Though Tiffany’s kitchen is small, she knew it needed a big makeover. “I’m a single woman who lives alone, so I didn’t need a ton of space,” she says. “But no matter how small, I needed it to have as much color and personality as possible.”

Her search for an interior designer brought her right to Candice Wideman of YouTopia Designs. “I was nervous at first when I chose Candice because she’d worked on so many large, extravagant homes in the past,” Tiffany explains. “But as soon as I met her, we clicked.”

As any designer will attest, the most enjoyable clients to work with are often those with a vision and a thorough understanding that great renovations don’t happen overnight. And such was certainly the case for Heather Ragan of Herzog Kitchen and Bath when she set out to design a cutting-edge dream kitchen for St. Louis couple Brian and Areta May and their two daughters.  

Platinum Winners

Gegg Design & Cabinetry, More than 450 square feet

Le Coeur Design, 350-449 square feet

Gegg Design & Cabinetry, 250-349 square feet

Gegg Design & Cabinetry, Less than 250 square feet

Gold Winners 

The plan for this newly built home called for two kitchens located next to one another, each with a distinct function. The kitchen in the main area was to be open and connected to all the living spaces as well as the outdoors. The “other” kitchen was designated the “summer” kitchen and was to be used for canning, baking and making preserves. Designer Gegg Design & Cabinetry designed the kitchens to be closely connected by two doorways, so the kitchens can share functions when necessary.

This kitchen remodel held special meaning to designer Le Coeur Design as the homeowners were also her parents, and the kitchen remodel was in the home she grew up in. The goal of the project was to create a space that would function day-to-day and also provide the flexibility for the homeowners to host their immediate family of 11. Space was needed to make this renovation happen.

Rustic details drove, but did not define, the design of the kitchen in this new home designed by Gegg Design & Cabinetry. Details such as dark rustic beams, stone features and plaster walls exude a rustic feel, but the homeowners wanted cabinetry that did not feel overly traditional or rustic. The solution was perimeter cabinets that are painted white with a walnut-stained island. The cabinet doors are one-inch-thick with a flat panel that was recessed as much as possible to give a bold feel.