The sculptures in Lisa Hilton’s sun-washed studio are classically designed pieces, interwoven with unexpected additions of fantasy. On one side, an elegant clay woman poses on a litter made from a copper leaf, carried by a giant ant. Along the wall, another female figure cradles a metal nest, her limbs resembling the lichen-covered bark of a tree. And then there are the porcelain animals in the center of Hilton’s studio and at the heart of her current sculpture series.

If you go to Pùblico expecting Chef Mike Randolph to play it straight, check your expectations at the door. While the University City Latin food diner stays faithful to the spirit of Central American cuisine, it leans heavily enough on fresh, regional ingredients to keep diehard locavores happy and clean of conscience—and always pleasantly surprised.

SLHL: Does decorative outdoor lighting require special voltage?

Carla: Most decorative outdoor lighting such as portable lamps, chandeliers, pendants and fans with light kits are all line-voltage products. Line-voltage lighting can be hardwired to a junction box or can plug right into your outdoor receptacle. 

SLHL:  Are certain finishes best suited for the outdoors?

Greg Lukeman and Justin Scarbrough have a passion for chairs. At last count, there were 23 designer seating pieces – each acquired for its unique Mid-century styling – arranged throughout their 2,500-square-foot downtown loft. But let’s start at the beginning…

Sometimes you get a feeling and just know something is meant to be. That is exactly what happened when the homeowner of the classic stately Georgian Revival-style home in west St. Louis County drove up to her soon-to-be house for the first time. Ready for a move and always looking at real estate, she convinced her husband to walk through one Sunday after church. The minute the family stepped into the entryway she thought to herself, we are going to live here.

Over the river (okay, what you ford is really a shallow stream) and through the woods…down a long gravel road that turns into a steep gravel driveway…but what you come to on top of a high hill in Wildwood is hardly your grandmother’s house.