Gathering Place

By Kim Hill

Remember the iconic phrase “if you build it, they will come” from the movie Field of Dreams? It could be said that the owners of this St. Charles home reworked the idiom into “if you remodel it, they will come.”

T he owners are empty nesters who previously lived about two blocks away. That home, which the husband describes as a “standard, 2-story, 4-bedroom” started feeling a little tight when the couple’s adult children and their spouses came for family gatherings. “We were looking for something where we could spread out, so that as the grandchildren started coming, our house would be the place they’d want to be,” says the wife. “Our other house just wasn’t conducive to that because of the size. When they’d come over, we were all kind of stuck in the kitchen.”

The open floor plan of the new home’s main floor, with kitchen and family room flowing into one large space, an atypical, finished basement with windows and high ceilings, existing crown molding and trim work and a first-floor primary suite appealed to the couple. The home’s back yard, already private and flat, seemed perfect for installing a pool, and an existing elevator also helped seal the deal.

E ven with good bones and enviable attributes, the home had some drawbacks. Yellowish paint on the walls, large corbels in the kitchen and fluorescent lighting dated the home, and a primary suite with two separate sleeping areas and bathrooms needed reconfiguring. “It was all very 1980s and 90s,” recalls interior designer Sandra Merritt, principal of Sandra Merritt Designs.

In the kitchen, a new walnut floor flows seamlessly with the hardwoods throughout the rest of the main floor. A second sink was added to the reconfigured island, which is topped with quartzite. The antique Turkish rug is hand-knotted wool and adds color and texture to the coolly sleek kitchen appointed with new, pale gray cabinets and new appliances.

What started with the idea of a simple kitchen refresh and the remodel of the primary suite expanded into work impacting most areas of the home, according to Nate Droste, co-owner of Droste & Sons Construction. The scope of work included refinishing the original walnut floor and adding hardwood in the kitchen, reconfiguring the kitchen island while also installing new kitchen cabinets, appliances and countertops, opening up the stairwell to the basement level with new open railings, converting one of the sleeping areas in the primary suite to a sitting room, removing old lighting and installing new LED fixtures, new paint throughout the home and extensive wood casework in the home office.

M erritt says “the best move they made” was installing the open staircase to the basement. “Previously, it was just walls on all sides of a staircase going down,” she explains. “Now, when you walk into the home, you see the open stairwell going down to the lower level. It feels like a threelevel house instead of a house with a basement.” The husband notes he had finished the basements in their previous two homes. “That took a lot of time, and then nobody ever went down there,” he says. Opening up the stairwell in their new home was a high priority, and “our builder came up with a great plan to do that.”

P revious owners had already outfitted part of the expansive basement with a tile floor, a kitchen and leather furniture grouped around a fireplace. “That side felt very masculine to me, so I thought we’d make the other side of the large room feel more feminine, a little softer,” says Merritt. She chose a color scheme of navy and white, painting the walls in Benjamin Moore Navy with fresh white for the crown molding and trim work. “The crown molding elevates the space,” she says. “It’s very bright and doesn’t feel like a basement at all.” Budget-friendly upholstered pieces, tables and rugs invite grandchildren to play.

On the main level, the look is traditionally classic yet modern. “We wanted something that would be timeless, that we could live with for quite a while and not have to update,” says the wife. In the living room, mirrored tables lend a modern air to the traditional lines of the new upholstered

This page top: The couple selected nearly all new furnishings for the home, including the custom mirror by Friedman Brothers hanging above the Ralph Lauren lacquered console table in the front entry. “We didn’t want to have a preset idea of design style,” says the wife. “We wanted the home to feel fresh and new, plus this house is much bigger than our other one so anything we’d brought from our old house probably would not have worked in terms of scale.” Bottom: The vastness of the lower level appealed to the homeowners on their first look at the house. Designer Sandra Merritt suggested the crisp navy and white color scheme. Furnishings were kept budget-and kid-friendly to invite grandchildren to play. The space has already played host to a baby shower and other joyous family gatherings.

Opposite page: At the request of both builder and interior designer, the homeowners chose the Hekman executive desk with a leather top first to help drive design for the coffered ceiling, trimwork and color scheme in the home office. The husband had an idea for a beamed ceiling, but it was “ the builder who helped pull this all together to tie in the ceiling with the credenza and bookshelves behind the desk,” says the husband. “It went from a plain room to a really beautiful office.” pieces. “The husband told me early on he didn’t like contemporary, so I had to tiptoe a few of these pieces in,” Merritt says of the tables and a few of the accessories. “He’s very much a traditionalist.”

Phillip Jeffries Savile Suiting Plaid wallpaper in White on Navy completes the traditionalist look.

Substantial woodwork trimming the living room ceiling was part of the home’s appeal to the homeowners. They selected all new furniture for the home with the exception of the piano. Furnishings lean traditional with a modern edge, such as the round, mirrored side table from Chelsea House and gold-burnished accessories.

She notes the dining room’s light fixture was a stretch for both homeowners in terms of style. “I saw this at High Point Market, and I knew it would make the room,” says Merritt. The Currey & Company multi-drop pendant light features mirrors with seams of brass in a cluster. “Even the wife wasn’t sure at first,” says Merritt. “But they trusted me, and everyone who comes in goes crazy for that chandelier.”

Merritt says lighting can change the entire ambience of a home. “You can walk in a house and tell its age just because of the lighting,” Merritt says. “The (previous) lighting in this home really dated the house. We’ve replaced it little by little and it’s made a world of difference.”

T he wife says narrowing design choices from the overwhelming number of possibilities is one of the many advantages in working with a designer. “Sandy helped steer us to things,” says the wife. Case in point: the desk for the husband’s home office. He wanted a traditional desk with a closed front. Merritt suggested several options, including the Hekman executive desk the couple ultimately chose. “We used the desk they picked out to model the trim work and color scheme,” Droste says. “The entire room was done in the same color of stain as the walnut floor.” The finished room features a coffered ceiling and wall of woodwork and shelves behind the desk.

The husband appreciates their home so much now that it's finished. “Quite frankly, I can’t believe what our house looks like today versus where it started. We are so proud to own it.” See stlouishomesmag.com for resources and additional photos.

This page bottom: For sleepover nights with grandchildren, designer Sandra Merritt suggested one guest room contain twin beds. She added a mossy green to the navy and white palette used throughout the home. “I just love those color combinations and mixing prints,” says Merritt. “The room turned out to be very cheery and colorful.”

Opposite page top: Freshly painted trim work in the primary bedroom pops against the calming shade of Benjamin Moore’s Iced Marble on the walls and ceiling. Designer Sandra Merritt selected the fabric for the bench and coordinating bed pillows based on the wife’s love for birds. Custom draperies are by Berry Studio. Bathroom: New hardware from Worlds Away and new cabinet facings freshen the wife’s primary bathroom. A new mirror and sconces add a hint of Art Deco to the space. Sitting room: Serene in shades of blue, this sitting room was created from one of the two sleeping areas in the primary suite. “You can look out to a lake not far away from us, and it’s just a very comforting area,” says the husband.