Photography by Carmen Troesser
Many of our best ideas are hatched at home. Sometimes creativity strikes us in the shower or in bed at night, when the day’s thoughts melt into our pillows and we’re free to dream. More typically, though, the story of how a business was launched or an important decision was made involves sitting at a kitchen table (or the kitchen island).
This issue of Design STL lends credence to the notion that kitchens have become multifaceted living spaces. Modern kitchens are no longer the no-frills workrooms of years past where practical tasks reigned. Today, they’re designed for cooking up dreams and dinner, and, yes, sometimes even lounging on a plush sofa.
In the world of design, nothing expresses a room’s heightened place in our lives quite as vividly as the display of art. In my kitchen, a favorite work by artist LA Marler speaks to the idea of art as facilitator of emotion and memories. Each time I walk past Marler’s print of a vintage Regula III-series camera in a smoky pink hue, I think about a particularly exhilarating photo essay I shot back in journalism school, almost 20 years ago. As Susan Barrett of Barrett Barrara Projects says, “Art should enrich the experience in the kitchen, not just hang on a wall.” For me, that’s true in the living room and in a busy kitchen.
In “Rooms With a View,” on page 41, Sydney Loughran Wolf shares what she learned from her interviews with art dealers and creative directors, who spoke to her about the growing trend of art in kitchens. For those wanting even more wow factor, writer Cara Downs suggests learning from professional interiors photographers. In her story “Style Your Space,” she chats with three of them about mastering the art of the picture-perfect kitchen and bathroom. It’s good advice we can all translate into our spaces: Work with what you have. Add a touch of nature. Let the room dictate the style.
And for those dreaming of the possibilities, waiting for the time when our world is less fraught with stress and worry to embark on a remodel, I encourage you to use our portfolio of kitchens and baths as inspiration. Though our passion is St. Louis design, this month we’ve decided that the eye has to travel—as a famous fashion editor once said—especially now that we’re all staying closer to home. In that spirit, in our minds we’ve jetted off to London and New York, Dallas and Chicago to see how designers in those cities create stylish spaces. We’re experiencing them through the thrilling lens of a camera, and we hope you’ll turn the page and join us.
