It wasn’t until we started brainstorming for our issue on the global home that I realized just how much my own aesthetic is inspired by other cultures. Stuffed with caneback chairs (Brazil), decorative painted plates (Greece, Turkey, Spain), marquetry tables (France), and a riot of colorful ikat textiles (Indonesia), the living room of my own home is a daily reminder of the myriad design traditions and techniques that exist abroad—and the important role they play in modern design. It’s been a delight to talk with so many St. Louisans who are similarly moved by aesthetics native of other countries both near and far.
Take a tour of France, India, and the Netherlands by way of home décor. Three homeowners give us insight into these special places through the art, furniture, and objets that adorn their houses. I was in awe of how much I learned about the people and the history of a country just by asking questions, whether they were about an art collection or the origins of a set of miniature toys. It was a reminder that the most unlikely of topics can often lead to cultural understanding. Elsewhere, architect Adrian Luchini and his wife, Magdalena, originally from Argentina, take us inside their country home, in Godfrey, Illinois. The Luchinis tell us that the house—a modern pole barn built over a much older pole barn—and its surrounding landscape offer a connection to the country they left more than 30 years ago to immigrate to the United States. “When I saw that I would never again recuperate what I had in my childhood, that’s when I became more determined to reconstruct it,” says Adrian. Turn to our feature “Art & Soul” to enjoy a mix of beautiful treasures, from the Americas to Africa, that have been curated to eclectic perfection by a local art dealer and consultant. “Every time you travel somewhere,” says the homeowner, “you discover a different part of yourself, or a different aspect of who you are or what you love.”
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In this issue we also explore personal style. Take a look at our portfolio of St. Louis’s Best Dressed for 2019. Our nominees were photographed at the Frank Lloyd Wright House in Ebsworth Park, set on a grassy lawn beside a grove of persimmon trees. One of the most geometrically complex houses by Wright, arguably the greatest American architect of the 20th century, it provided a stunning backdrop for our sartorial standouts.
