Over the past 15 years, David Deatherage has built a reputation as one of St. Louis’ most distinctive interior designers. Known for his blend of midcentury modern and Hollywood Regency styles, the aesthetic is a natural extension of the designer’s primary career as the co-owner of Interior Motives, a vintage modern furniture company with clients that span the country.
As Deatherage grew his business, he lived in various homes, including in the Art Lofts in downtown St. Louis for 17 years and, later, in a Tower Grove rental for two. Casually, he began house-hunting. In October 2022, he took an extended vacation to Palm Springs, where he rented a stylish midcentury modern home. On the heels of that experience, a realtor friend tipped him off about a listing in Belleville that he knew Deatherage would love.
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“The second I walked in, I knew this was my house,” says Deatherage.
Designed in 1952 by famed local midcentury modern architect Charles King, the house reminded him of those iconic Palm Springs houses, with its open spaces and streams of natural light flooding into the rooms. “I’ve also spent a lot of time in Miami Beach, and it has that vibe as well,” he adds.
One of the designer’s favorite aspects of the home is its well-preserved front exterior that King designed for Richard and Jeanette Yoch, the original owners. While the Belleville Historical Society refers to the home as the “Yoch House,” Deatherage calls it the Butterfly House—a reference to the home’s inverted roofline, which was the first of its kind in the Midwest. Another eye-catching element is the limestone wall, which pierces the exterior at an angle, creating a dramatic foyer on one side and the living room fireplace on the other. The addition of stacked rectangular and clerestory windows that flank the wall adds to the home’s visual interest.
In the 1990s, the previous owners hired architect Ron Eilering, a protégé of Charles King, to design an addition, which called for an extension of the main living space. The new wall of windows mirror those in the front, allowing light to shine in from both sides. The owners also decided they preferred a primary suite in place of the garage, which Deatherage now occupies as his bedroom.
Since purchasing the home in November 2022, Deatherage has infused it with his style of thoughtfully curated vintage designer furnishings. A favorite piece is a 1950s Milo Baughman sofa that he has kept in storage just waiting for the right spot. On the wall behind it hangs a classic Slim Aarons photo of a swimming pool scene at the Kaufmann Desert House in Palm Springs—it’s on long-term loan from a friend whose home Deatherage helped design in that area. The dining room is ready for entertaining, with a striking stainless-steel table by Paul Evans from the 1970s; it’s surrounded by eight vintage Vladimir Kagan chairs dressed in their original striped upholstery. In the primary bedroom, Deatherage created a dramatic mood by painting the walls and ceiling in Vardo 288 by Farrow & Ball. A feature wall behind the bed is covered with “Townhouse” wallpaper by Sarah Jessica Parker for Wallshoppe. A pair of white-lacquer Dorothy Draper chests from the Fairmont Hotel in San Francisco flank the bed.
While relocating to Belleville was more of a change than Deatherage had anticipated, he has no regrets. It’s an easy commute to his warehouse just north of downtown St. Louis and, at night, when the sky is clear “you can see the stars,” he says.
