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Scott Rovak
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the living room of the Suppans
After signing with the St. Louis Cardinals, Jeff and Dana Suppan instructed local realtor Kathy Federer to find something comfortable, with a yard for their beagle, Jack, and in a great location.
"We live in the suburbs in L.A.," Jeff says. "We wanted to live where things were actually going on."
They bought a townhouse--the first time they have purchased a home outside of California, where they reside that one quarter of the year when life doesn't revolve around baseball and ERA (earned run average) stats. Since being drafted by the Boston Red Sox out of high school, Jeff has played for the Arizona Diamondbacks, Kansas City Royals and Pittsburgh Pirates--and the Suppans have merely rented their season residence. But when Jeff donned the red cap of the Cardinals in 2004, the couple opted for a more permanent place of their own.
The Suppans were the first occupants of their nearly 4,000-square-foot, four-level space, and the house wasn't finished when they closed on it in February 2004. Cindy Marler of Cindy Marler By Design in Kansas City, who had done their house in Los Angeles, jetted in to help. While Dana was in Florida and Jeff trained with the team, Marler would call with suggestions. "Just do what you think," Dana told her. "I don't want to have to pick out fabrics. Just give me what you find. Whatever's available." Marler's charge was simple: She was to create a home that was "nice but comfortable.
"We like informality, but we do entertain a lot," explains Dana, recalling a recent barbecue with karaoke through the X-box. Jeff grins. "We had a party and a bunch of guys came over and sang," he says. "The rule is: no video cameras."
Transforming the house from empty to complete took a grand total of two days. Dana, Marler and one of Marler's associates oversaw the installation.
"When I moved in that April, everything was the way you see it now," Jeff says.
With three floors and a basement to work with, the Suppans turned the third floor into a guest suite. The basement remains unfinished.
On the first floor, Jeff's favorite reading chair is in the corner of the living room ("I read the Bible and books by Ken Follett," he says). Then there is the dining room--a space rarely used by the Suppans alone. "We go out a lot to eat," says Jeff, reciting their short list of favorite restaurants: "Cafe Napoli, Kreis', Citizen Kane, Annie Gunn's, Cheesecake Factory."
Farther back: the kitchen and hearth room. Although Dana confesses that the stove is rarely used, the room's oversized and overstuffed furniture--in beiges and burgundys--provides an oasis from a long day--on or off the pitcher's mound.
Jeff Suppan's contract with the Cardinals is up for renewal at the end of the year. The Suppans unequivocally want to stay. Dana is from Moosic, Pa.; Jeff from California. "The Midwest is right in the middle," he says. "It's perfect."
Dana has decided that "what makes St. Louis perfect is the people. When they make it so comfortable for you, it's so much easier to live here."
