Photography by Alise O'Brien
For Becky Melander, moving into a 1920s Tudor in Clayton’s historic Claverach Park neighborhood was truly a homecoming. Melander grew up about a mile away, and when she and her husband, Dr. Matt Melander, an orthopedic surgeon, returned to St. Louis after living in Indiana for Matt’s medical fellowship, they narrowed their house hunt to Clayton because of the excellent schools and her own sense of nostalgia.
“I love it for the memories it holds for me,” she says. “I had a really terrific childhood, and I wanted my kids to have that.”
Becky and Matt are parents to three girls: Willa (age 14), Adelaide (12), and Lucia (10). Becky is a stay-at-home mother and the owner of Rebecca Melander Designs, purveyor of hand-painted wood and glass Christmas ornaments, which she sells at area boutiques.
Before their brief move out of state, the Melanders lived in a century home in Webster Groves, so they were no strangers to the charms and challenges of owning a historic house. Since buying their Clayton home in 2007, they have worked to both preserve and update it in their own livable, contemporary style.
Last year, they tackled their largest project to date: the renovation of a very ’80s kitchen. Previously closed off from the family room, an addition that Becky says had been “plunked on” to the back of the house disconnected the kitchen from the rest of the home. A load-bearing wall separated the rooms, however, and the Melanders spent two years reviewing kitchen plans to reconfigure it without tearing down the wall.
“Finally, we thought, ‘If you’re going to dip your foot in the pool, you might as well go swimming,’” says Becky. “I really didn’t want to combine these two rooms, but it made sense.”
In the end, it worked out for the best, with the new modern kitchen blending seamlessly into the cozy light-filled family room. A three-seat wood breakfast bar marks the transition—the perfect spot for the three Melander girls to use every day.
“I wanted a space where they could be doing their homework and I could help them across the way while cooking,” says Becky.
The Melanders enlisted Keith Gegg of Gegg Design and Cabinetry, who had previously worked with the family by way of their contractor, Fred Lang, on the renovation of an upstairs bathroom. Becky says it was a natural fit to work with him on the kitchen.
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Photography by Alise O'Brien
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“While Becky had a vision, I’m not sure she knew how to get it on paper. She needed someone to walk her through it,” says Gegg. “It really came down to a space-planning challenge. Once we got the layout, the rest went really fast. Becky is very decisive. She’s got great taste and a good sense of materials.”
The focus of the kitchen design was twofold: efficiency of space and of light. “It was so dark before. The cabinets were dark, and there was no room to work,” she says.
One of three original leaded glass windows was hidden behind a cabinet. The Melanders knew it was there because they could see it from the driveway, so they worked with Gegg to reveal the window and bring in light.
When it was time to select finishes, Becky didn’t want “the sterile feeling of an all-white kitchen. I wanted to brighten it up but not have it be gleaming white.”
Gegg created the sleek custom cabinetry from engineered quartersawn anigre, a fast-growing and sustainable African hardwood, in a light natural finish. Becky chose a slate-look porcelain tile for the heated floor and quartz countertops in white with gray veining that picks up the floor color.
Two large handblown glass globe pendant lights with walnut tops hang above the breakfast bar. “My goal for lighting was to have glass globes that were beautiful but almost invisible, and these I think do both,” Becky says.
Glass pocket doors and an open transom separate the kitchen from the dining room, which features French doors that open onto the front yard.
Textured plaster walls and refinished original hardwood floors in the dining room, living room, and foyer bring out the home’s historic charm, and the furnishings and décor are comfortable and modern. “We have a real high-low mix of style—a lot of flea market stuff mixed with high-end stuff,” Becky says, pointing out pieces in the living room and the bright sunroom addition behind it.
Painted all white, with gleaming new hardwood floors, the sunroom features a NanaWall system that allows two, four, or all six glass panels to open, making the space fully accessible to the deck. This area, complete with a wet bar, is where the Melanders love to entertain.
Neutral pieces—including a pair of wicker chairs from IKEA, a pale-gray sofa from Centro Modern Furnishings, and a tree stump side table by David Stine Woodworking—are punctuated by pops of color in textiles, a red lacquer console table and a red Eero Saarinen Womb chair. A sparkling portrait of a lobster by local artist Rob Corley, who creates images from Mardi Gras beads, was a gift from Becky to Matt as an homage to his roots as a displaced New Englander.
Upstairs, more original leaded glass windows light up the landing, from which the bedrooms and baths radiate. The master bedroom is serene and spa-like in soft, natural tones. The Melanders painted an old parquet floor white and covered it with a textured area rug. Sheer white curtains billow over the open windows, and a vaulted ceiling makes the space feel large and airy.
Adelaide and Lucia, the two youngest sisters, share the remodeled hallway bathroom that helped inform the kitchen design. Black 6-inch hex tile with white grout on the floor is offset by white subway tile with black grout on the walls. A wood vanity adds warmth.
Overall, the house feels eclectic and contemporary, yet relaxed and unfussy. After more than a decade in the home, the Melanders continue to improve upon its solid bones while enjoying the enormous progress they’ve made along the way.
