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Matt Hughes
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the Kings at home with their dogs
Almost intergalactic and definitely peripatetic, Stacy and Doug King had a commuting marriage for almost five years before Texas born and bred Stacy packed up her dream house in San Antonio, sold her company and joined her husband in St. Louis.
The "When Stacy Met Doug" libretto encompasses a courtship conducted in the four corners of the world and, ultimately, a soft landing in Washington Avenue's loft district.
The couple's nest is perched high above the galleries, restaurants and urban chic of St. Louis' hippest downtown stretch, a stone's throw from Bob Cassilly's City Museum.
Working as her own designer, Stacy quickly converted a barebones, nitty-gritty industrial loft into zonal living spaces. The "rooms" are full of texture and color, with pieces inherited or collected (of French, Spanish and Italian provenance), all paired with a stunning collection of Chicano art.
"Buy what you love and it will work," says Stacy. What Stacy loves best are her husband, their four grown children and the three Maltese puppies who rule the roost. Then come the objects of affection--textiles (Fortuny, in particular), antique porcelain and pottery (especially Palissy) and art (focus on Chicano).
Doug, president and CEO of the St. Louis Science Center, loves that which soars and would have enrolled in NASA's astronaut program if he hadn't been too tall. The scientist is also passionate about his extensive baseball collection, which includes a Willie Mays bat and a ball autographed by Stan Musial.
Understand, of course, that Stacy's challenge was to squeeze their very large dream house into this one giant room. In the living room, a giant ottoman Stacy designed holds some of her favorite Palissy pieces, others occupy the shelves of an Indian door turned display cabinet. Stacy's former business involved the installation of museum shows, so she knows how to display her own wares. But there's nothing "Don't Touch" about the loft. When asked about the pieces she has collected, Stacy laughs and shrugs, saying, "Treasure is a relative term." She also embraces the "high/low concept." Translation: Some things are tres chic and cher, others not quite so, including those from local outlets like Crate & Barrel.
In the dining area, a grand table is lavishly set. Each of the dinner plates, purchased on a recent trip to Italy, is slightly different. At night, the city lights twinkle through enormous windows, the silver gleams and crystal sparkles. A huge mirror propped against one brick wall reflects the whole scene.
The kitchen is a showstopper and a workhorse. Hospitality is second nature to Stacy, entertaining large groups commonplace. The day of our photo shoot, her osso buco (see recipe) is a work in progress.
The windowless bedroom emanates a stage-set quality that is both cerebral and sensual. Floor-to-ceiling bookcases flank Doug's favorite painting, discovered at a London flea market. A Cole Porter tune seems to float in the air. Scuba gear is stuffed in the closet along with a city girl's wardrobe, not to mention the cowboy boots and workout clothes.
Nothing feels overwrought in the Kings' loft in space. The conversation is clever, but easy, natural and deliciously irreverent. As you sink into the deep cushions of the upholstered furniture, it doesn't matter whether you're wearing jewels or jeans. Look at a scrapbook of Katmandu. Talk about the latest scientific expeditions. Doug's going on the NASA Board; Stacy's involved with the Contemporary Art Museum. Her trip to Memphis; theirs to the Maldives. And all the while, you're very grateful that Doug and Stacy, an it couple if ever there was one, have landed here--and are so utterly down to earth.
Stacy King's Legendary Osso Buco al Vino Florentine
Salt Black pepper All purpose flour Olive oil Red wine (three good quality bottles ) Dried porcini (five small packets soaked in red wine for several hours) 20 vine-ripened tomatoes (smell the bottom when you are buying. The aroma should be very strong.) Odori: 1 bunch parsley 1
