Chuck Beard is a man who practices what he preaches. A horticulturist and garden designer, he has spent nearly 27 years creating beautiful gardens throughout St. Louis. But perhaps the most beautiful testimonial to his talent has been in his own yard.

When two Clayton homeowners broke ground on a major addition in the early 2000s, they left the original master bathroom untouched, repurposing it into a children’s Jack-and-Jill. But a decade later, as the room’s young occupants approached tween-hood, it was time to bring a dull, outdated space into the colorful 21st century.

Bring technology into your landscape with these innovative products that will make tending to your garden a little easier.

One of the most mineral-rich areas in the United States is California’s Sierra Foothills. It’s no wonder that it was ground zero for the fabled California Gold Rush of the mid-1800s. 

New homeowner Jeff Hughes had followed a job opportunity from New Jersey to St. Louis. He wanted to relocate to a diverse and growing neighborhood with the “old, yet modern feel” he had grown to love in New Jersey. He knew right away that the house on Pestalozzi was the one. It was located in the heart of the city in an area currently undergoing a significant amount of renovation and was close to a beautiful park and a local bus route.

Imagine being able to know what your senior mother or father is doing and if they are safe even when you are hundreds or thousands of miles away. Did they get out of bed today? Did they leave the stove on? Is their smoke detector going off? Have they eaten? SmartCare Consultants, a second business started by the owners of The SOHO Shop, has developed a series of unobtrusive sensors to be placed in a senior’s room within an elderly community or residential home that will give you and family peace of mind.