Entering the long driveway of this 1960s brick ranch in Ladue, one is immediately struck by its lush parklike setting—a full 3-acre lot situated at an angle and filled with mature trees. The house, recently featured in our “10 Most Beautiful Homes” issue, was designed by renowned St. Louis architect Ted Christner for local physician and art collector Hal Joseph and his wife, Sharon.
Like other prominent Midcentury Modern architects, such as William Bernoudy, Christner designed the house for harmony with its natural surroundings rather than allowing it to intrude, bringing the outdoors in with walls of windows that provide an ever-changing backdrop with each passing season.
Get a weekly dose of home and style inspiration
Subscribe to the St. Louis Design+Home newsletter to explore the latest stories from the local interior design, fashion, and retail scene.
“I didn’t know Christner’s work that well,” admits the current homeowner. “I knew Bernoudy’s, but to make a Bernoudy home up to date, you’ve really got to destroy what he did, and they were just a little too dated for me. This house was, too, but I felt like I could redo it.”
The homeowner purchased the house in 2005 from Joseph’s widow, making him just the second owner. The redbrick of the exterior originally carried over to the interior, covering pillars, the fireplace and hearth, and some walls. The living room’s soaring vaulted ceiling was a dark wood, giving the space what the owner calls a dated “country contemporary” feeling.
A fan of clean lines and modern style, the new owner liked the bones of the house and its overall layout but chose to brighten the space and bring it up to date with a complete remodel of the interior finishes. The original gray slate floor was buckling because of damage to the subfloor, so it was replaced with ash-colored hardwood. He traded the redbrick for clean white walls to create an ideal gallery space for his extensive collection of modern art, employing what he calls a “faux Italian plaster” finish on a few for texture.
In the sunken living room, mitered glass floor-to-ceiling windows provide a seamless view of the surrounding landscape and fill the space with natural light. The original dark wood ceiling was replaced with whitewashed beadboard, and the crossbeams were painted a fresh white.
The long hearth strikes a balance in gleaming black granite, picking up the gray tones of the large art installation—two separate canvases with a continued realistic image of boulders that the owner had especially commissioned for the space by artist Cameron Martin—hanging above. “What’s interesting is that it’s acrylic on canvas,” the homeowner says. “It’s a painting, not a photograph.”
In the foyer, dining room, and first-floor master suite (reconfigured from a former study), the homeowner added recessed ceilings with integrated cove lighting for height and visual interest. A fan of neutral shades of beige, brown, and gray, he selected sleek contemporary furnishings and finishes that allow the art and views of nature to take center stage. (Much of the furniture is by his two favorite contemporary makers, B&B Italia and Ligne Roset.)
Early on, the owner sought assistance from two local interior designers, Susan Bower and Margaret “Margie” Weintraub.
“He has such a nice art collection. We really wanted to make the art the feature and keep everything else pretty simple and true to the intent of the architect with a clean, open, modern setting but add some more contemporary interior architecture,” says Weintraub, who worked on the raised ceiling features and other finishes.
The owner has been collecting art for many years, both here and in his second home, in Colorado. Much of it is from The Greenberg Gallery, one of St. Louis’ first contemporary art galleries. He considers owner Ronnie Greenberg an art mentor who over the years has provided consultation and alerted him to pieces that might be of interest.
“I’ve helped him as far as his collection is concerned, pointing him in the right direction toward younger artists, but he has a spectacular eye,” says Greenberg. “He’s renovated his home in a way that utilizes the house as an art showplace.”
Some of the homeowner’s favorite pieces include “Blah, Blah, Blah,” a vibrant word-based painting by conceptual artist Mel Bochner that gives the living room an injection of color; a large-format photograph by Bay Area photographer Katy Grannan; a striking architectural painting by Athens-born, U.K.-based artist Emi Avora; and a wall-hung metal sculpture by American artist Frank Stella.
Among the most prized pieces are a set of Chinese Han Dynasty horse sculptures, dating between 207 BC and 220 AD. They stand in a row on the dining room sideboard; a larger one sits atop the dining table as a centerpiece. “I was in Hong Kong and just happened by this guy’s gallery,” the owner says, “and I went in and went crazy and just bought all of these.”
This pairing of nature and the homeowner’s carefully chosen art has resulted in a serene and inspiring space for modern living.
