1 of 2
Photography by Alise O'Brien
2 of 2
Originally designed by Maritz & Young, the interior of the half-timbered Tudor house was grand—but perhaps a tad too grand for its new owners, a young couple with children in elementary school. Rather than keep the opulent decor of the Roaring ’20s, when the home was built, the homeowners opted for what designer Jimmy Jamieson of Jamieson Design (4100 Laclede, 314-371-1777, jamiesondesign.com) describes as “a minimalistic, contemporary, modernist aesthetic.” The couple closed on the house in December 2011, and Jamieson immediately had every wall—with the exception of the children’s rooms—painted white.
The first major project was the master-bedroom suite. Planning took three months, construction another six. “The trick is how to honor the original, but edit and interpret it, so it reflects the couple’s taste and contemporary lifestyle,” Jamieson says. The master bathroom comprises three parts: the vanity, a wet area (with tub, shower, and private toilet), and a dressing room. Calacatta Oro marble flooring runs throughout. A hallway connects the pieces; frameless doors of frosted glass separate the shower and toilet from the tub area.
The bathroom’s most spectacular aspect is the vanity, built from rift-sawn white oak and inspired by the idea of an 18th-century French trumeau mirror. But rather than have a piece of art at the top, as is the tradition, Jamieson left that space blank—“and to your imagination.” The thick top and marble legs are reminiscent of designer Billy Baldwin’s take on the Parsons table. “The statement is about the hard architectural form of the top and the leg, which is the same proportion and the same material,” Jamieson says. “The cabinetry is somewhat recessed and falls into a shadow. We added doors and faucetry reminiscent of the early 20th century. The entire mirror, which contains the medicine cabinets, is backlit, so it sort of floats off the wall to create this celestial feeling.”
The tub is situated under a set of leaded windows, perfect replicas of the originals, made by Hope’s Windows, a 101-year-old New York company that also created the windows when the house was first built. The 8- by 14-foot shower area has every bell and whistle: two wall showers, two overhead showers, a handheld shower, a bench wide enough for a nap, and the option to use the shower as a steam room. The faucets, made by Omnia, are finished in a black powder coat. The lighting combines low-voltage, incandescent, and LED bulbs.
While the master bedroom was large, Jamieson describes the former bathroom and closets as anything but. So an adjacent bedroom was converted into a new dressing room, replete with floor-to-ceiling dressers, two walk-in closets, and an island with more room for clothes. A third walk-in closest—for luggage, linens, and toiletry storage—is in the hallway.
To date, Jamieson has also completed the home office, living room, and dining room. Before he’s finished, every room will be redone. But he maintains that the house will still have the ring of centuries past. “You still feel that you’re in a grand early-20th-century home,” he says. “But your grandmother doesn’t live there anymore.”
