Anne Smith
Sometimes what's available is simply not what you want. Thankfully, a number of local artisans make it easy to go custom There's no doubt that many of us live a cookie-cutter lifestyle. Most of what we buy isn't necessarily original or exotic — it's rolled right off an assembly line.
So it's nice to know that true artisans are still out there, handcrafting made-to-order items five days a week. That's why we've scouted out this city's most creative minds in custom décor to help us all think outside of the big-box stores.
Bed Linens
Bruce Bernstine's advice to those going the custom textiles route: "Without a doubt, you need someone to come to your home; it is almost impossible to do design work without seeing it."
Luckily Mr. Bernstine, owner of Sunshine Drapery (314-569-2980, sunshinedrapery.com), or one of his team members (17 designers and 65 employees total) will take a look at your home for free — something they've done since the business was established in 1969. Although the bulk of Mr. Bernstine's work involves window treatments, Sunshine can whip up bedding and pillows as well. While most companies work out of fabric books, his three locations in Chesterfield (94 THF, 636-812-0155), Fenton (699 Gravois Bluffs, 636-660-0074) and Maryland Heights (11800 Adie, 314-569-2980) buy fabric directly from mills and will have 1,500 bolts of fabric in stock at any given time. If a customer can't find what they want, "then we resort to books," he says.
The company's most requested bedding items are bedspreads and comforters. Not including the cost of fabric, the price ranges from about $300 to $375 for a king-size comforter of bedspread.
Three other excellent choices: Room Service Fabrics (3062 Winghaven, 636-561-0847), Lulu Belles (1556 S. Lindbergh, 314-991-0020, lulubellesinc.com) and GQS Inc. (7610 Jim Weber, 636-938-9440, gqsinc.com).
Cabinets
What's the biggest challenge in making custom cabinetry? Getting the buying public to think outside the catalog, says Leigh Wilson, co-owner of Works of Art Tile & Marble Design (314-705-1750, woatile.com). "They want to see what's on the list, and I have to work backwards," he explains. "You tell me what you want to do, and we make it happen."
Mr. Wilson suggests bringing in a photo or even an idea of what you like so he can mirror the design. "We're not restricted by catalogs," he says. "We can match any stain color and any paint color." Calling lead time one of the biggest expenses in the kitchen, Wilson says it can be up to 10 weeks on a large project, but typically start-to-finish time is about five to six weeks.
The cabinets, constructed by an Amish family in partnership with the company, are, Mr. Wilson says, "the highest-quality thing" he's ever seen. He designs, his partners build and hand-picked subcontractors install the cabinets. Even though the work is custom, Mr. Wilson's prices are competitive with midgrade big-box lines. He says cabinets from Home Depot or Lowe's can sometimes be more expensive than his.
Marc Christian Fine Cabinetry (2366 Schuetz, 314-994-7111, marcchristian.com) has a similar philosophy. "We wanted to think outside the box and offer custom sizing and finishing at box-sized pricing," says co-owner Bob Burmeister. His company will work to make a homeowner's picks in appliances fit into a kitchen. "Everybody wants 54-inch refrigerators and 60-inch stoves. We need to keep everything in proportion," Mr. Burmeister says. Because he manufactures everything in his southern Missouri facility, the size of a job doesn't matter.
Victor Hill, owner of V3 Studios (10826 Galt Industrial Boulevard, 314-440-3222, v3studios.com), applies his expertise as a woodshop technician and his degrees in illustration and design to create dream kitchens. "I'm there from the initial meeting to the installation. I've got my hand in it from start to finish," Mr. Hill says. He also encourages clients to pop in for a look at their projects from time to time. "I've got an open-door policy," he says.
"When I started, we always asked clients if they wanted light, medium or dark oak. Now there's so many different ways people are going," says Chris Berry, ASID, of brooksBerry & Associates (751 Old Frontenac Square, 314-872-7720, brooksberry.com). To meet the demands of an increasingly sophisticated clientele, every employee has a bachelor's degree in interior design. A lot of their inspiration comes from commercial kitchens. They use Rutt, Neff and Draper-DBS custom cabinetry, in addition to a private label "for more budget-minded things like wardrobes and laundry rooms," Ms. Berry says.
Kelly Schellert, ASID, owner of Sedoria (111 W. Lockwood, 314-963-8300, sedoria.com), wants the customer's personality to be the driving force behind her designs. "The biggest trend that is here to stay is individuality — self-expression through your surroundings," Ms. Schellert says, citing the experience of building a kitchen around a client's stained-glass transom window saved from her childhood home. Her showroom exclusively represents Pennville Custom Cabinetry.
Counters
By bringing in stone from places like Angola and Brazil, Alex Elzein has become the go-to guy for all things granite. The owner of Graniterra (1551 S. Kingshighway, 314-533-3366, eurogranite.com) says his business really began overseas as a family tradition three decades ago. Formerly known as European Tile & Marble, the company keeps 150 colors of granite and marble in stock, with a typical countertop running $4,000 to $10,000. Commercial projects Mr. Elzein and his team have worked on include the Chase Park Plaza's granite tiling, P.F. Chang's stone walls and Pujols 5 Westport Grill's granite bar-top.
One countertop Mr. Elzein will never forget is the "river project" he worked on for a local artist in tandem with his associate Jonathan Carson. His team used a water jet to cut a small-scale version of the Mississippi River into dark brown granite. Then they cast in a glass-like material, which was lit up with blue fiber optics to simulate water flow. The result: a magnificent electric-blue, glowing zigzag flowing from one side of the kitchen to the other.
If you're looking to subtract some of the cost of custom, Spotlight Creations (4528 S. Broadway, 314-352-5360) can reproduce the look of granite with laminate. Although Tim Wilson says they can still install granite, laminate can be much more affordable and give a similar look.
Draperies
According to Michael Proctor, who has been a self-employed window-treatment specialist since 1974, people are going for more elegant treatments today. He remembers a time in the early '90s when the trend was to just hang blinds. "People wanted it very bare," he recalls. Today, his company, Proctor Drapery and Blinds (314-644-1819, proctordrapery.com), most often works with Kingston products, box-pleat valances, cornice boxes and hobbled Roman blinds. As far as fabrics go, silk is very popular, Mr. Proctor says, as well as embroidered silk and linen. Once the treatment is decided upon, he'll take measurements, order the fabric and then install it, which takes about six weeks total. "I do everything: the selling, the designing, the measuring, the fabricating and the installation," he says. "The way I work is, I do all the work."
Lighting Fixtures
In 1973, Gary Behm, owner of St. Louis Antique Lighting Co. (801 N. Skinker, 314-863-1414), bought a Romanesque home in the Central West End and began restoring salvaged lighting fixtures in his basement. Once neighbors caught wind, they created a demand, and Mr. Behm opened a small storefront business in 1980 with his wife, daughter and dog. Today he has 30 employees and a 16,000-square-foot factory.
"We're known mostly for the restoration and replication of historic period lighting," Mr. Behm says. So much so that the government has commissioned his work on 13 state capitals and 31 federal courthouses. A few years back, when the chandelier in the Missouri State Capitol (the largest rotunda chandelier in the U.S., at 14 1/2 feet in diameter and 9,000 pounds) crashed to the floor, Mr. Behm was called in to do the repairs.
Home Accessories
If you're looking for anything and everything fabric, call JoEllen Reinwart. Between her station wagon and her home in Creve Coeur, JEM Personalized Interiors (314-993-4884, jeminteriors.com) has about 1,000 fabric books. Once a hobby, her love of cloth morphed into a business in 1993. Although window treatments are her bread-and-butter, Mrs. Reinwart often finishes out a project with accessories such as table runners, lampshades and chair covers. Her specialty items can range in price from $20 to $500, depending on the amount of fabric and time that goes into each piece.
Because basic black-and-white just won't do, let one of Anna Buechter's lampshades light up your room. As owner of The Golden Needle Design Studio (314-522-9830), she does everything herself, from hand-beading to embroidery. Her favorite finishing touch? A fancy trim — she's repurposed crystals from a client's dismantled chandeliers, for instance, for a little extra sparkle and shine. Ms. Buechter charges $25 a panel plus the cost of materials. Most shades have four to six panels, but Victorian styles can have up to 25. She also creates elaborate and intricate pillows and footstools to complete the look.
Copper Gutters and Ornamental Ironwork
Love the look of your neighbor's copper gutters? The price quoted today might not be the same tomorrow. "Copper is like gold — one day it's up and one day it's down," says Dennis Dorries, director of operations at Sudholt Sheet Metal (350 W. Fourth, Aviston, Ill., 618-228-7351, sudholtsheetmetal.com). It's the same story with stainless steel — the price for a 4- by 8-foot, 1/2-inch-thick sheet is currently $3,000, but that may change tomorrow. So it's best to strike when the iron's hot. Mr. Dorries' crew uses an in-house abrasive water jet to cut almost anything out of aluminum, copper, and stainless and galvanized steel, including clock dials, crosses and steeples.
For custom ornamental ironwork, including railings, gates, balconies and fencing, at a more affordable price, you can count on Classic Metal Craft (1315 S. Vandeventer, 314-535-2022). "We combine lower-cost purchased components with custom-forged components to get the one-of-a-kind look without the cost associated," says owner Peter Zadrozinski. The company recently finished the teller guards and interior and exterior stair rails at The People's Bank in Clayton to reflect the building's architecture.
The workshop at LeLu Metalcraft & Patio Shop (13200 Manchester, 314-966-6195) does a mix of fabrication and forge work. "Fabrication is cutting metal and welding it together. Forge work is heating the metal red-hot and hammering it out into shapes," says shop manager John Leible. Although the company sells barbecue pits, patio furniture and the Big Green Egg (a ceramic smoker for cooking) through its storefront, it also specializes in custom fireplace doors "that allow you to still appreciate the fire and not overwhelm the fireplace," Mr. Leible says.
Custom Furniture
At 7 years old, Steve Hasenbeck would sweep his grand-father's shop and strip down furniture to be reupholstered. Forty-three years later, he now owns his own shop and has continued the family tradition of furniture making at Peacock Upholstery (6700 Morgan Ford, 314-481-4870, peacockupholstery.com) — a trade his grandfather first picked up in Austria. "We are totally custom," says Mr. Hasenbeck. "We are giving them a product that is going to last 20 to 40 years easily." The biggest project Mr. Hasenbeck worked on was the three-year restoration of the Missouri Governor's Mansion, which began in 1983. He restored chairs, drapes, lambrequins, tables and sofas that were Renaissance Revival period pieces.
Mr. Hasenbeck stresses that his furniture's framework isn't cardboard or stapled together — it's made of high-quality materials like mahogany. All his springs are eight-way, hand-tied coil springs, which give more support to the base of the sofa. For a single sofa, Mr. Hasenbeck estimates it would take six to eight weeks to make and cost $4,600 to $4,800.
Custom Furniture Works (6727 Manchester, 314-644-0460, customfurnitureworksstl.com) has one top priority: quality control. "When furniture is completed, two people who haven't worked on it inspect it," says vice president Jeff Gibbs. The company doesn't ask for any money upfront, so you get to see the results before shelling out your precious moolah. If time and convenience are an issue, here's one-stop shopping: "You can buy the fabric, have the sofa restyled and wood refinished, and repair a missing carving. We do everything on-site," says Mr. Gibbs.
"We're on our 16,300th job," says Dave Hutchinson, president of Classic Woodworking Inc. (9524 S. Broadway, 314-544-0121, classicwoodworkinginc.com). "Most jobs last two to six weeks. We draw it, build it, finish it and install it." There's no job too big or small, whether it be an electric pop-up TV cabinet for $10,000 or elaborate wall panels and other woodwork for $500,000. He builds with a lot of exotic woods, including macassar ebony, zebrawood and rosewood, although maple is the most sought-after.
Donald Counts of Christborn Furniture and Cabinet (2010 Hwy. E, Middletown, 573-656-3234, christbornfurniture.com) can precisely reproduce any piece of furniture. "A couple good photographs and measurements is all it takes," Mr. Counts says. "It's not new, just new again." For example, a friend of his had acquired four Chippendale side chairs. Ten years later, the other four surfaced at a dealer in London. Mr. Counts refinished all eight and — to complete the set — constructed two matching armchairs.
Other well-known custom furniture makers in town include Lulu Belles (1556 S. Lindbergh, 314-991-0020, lulubellesinc.com), Room Service Fabrics (3062 Winghaven, 636-561-0847), Zollinger Furniture (4821 Fairview, 314-832-1555), T. Rohan Inc. (7310 Manchester, 314-647-7400, trohaninc.com) and George Roberts Inc. (4801 Tholozan, 314-351-8988).
Audiovisual Systems
What Audio Video Lifestyles (314-657-7089, audiovideolifestylesllc.com) can do for the home certainly runs the gamut. Owner Greg Dabler has created 18-seat theaters with three-level stadium seating, has placed flat screens over the fireplaces and has wired audio systems throughout the entire house. In new construction, Mr. Dabler will prewire the room before the drywall goes up. The entertainment room could get anywhere between seven and nine speakers cut discreetly into the drywall. On the lowest end, for $5,000, Mr. Dabler will hook you up with a projector, screen, remote control and basic sound system. He's also installed projectors that alone cost $50,000.
Who gets the most joy out of the home theater? Mr. Dabler believes it's really a gift for the family. "The adults get their leather chairs," he says. "And a couple of weeks after the project, when we come back to check on things, we always see beanbag chairs pulled up 4 feet away from the screen."
The Sound Room (1661 Clarkson, 636-537-0404, thesoundroom.com) began as a specialty stereo company in 1983. When TV sound went stereo in 1985, it changed things. We've come a long way since then. Now it's lights, controls, action. Technicians at The Sound Room can program a remote so one button dims the lights, starts the movie and adjusts the sound. "You don't have to have 10 remotes and ask the 12-year-old how they work," says president David Young.
The company recently won a national award for a 17-seat, superhero-themed theater, replete with a 17-foot screen, motion-activated chairs and a life-size Batman and Spider-Man — all for a measly $750,000.
If you'd like to be a bit more discreet, The Screening Room (10311 Clayton, 314-991-5999, thescreeningroomllc.com) will hide your wall-mounted plasma or LCD TV behind a work of art or the family portrait. "When you turn on the TV, the picture rolls up into the frame," says company partner Felix Williams. The product, called VisionArt, will set you back around $8,000 to $12,000, including the TV.
While the price tag veers on the high side and may be beyond the budgets of many, some words from the wise: "Don't always settle for the less expensive, because it can come back to bite you. Sometimes it makes sense to spend the money upfront and not pay for it later on," says Mr. Williams.
Moldings
They just don't make things like they used to. Fortunately, that's not the case at Messing Planing Mill (5020 Arsenal, 314-664-3544). A lot of molding can be cheaply made out of particleboard or even plastic, but here, it's the real deal. The same goes for its wooden doors and windows, "the type you have to paint and finish," says president Jim Renth. A door runs between $750 and $1,000, while a 36- by 36-inch window would cost around $150. However, the company doesn't do installation.
Mailboxes
When people want to treat themselves or someone they love to a custom mailbox, they call Matt Arnold, owner of Sculptured Gothic LLC (409 Sonderen, 636-685-1580, qualitymailboxes.com). Mr. Arnold offers seven basic models of brick and stone, and the customization comes in when it's time to match the mailbox to the home's exterior. His basic model starts at $535 and can go up by thousands, depending on the design. As far as style goes, he says most people like the one they carry with the rounded top. "It's going to look good in just about anyone's front yard," Mr. Arnold says. An average year sees Mr. Arnold making about 250 mailboxes, with each mailbox taking four to six weeks.
"People say that it adds anywhere from $500 to $5,000 to the value of the house. Now I don't know if that applies anymore, but it gives it that curb appeal," Mr. Arnold admits. His own mailbox is the company's falcon model, with glass blocks that light up at the base.
HVAC
Probably the last thing people ever think to customize is the heating, ventilating and air-conditioning system. As sales manager of his father's business, Unico System Inc. (7401 Alabama, 314-481-9000, unicosystem.com), Shawn Intagliata often sees people focus on marble countertops and accessories. "They are going to discover that they have imperfect comfort," he says. One of the Unico central air system's selling points is consistent temperature from room to room, floor to floor and floor to ceiling. Another is its ability to remove up to 30 percent more moisture than a regular system.
Mr. Intagliata says the systems are sold throughout the country and in Canada, India and even Nigeria, but adds that they are best suited for "mad genius" architects who will often change elevations on the same floor. "The question becomes 'How do we air-condition it?'" he says. Unico works because it's small: Its ducting is 2 inches wide, while conventional systems are often three times as big. Most recently, a family's system was installed in a home modeled after a great hall in The Lord of the Rings. The 11,000-square-foot house in Park City, Utah, needed seven Unico systems due to its uneven floor plans.
Mantels
When he was a sculpture student at the University of Kansas, Philip Wassmer, owner of Wassmer Studios LLC (10101 W. Santa Fe, Olathe, Kan., 800-923-4234, wassmerstudios.com), got involved with some plaster molding architectural restoration work. And the rest is history.
"Our designers are well versed in classic architecture," says Mr. Wassmer. His company does everything from fireplace mantels to columns, balustrades, and door and window surrounds in cast limestone, marble, granite and plaster.
His shop is a one-stop. "We do everything in-house — design, sculpt, mold and make," Mr. Wassmer says. Although he's based in Kansas City, Mr. Wassmer offers a turnkey installation price in St. Louis. Custom mantels start at $8,000, but their price can sometimes climb as high as $60,000.
Windows
"If you can draw it, we can make it," says Robert Sylvia, owner of Loewen Window Center of St. Louis (9710 Manchester, 314-699-9872). On average, each window starts at about $400. With embellishments, that price could go up to $1,200 per window. Mr. Sylvia, who got into the business in 1988, said a big order back then was about $30,000. "Now we get jobs where that's the cost of one door," he says. "If you told me 20 years ago that we'd get orders for half a million dollars, I would have said, 'You're crazy!'" He says the sheer number of windows people want in their homes has also increased dramatically. "It's unbelievable," he says. During the '80s and '90s, Mr. Sylvia noticed that many custom homes had the same look, but he says people are more into architecture now, so many custom homes today are much more interesting by his standards. Also, his clients are more energy-conscious than ever, often requesting triple-glazed windows. Twenty years ago, he recalls, insulated glass was the top request.
Looking for custom stained glass? Try The Glass Galleria (3610 Weber, 314-845-6300, theglassgalleria.com). A consultant will sketch you a pattern for $25 and from that will build the window of your desire. Pricing depends on the design's complexity and size.
Rugs
"I just want the customer to be happy with the rug they find," says Marilyn Tenenbaum, president of Volume Carpet Rug Gallery (8994 Manchester, 314-963-7847), and she means it. One client wanted to place her baby grand piano on a rug of the same shape and size, with keys on the border, so she saw it through. Want a piece of fabric or wallpaper interpreted into an area rug? She'll make it happen and provide a strike-off sample for your approval. "If it comes with fringe, we'll take it off. If it doesn't, we'll add it," Ms. Tenenbaum says.
You'll need an interior designer to gain access to Bill Allen, owner of Allen Interior Furnishings (9849 Manchester, Ste. 8, 314-961-4111), but it's well worth it. His high-end, custom wall-to-wall carpet and area rugs create style and comfort underfoot.
His best advice? "Listen to your designer — they know best," Mr. Allen says. Custom wall-to-wall carpet runs anywhere from $40 to $350 per square yard, while a custom area rug can be about the same price as a nice Oriental one.
Yet another great source for fashioning a custom rug is For The Home, a division of Ambassador Floors, 17770 Chesterfield Airport Road, 636-898-1500, forthehomestl.com.
Cake
Some St. Louisans love their homes so much, they want them replicated in cake.
So Pat Rutherford-Pettine, owner of Sugaree Baking (1242 Tamm, 314-645-5496, sugareebaking.com), does just that. Armed with an art degree from Boston University and years of baking experience, she'll design, bake and transport the masterpiece. But this sweet treat doesn't come cheap. Expect to shell out at least $3,000. One cake she crafted for the hostess of an annual holiday party had a Rice Krispies treat roof, fondant shingles, sugar-paste windows, cotton-candy snow and a Florida poundcake base with lemon and raspberry mousse filling and vanilla buttercream frosting. Ms. Rutherford-Pettine needed her husband and an assistant to help transport the 3-foot-long, 200-pound cake. The hostess could not believe her eyes. "She said, 'Oh look, there's no dent on the garage door where I hit it with the Honda!' I said, 'I can fix that!'" Ms. Rutherford-Pettine says. Call at least six months in advance.
Pool Tables
In business since 1850, A.E. Schmidt Billiard Co. (198 THF Boulevard, 636-532-7447, aeschmidtbilliards.com) must be doing something right. Maybe it's because they build their pool tables right here in St. Louis at a time when most are built overseas. "Every time the Rolling Stones come to town, they request a table to play on," says owner Kurt Schmidt. One of the leading innovators in the gaming business, they developed the cue drawer, which holds cues and balls, around 1970, and
more recently created a pool table disguised as a dining table that starts at $4,800. Other custom tables run from $2,000 to $8,000.
Wall Tile
Want to add to your backsplash, but don't want that tile store stamped-on look? Call on Diane Richter, owner of Ceramic Tile Murals by Diane (314-580-0031). She hand-paints tiles to your specifications — even replicating your favorite china pattern — in her studio at home, then fires them in her kiln so the design is completely permanent, for about $250 a square foot. Then anyone can install her masterpiece. "I number them on the back, so it's kind of like putting a puzzle together," Ms. Richter says. She knows her stuff — her husband formerly owned St. Louis Tile and Stone, and she has a fine-arts degree with a concentration in painting.
By Jeanette Kozlowski and Lindsey St. Clair
