Photography by Alise O’Brien
Nestled among century-old oaks and embraced by flowering dogwoods and majestic redbuds sits a midcentury masterpiece that’s in harmony not only with its surroundings, but also with its owner.
“Everything about this home is me,” says the owner, whose love affair with the Ladue home began years ago, when he passed the site on his way to school each day. Designed by contemporary architect Ralph Fournier, the home’s elegant low-slung silhouette had always intrigued its eventual owner, who considered himself a traditionalist. “I called myself Mr. Antique,” he says with a laugh, referring to his penchant for vintage pieces and classic architecture. “But there was just something about this house.”
Luckily for him, the object of his affection finally went on the market. Leaving his traditionally designed condo for the midcentury-modern home wasn’t without its challenges. As with all new relationships, this one needed time to blossom. Enlisting the help of Chouteau Building Group and architect and kitchen designer Taylor Haywood, the owner began a multilayered renovation.
“Probably the biggest challenge with this project was the same as with many renovations: taking an existing structure and transforming it into the owner’s vision,” says project manager Matt Cerretti of Chouteau Building Group. “But the owner of this home was really open and free-flowing with his ideas. He made the creative process easy.”
The owner aimed to capture the natural vistas, making them the focal point of the home’s decor. Floor-to-ceiling windows abound in the home, inviting the outside in and allowing light to dance throughout the rooms. “When I stood in the entry for the first time, my eye was immediately drawn directly in front of me, to the beauty just beyond those panes of glass,” recalls the owner. “That’s when I knew this was it.”
The homeowner says his aesthetic began to evolve after moving into the sleek building, designed in the golden age of St. Louis modernism. But he didn’t want to give up too much of his traditional past, so he searched for a way the two styles could coexist. He incorporated family heir-looms with contemporary furniture and art.
The walls are painted in a neutral, creamy hue (Benjamin Moore’s Sail Cloth), providing a tranquil background that allows the owner’s extensive art collection to enhance—not distract—from the views. “Much of my art is from William Shearburn Gallery,” the owner says. “William has the perfect eye for choosing and placing art.”
Each room has its own personality. The large living room has a commanding stone fireplace and traditional decor. Niches in a bar at one end of the room house contemporary art from Centro Modern Furnishings, adding a pop of the unexpected to an otherwise classic space.
The eclectic dining room is a study in design blends. Chairs embellished with Greek-key detailing surround an Asian-inspired inlaid table. A contemporary open zebrawood cabinet backed in black glass—what the owner refers to as a “Versace cove”—showcases a stunning collection of Versace plates from Sallie Home and precious family heirlooms, including his mother’s Sevres vase.
The kitchen underwent the most extensive renovation. “The kitchen was 30 to 35 percent of the size it is now, with only one small window,” Cerretti says, adding that contractors demolished a wall that once separated the kitchen from an adjacent sunroom. “It opened up the spaces to each other and provided those working in the kitchen access to that beautiful, expansive outdoor view.”
Taylor Haywood collaborated with the homeowner to transform the once-isolated country kitchen—completely incongruous with the rest of the modern home—into a showstopper that effortlessly integrates with the adjoining family living area and a new screened-in porch, seamlessly connecting the indoors and outdoors. The ceiling was vaulted to expand the sense of space, mimicking the vault in the living room.
The home’s private spaces include a master bedroom and bath that instill a sense of peace. The bedroom’s cool silver-gray walls (Benjamin Moore’s Versatile Gray) provide a soft backdrop, with just a touch of modern edge. An abstract print by Robert Motherwell is above the bed, and a dramatic print by Caio Fonseca graces one wall. Sumptuous drapery panels in a silver chinon silk weave by Schumacher dress the windows in a subtle sheen, adding a bit of glamour and framing the beautiful views.
The adjoining master bath was reconfigured to create a more open space and a distinct closet area. Slate on the floor repeats the material used in the home’s front entry, and the organic stone tiles in the shower area mimic those on the home’s fireplace and exterior. Artwork by Donald Baechler, another addition from William Shearburn Gallery, adds whimsy to the walls. A lighting trough illuminates and adds interest to the ceiling.
The outdoor living area—complete with a flamed blue-stone hot tub by The Pool Specialists, as well as a resistance pool—is the perfect spot to relax. Decorated with a mix of contemporary and traditional outdoor furnishings and decor, the space is a clear reflection of its indoor counterpart.
The masterful mix of modern and traditional, organic and refined, heirloom and new make this home truly special—that, and the fact that it lives perfectly within its natural surroundings. As the homeowner says, “This home is my own private ‘little treehouse.’”
Calm, Cool & Collected Resources
Centro Modern Furnishings
4727 McPherson
314-454-0111
Chouteau Building Group
1610 S. Big Bend
314-781-1991
Jules L. Pass Antiques
9807 Clayton
314-991-1522
McMillan Cabinetmakers
597 Hanley Industrial
314-644-4535
The Pool Specialists
11766 Missouri Bottom
314-731-0055
Sallie Home
9821 Clayton
314-567-7883
Taylor Haywood
William Shearburn
Gallery
665 S. Skinker
314-367-8020
shearburngallery.com
