Moving from a 3,500-square-foot home in St. Louis Hills to an 888-square-foot Rock Hill bungalow was a lifestyle shock for Corina Taylor. The mother of a 17-year-old son and 13-year-old daughter, Taylor settled into the cozy, jewel-box home a year and a half or so ago and quickly realized the tiny space would need big changes to become more functional – and more inviting.

 Sometimes all you need to make a big statement is the right color palette, plenty of sunlight and thoughtful staging. For this particular European-style property – a two-story home set alongside rural terrain and a clear, blue lake – country French hues gave way to the lighter, airier look two Belleville homeowners were after. The husband-and-wife duo had built their house in 1988 and had it professionally decorated then. “I loved it for years,” one homeowner explains, “but there was so much going on, and I’d grown tired of the previous look.”

As we transform into a society of techies, we are becoming more aware of the fact that we have not seen it all. From the phones we carry in our pockets, to the laptops on our desks, the cars we drive, even the way we listen to music, the digital landscape surrounding us changes constantly, ushering collective “oohs” and “aahhs” whenever something new is brought to the table for us to ogle.

Architextures, St. Louis, MO

Photography by Jeff Wellman Photography


Ottoman, seat, table... however you use this versatile piece, a pouf is a fun accent piece for any room.

one: Sawan pouf, available at Anthropologie.

two: Bazaar Pouf, available at West Elm.

three: Tipsy 18" gold pouf, available at One Kings Lane, onekingslane.com.

four: Papyrus pouf, available at Savvy Surrounding Style.

For our April coior and technology issue, we asked local designers and tech gurus if enclosed theater rooms are a classic or a craze. Tell us your opinion. Vote now. Here is what the professionals had to say...