Alise O'Brien
Anne and Brad Bishop moved from Washington, D.C., to St. Louis with their preschool-age son in 2004, seeking a walkable neighborhood. An Arts and Crafts home with arched windows on a tree-lined street in Clayton caught Anne’s eye, and for the past 16 years the couple have dedicated themselves to updating it. Each night, when Anne pulls up the driveway, she feels happy. “It sounds corny,” she laughs. “I just feel that sense of home.”
Tell us about the house. What makes it beautiful? It has the appeal and charm of an older home with all of the benefits of a new build in the middle of Clayton. When we first saw the house, we knew that was almost impossible to find. It was built in the 1920s. I appreciate the history and character of it, even though it’s modernized. It had been very well renovated and expanded; some things had been restored, but the history was kept intact. The crown molding, for example, had been matched in the renovation. Neighbors often stop to comment on how much they like our house.
What is your favorite part of the property? The living room is at the front of the house, so it’s not a front porch, but it acts as one, because we can watch the world go by. A few years ago, we had gas logs put in that fireplace so that in the winter we can enjoy our morning coffees. It’s made it just a little cozier.
What changes have you made to the exterior? We recently did a landscape project. We had almost everything taken out and replaced. Now we have plants that will bloom continually throughout the seasons. I love the window boxes; we’ve had those rebuilt. A landscape designer added a brick edging around all of the beds. It looks so lovely. We thought, We should have done this years ago. So if there was ever a time to submit the home, this would be the time to do it. [Laughs].
How did the pandemic’s stay-at-home orders affect how you feel about your home? We learned that we can adapt. This is the longest we have lived in any house in our entire lives. It’s the perfect home to raise a family, but now that our son is off to college, we realized it’s also a wonderful house for empty-nesters. We have this round antique table in our family room that my son would do his homework at when he was in elementary school. It also served as a place for him to do his college homework when he had to stay home for the remainder of his spring semester.
