Photography by Kevin A. Roberts
Harold Koch opened his business in 1930, and his three brothers signed on as soon as they were old enough. Today, Bill Stack, Koch’s grandson and the company’s president, is the most recent member of the family to take up the brush. Considered one of the top painting-and-decoration firms in the city, Koch Brothers Decorating (6752 Olive, 314-862-8383, kochbrosdecorating.com) can mimic the surface of marble, tortoiseshell, or even a Rolls-Royce.
• The easiest thing to change is the color. The hardest is picking the technique of the finish.
• There are trends that come and go. In the ’80s, we were doing a lot of rag effects. The mottling was more defined. Now, we do more of a color wash, where there is a soft depth of color. Certain classic techniques, like striae, we seem to do as much as we always have.
• It’s hard to find good painters. Some people we start young, and we train them as an apprentice. An apprenticeship is three years.
• I’d always cringe if we were painting over some beautifully stained old woodwork that was a unique wood species or covering over something I thought had historical significance.
• Sometimes, pets are controlling the owner, more or less. I have had pets run through the paint and then through the house—or they decide they’re going to lift their leg on your dropcloth.
• I have had owners say, “I’m leaving town. Should I have the work done while I’m gone?” and I say, “Definitely.” If we can wave the magic wand and get it all done and put it back before they return, then we are all so much happier.
• When picking the color, you need to see a large application of the material. You need to see the color in the light of the room, day and night. Lighting is key to everything.
• On one house, we needed to match the color of apricots. The lady went out and got real apricots. We would mix the color, and then she would say, “We need to adjust that.” We finally pointed out that the apricot was changing color as it was ripening.
