Photography by Alise O'Brien
Marlowe in the Central West End
The exterior of Marlowe
Large Midwestern apartment complexes aren’t exactly synonymous with bold and thoughtful design. Marlowe (4545 Laclede) is an exception.
The seven-story building, developed by Keeley Properties on Laclede, features 205 apartments in multiple configurations, including 380-square-foot micro studios. The focus on interior design is apparent in the elegant double-height lobby, through wallpapered hallways, and inside community rooms that function as work-from-home offices, Zoom rooms, and comfortable spots to read a book.
“We have the expected—everything you’re going to want from a high-end building—but we also have a lot of the unexpected,” says Maggie St. Geme, vice president of marketing and communications for Keeley Properties. “Our vision is to invoke curiosity and whimsy.”
Photography by Alise O'Brien
Marlowe in the Central West End
The Marlowe's lobby
In 2021, HOK’s Kelly Lott was hired to make the common areas, including the designated work-from-home amenities, comfortable and visually appealing for residents. “Everything was strategically selected to support the aesthetic, but there was a conscious effort to create moments for tenants and guests to explore the space,” she says. There are hidden images in the wall coverings, as well as eclectic furnishings and bold works of art that are both playful and high design. “What makes this successful is that people almost redefine their perception of their front door,” says Lott. “These spaces become an extension of their living quarters.”
Photography by Alise O'Brien
Marlowe in the Central West End
The Marlowe's coworking space
Some of the busiest places during the day are the co-working spaces on the mezzanine level, one of which features channel-back booths covered in performance fabrics. Lott commissioned artist Kass Copeland to paint a series of hanging portraits to serve as dividers between booths. Nicknamed “The Noble Council of Forest Park,” the paintings’ subjects are dressed in gold-trimmed robes and headpieces. “The people represented in the artwork are as eclectic as the space,” says Lott.
In 2019, architect Chris Cedergreen led the building’s initial concept design, with Lamar Johnson Collaborative serving as architect of record. The planning for the building evolved in 2020, though, when the group realized that the pandemic was causing people to spend more time at home. They refocused their attention on creating community work spaces and amenities, says Sarah Doriani, principal interior designer at LJC. A few coffee tables weren’t going to cut it—they needed a cozy meeting lounge, roomy tables with task lighting, and plenty of TV screens. It was also decided that the one conference room would need to be divided in two to accommodate more people.
A room dubbed the Vesper speakeasy, concealed behind a tambour door that blends into the wall, provides another place for residents to go to take calls or dispatch emails during the day; at night, the space transitions into a buzzy hub for socializing.
“The notion of a whimsical space, or [one] that evokes curiosity, meant that there had to be layers of discovery rather than one bold move that focuses your attention,” says Doriani. “It’s a space that feels holistic, but as you stay in it there’s something to discover every time.”
