's Human Research and Protection office, Unanue's connections in healthcare gave them the confidence to pursue that avenue while also creating a statement piece for their business. "We started where we like to begin all Rosette Forever Homes projects—with performance-enhancing building science," notes Webb. "By tightening up the enclosure with air sealing, installing new windows, centrally locating the return air and adding proper insulation for both thermal performance and sound control, the engine of this house was now ready to provide comfort, durability and a healthier environment to live in."

    Next, the stuffy floor plan needed a total overhaul, so they removed a pantry and surprisingly found a window. To redefine the relationship between the kitchen and living room, they removed the wall between them. They separated the two large rooms with an elegant cased-opening/pass-through built-in shelving system featuring ash countertops that flow into a backsplash, giving the two main rooms character and symmetry. There was just enough space to fit another bedroom in the old dining room, and with their newly enlarged kitchen that now had plenty of room for a dinner table, the change was a huge bonus. They also converted an old pocket door into an entertainment center and reclaimed tons of five-panel doors from previous projects and back-alley disposals. "The bathroom had mushrooms growing out of the base trim when we first purchased it," laughs Webb. "The drop ceiling was made of asbestos tiles that were rotting and falling from unmaintained plumbing leaks. So, of course, we nuked it and came back with a lot of classic black-and-white floor-to-ceiling tile and a built-in linen shelf that makes the space feel larger and more useful."

    Inspired by Victorian architecture, the interior aesthetic includes elaborate plinth block bases, butterfly casings, rosette corner blocks and tall two-piece base trims. After recreating much of the existing interior millwork, Webb expanded upon it greatly for architectural drama. Soaring 10-foot ceilings allowed for more layers of crown moldings, soffits and interest boxes. The magnificent two-tiered coffered ceilings are perhaps only surpassed by the installation of a one-of-a-kind, hand-carved mantel with a fluted texture tile reclaimed from a now-demolished house in North St. Louis. Balanced by the white oak flooring they installed throughout, the couple implemented a dark, earthy and sophisticated interior paint palette that nods to the woods of Missouri, as seen in the many stained-glass Transoms.

    "My friend, coworker and Rosette's lead carpenter, Joe Brown, did a lot of work on this space with me," notes Webb. "He drafted CAD designs for the cabinetry and coffered ceiling and was there in person to hold the other end of long sticks of crown molding. A huge highlight was having him and my family over after the project to break bread and thank him for his help seeing it through." 

    The couple currently enjoys using the entire two-family home for entertainment and as guest housing for their family and friends—and most recently, as a first-floor recovery unit for Webb as he recovers from a hip replacement. They also had the great fortune of finding the staging company Olive + Opal Interiors to do the furnishing. "They have such a great sense of functional space, which needed just the right decorations to complement the permanent work we installed," says Webb. "They quickly and effortlessly took the empty space and made it feel relaxed and lived in. Soon enough, we'll buy another building and do something similar, and this space will finally become what we intended it to be—a lovely home for nurses as they travel to St. Louis to do their work." 

Resources: 

Artwork/Antiques/Furniture: Olive and Opal

Cabinetry: Beck Allen

Hardwood Floors: Classic Flooring Solutions

Fireplace: Salvaged from Lafayette Square by Rosette 

Butcher Block: Rosette

Lighting: Salvaged and House of Antique Hardware

Plumbing: Crescent Plumbing

Tile: Floor and Decor

Window/Door: Wholesale Siding Depot

Millwork: Burkhart’s