When interior designer Krista Howard of KH Interiors took on the renovation of nurse Stacy Strode’s St. Louis house, it was important to accommodate entertaining, added storage and meaningful décor. It’s a tall order for any home, but Howard did it all while making Stacy’s meager 900 square feet look larger than its tiny footprint.

Peggy Deguire and Richard Supanich took the leap from single-family-home ownership to condo living and haven’t looked back since. They purchased their St. Louis Hills home right out of college and thought they’d spend the rest of their lives there; but as time went on their plans began to change. “As we’ve gotten older, we want to travel more,” says Peggy. With 2,500 square feet to upkeep as well as a yard, the thought of condo living was very appealing to the couple.

Surveying the landscape from his spectacular terrace, the owner of this high-rise condominium in Park East Tower quips, “It’s like having the ultimate model train set. Looking down, you can see everything in miniature.” Behind him, a fountain burbles softly and sunlight sparkles on the surface of his swimming pool… yes, a private pool, hundreds of feet in the air!

Four years ago when Mark Kalk set out to create the garden that would surround his Lafayette Square home, he found himself between a rock and a hard place. Literally. He and his partner Mark Lammert had just purchased four parcels of empty land grouped together to create a .3-acre site. On that space they planned to design and construct a new home in the style of the surrounding historic homes and a garden that would complement the beauty of the house. Following in the footsteps of both his father and grandfather, who were avid gardeners, the landscaping of the property fell to Mark Kalk.

When Connie and Lynn Suydam considered a move to the City of St. Louis, Connie had one requirement. “I had to have a place to put my fingers in the dirt,” she says firmly.