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Photography by Alise O’Brien
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This year marks the third time AT HOME has participated in a community project, and the second year the magazine has joined forces with Habitat for Humanity Saint Louis. Now that the project is complete, we can take a look back and tally up the many ingredients that made it a success, including:
• Three prefab houses shipped to and assembled on JeffVanderLou’s Thomas Street
• Nearly 4,000 square feet of interior space decorated from scratch
• Three basements finished in style
• Three families—comprising 15 family members—working a minimum of 450 hours each on their respective homes
• 20 volunteer designers
• 72 volunteer painters, builders, movers, and other helpers
• Tens of thousands of dollars’ worth of materials, products, and monetary donations contributed by more than 150 local businesses and individuals
It’s hard to say what’s most impressive in a list like this—the amount of labor, money, and materials required to pull off such a Herculean feat, or the number of people willing to do it for free. Inarguably impressive is the end product: three beautiful homes in a place where there were previously none, and three proud families who can now call themselves homeowners.
Mom Knows Best: Desiree Jackson
Desiree Jackson might not have known the official term for her personal design preference—“I had no idea what ‘modern’ and ‘contemporary’ meant,” she says—but she was stylish, and she did know exactly how she wanted her new house to look. “I wanted gray walls,” Ms. Jackson says.
And gray she got. A spectrum ranging from dove to a barely there fog graces most of the home’s walls. “Oh, and a shoe closet,” she recalls. “I have lots of shoes, and always loved that idea.” As she wished, contractors installed a deep-shelved closet off her bedroom beneath the stairs. Finally, she says, “I wanted a black chandelier.” Easily done—a dramatic black-enamel fixture from The Designing Block now hovers above the dining table.
Ms. Jackson’s strong sense of style was immediately evident, designer Zach Cramberg notes. “She had it going on,” he says. Her design prowess had been clearly established at her previous house, a three-bedroom rental in Hanley Hills, where she decorated as she could afford, developing a cache of sophisticated accessories. The carry-over of those accessories to her new Habitat house is further testament to her taste, as is the fact that all of her requests were executed and embraced wholeheartedly by her Habitat design team. Now the wood tray atop the coffee table, the clusters of bamboo shoots tucked inside a pair of metal vases, and the set of hanging wooden wall panels stick around as both friendly reminders of a life past and cornerstones of a life just begun.
The children’s visions, on the other hand, weren’t quite as honed as their mother’s. Try as he might, 5-year-old Caleb couldn’t decide what he wanted for his bedroom other than “all the colors.” So designer Susan Block of The Designing Block put together a big-boy retreat featuring bunk beds; a cool, vintage metal school desk; and red, green, blue, and white stripes staggered on gray walls. Quite the opposite is his twin sister India’s room, where pink polka dots and diamonds reign supreme. Eight-year-old Imani wanted a princess room, “but I wanted something that would grow with her,” Ms. Jackson says. Mother and daughter compromised with a pretty gray, yellow, and pink mural (painted by Castings Artistic Finishes) that matches equally pretty bedding. Clearly the compromise worked, as these days Imani spends nearly all of her at-home hours in her room.
Mom does know best, apparently. Even Ms. Jackson’s mother carried influence. “My mom had given me a brown cupboard that I knew I wanted to keep,” Ms. Jackson says. “But the color wasn’t right.” Designer Amie Corley of Amie Corley Interiors suggested they paint it black, and now the hefty piece fits seamlessly with the rest of home’s interior.
Grandma approved and is now campaigning for her daughter to host a party in her new house. “We had parties before,” Ms. Jackson says. “But there’s no question, it will be a better party here.”
Before and After: Charlin Hughes
The distance between “before” and “after” doesn’t get much greater than it has for Charlin Hughes. Less than 10 years ago, she and her four children were homeless. Less than two years ago, they had made it into an apartment, but with only their mattresses and bedsprings, and in a neighborhood so affected by crime, Ms. Hughes forbade her daughters to play outdoors.
Now sitting on her new gold chenille sofa in the living room of her four-bedroom, two-bath house, Ms. Hughes tallies the other afters this new home has resulted in.
“This is the room where I sit with my girlfriends, talking about the week and having a glass of wine,” Ms. Hughes says. Soft orange walls and a framed geometric print lend the space a chic warmth. “It used to be that I never invited anybody over—you have to be proud of where you live to have company,” she says. “Now my house is headquarters. If I suggest going somewhere else, they’re like, ‘No, we’re coming to your house!’”
With the living room slated for entertaining, it’s the adjacent kitchen and dining room that host family hang time—yet another new development in the Hughes household. “We were on top of each other in the other place,” Ms. Hughes says. “Everyone was getting on each other’s nerves.”
Now each of the three Hughes girls has her own bedroom, each a private respite designed to suit a specific personality. Girly-girl Carolyn, 14, got a jewelry box–like boudoir, complete with a white patent-leather headboard, metallic dresser, and rhinestone-studded lampshade. “Our biggest clue as to what Carolyn wanted was when she asked for a chandelier instead of a ceiling fan,” says designer Robin Nadler of Two Feathered Friends.
More reserved T’Ara, 16, held the reins tight on her room, requesting an all-black palette and putting the kibosh on a faux-painted damask dresser. “T’Ara was a tough nut to crack,” says interior designer Caryn Boultinghouse, owner of BeauCasa Designs. Ms. Boultinghouse convinced her to trade black for gray and still managed to squeak in a little leopard on a reupholstered, repainted vintage chair. “It’s growing on me,” T’Ara concedes.
The consequence of all of this new private space, ironically, is that now the Hugheses truly enjoy each other’s company. They crowd around the kitchen island to talk, fold laundry, build puzzles, and play with grandbabies Keith, 22 months; Madison, 11 months; and Brandon, 2. When it’s time to eat, they take their seats at the eight-person, counter-height espresso dining table—one of Ms. Hughes’ only decor-related requests.
Ms. Hughes is more at peace than she’s ever been, but she has no intention of resting. Next up: creating “afters” for others. In the mornings and evenings that bookend her full-time job at an office-supply company, Ms. Hughes takes social-work courses at the University of Missouri–St. Louis. “It shouldn’t be that only people who make negative choices are the ones offered help,” she says. “My goal is to open a place for those people who, like us, life just happens to.”
DIY Miracle: Alfton Jackson
Even before she was tapped for AT HOME’s project, Alfton Jackson had already clocked in months of overtime working on her new house. Like her fellow Habitat homeowners, Ms. Jackson was required to put in at least 450 hours of “sweat equity” on the construction of her home. “We worked every Saturday and Sunday from September through November. Even the kids helped paint,” says Ms. Jackson of her sons Alex, 12, and Ledra, 8.
But even ahead of that—before ground broke on the house—Ms. Jackson had set in motion her own miracle, applying with Habitat for Humanity and shoring up her credit score to comply with Habitat standards. “We had a town house in Old Frenchtown,” she says. “It was fine, but it wasn’t big enough, and it wasn’t ours. This place is ours.”
By the time she was notified of her selection for the project, she had already decorated her new half bath—stocking it with fresh towels, a pair of candle sconces, and a funky elephant vase—and trolled home centers for ideas and products. “I went to Lowe’s and Home Depot and picked up paint cards, took pictures on my cellphone of the things I liked,” Ms. Jackson says.
“She had definitely done her homework,” says designer Vicki Dreste of Victoria Dreste Designs. Ms. Dreste and designer Dana King met with Ms. Jackson early in the process. “It was up to us to take those cues and run with them through the rest of the house,” Ms. Dreste says.
What emerged from Ms. Jackson’s footwork was a palette of chocolate browns and springy greens infused into a clean, contemporary setting. The green went on the kitchen walls, window treatments, and pillows; the browns, on the living-room upholstery, nesting tables, and a chunky cylindrical chandelier handmade by designer Paul Pagano. “It’s made completely of reclaimed materials,” Mr. Pagano says. “Bamboo fencing, hardwood…”
“I like an elegant look,” Ms. Jackson says, “But I’m funky and fun, too. I wanted my house to say ‘Hey!’ when you walked in the door.”
Alex kept it serious in his bedroom, too, displaying an impressive collection of honor-roll medals against gray walls with red geometric stenciling. The space could just as feasibly belong to a college student as to a seventh-grader. “Alex has an old soul,” says his mother.
Little brother Ledra may be younger at heart—as evidenced by his choice of baby-blue paint, basketball chair, and L-E-D-R-A stamped across the wall—but he gets the job done, too. “Ledra is a top reader in his class,” brags Mom.
The Jacksons’ DIY spirit continues today, as the family frequently updates details such as the mailbox and door hardware. “Never would I have thought I could check off owning a house by the time I was 28,” Ms. Jackson says. “Not only can I check it off, but I’m able to sustain it and take care of it. As a young mother, it makes me very proud.”
With Heartfelt Thanks
On behalf of the homeowners, Habitat for Humanity Saint Louis, and AT HOME, we want to sincerely thank the donors for their incredible generosity. We truly could not have done it without you. Thank you so very, very much.
Nick Adams, Space
Ellen Alvey
Amelia’s Fine Linens
Anatol’s Fabric Outlet
Arch Framing & Design
Atom
Aya Sofia
Benjamin Moore & Co.
Beyond Storage
Justin Bingman, Bingman Construction Company
Susan Block, The Designing Block
Caryn Boultinghouse, BeauCasa Designs
Susan Bower, Mitchell Wall & Associates
Broyhill Furniture
Barbara Bryant
Sara Canavan
Carol House Furniture
Chris Cassell and Kelley Ross, Castings Artistic Finishes
City Sprouts
Jackie Concannon
Susan Constantin
Contract Painting Services
Cooper’s Paint & Decorating
Aaron Cramberg
Angela Cramber
Lawrence and Sandra Cramberg
Kathy Curotto
Daltile
Dau Home Furnishings
Barbara Demerath
Design & Detail
Dana Diaz de Leon
Kate Donnelly and Nick Fritsch
Brad Elsner, Keller Williams Realty
Expressions Custom Furniture
Chris and Emily Faber
The Fabric Company
Jay and Denise Fetsch
John Fletcher, John Fletcher Design
Harry Freeman, Freeman Homes
Michael Gans
The Gifted Gardener
Jan Hales
Jill Haynes
Chris Hermann, Waterhout Construction
Skip and Nancy Herndon
Hill House Designs
Jeff Hochman
Mary Hohenberg
Hollyberry Baking Company
The Home Depot
Jeanie Hood, Three French Hens
Michelle Hutchings-Medina
i Dream Solutions
Inside and Out
Isle of Capri Casinos
Ralph Kalish
KDR Designer Showrooms
Dotty Kemper
Connie Krapfl, Befitting
Sherry Kunst
Jeffrey LaDriere, LaDriere Building Company
Rick Lages, Rick L. Fix-It
Anita Lamont
Lane Furniture
Daniel Leritz and Retta Leritz DiFate
Little Shop Around the Corner
Lowe’s
LuLu Belles
Joan Maher
Eileen Manganaro
Jennifer Manganaro
Vince Mannino, R.G. Ross Construction Company
Ann Maritz
Cynthia Maritz
Dr. Jay Marshall
Candace Martz
Mary Tuttle’s Flowers
Material Girl
Corey McDonald, Green Space Construction
Nancy McDonald
Virginia McDowell
Josh McGuire, McGuire Moving & Storage
Steve McMillan, McMillan Construction Group
Phil Menendez, U-Stripe It & Design
F.J. and Tiffany Merenda
Metro Lighting
Metzger’s Drapery Installation
Sandra Mims’ art students, Oakville Elementary School
James Minton, Minton Development
John Mitchell
Noel Mitchell Painting
Darryl Munden
Karla and Earline Munden
Patrice Munden Interior Design
Sydney and Jade Munden
Kathleen Munsch
Robin Nadler and Nancy Savala, Two Feathered Friends
Louise Noland
Alise O’Brien
Paul Pagano, Paul Pagano Designs
Pappy’s Smokehouse
Steve Patton, Frank Patton Interiors
Resito Pecson, twigs & MOSS
Frances Pennington
Phillips Furniture
Pi
Picturesque Graphics
David Potts
Lucinda Prehn
Sue Pruchnicki, Bond Wolfe Architects
Kimberly Reuther, DesignSpeak
Jerry Rhode
Eddie Rogers Flooring
Rothman Furniture
Rug Decor
Sachs Electric
Chuck Schagrin, Amherst Corp.
Holly Schopp
Debbie Silverberg
Simple Solutions Painting Company
Joe Starry, Unique Home Maintenance
St. Louis Custom Drapery and Upholstery
Strothkamp’s Paint Center
Jay Swoboda, EcoUrban Homes
Chris Tamke
Denise Thompson
T.J. Wies Contracting
Ann Tuchek, Fabricut
Josh Turner
Lisa Bollman Uphoff
Eddie Aikau Vedder
Victoria Dreste Designs
Carol Wall, Mitchell Wall and Associates
Dr. Steven and Judy West
Jennifer Williams, Saint Louis Closet Company
Winschel Carpet Service
Jan Whitney
Tom Young, Space
