Photography by Carmen Troesser
When Nan Wisniewski first saw the Central West End house, she didn’t really love it. The place required so much work, Wisniewski’s business partner passed on the project but suggested that Nan and her husband, Steve, take a look. For the past 15 years, Wisniewski has been restoring older homes, which she refers to as ladies. She believes that as we age, it’s important to stay young at heart, and houses are no different: “I respect history, but a home should be made for modern living.” Wisniewski retires to the home’s sunroom to unwind.
Railroad Ties
Architect William Levy built the Mediterranean-style villa in 1913. Katy Railroad president John Barriger III and his family later lived there for a quarter-century. The family maintained the world’s largest private collection of railroad memorabilia, mostly in the form of books, and housed it on the third floor. The memorabilia has since been donated to the St. Louis Mercantile Library, and the third floor was redesigned as a space for games and other family fun.
Plant Life
The sunroom is the home’s most-used room (the dogs just love it), but it isn’t a passion for plants that draws Wisniewski to the space. She designed the room to feel like a family room. “I really just wanted people to be comfortable,” she says. Two club chairs, a seagrass rug, and a sofa from Miriam Switching Post, covered in Samira/Potter’s Clay fabric from Calico Corners, do the job. “The light is just perfect,” she says. “By noon, there’s a glow that lasts for the rest of the day.”
Tile Talk
The walls are tile plaster. “An artisan cut into the walls and carved the lines by hand,” she says, pointing to the fan shapes etched around the windows. “When I was filling in the lines, I took a level and a laser to them and they’re perfect.” Wisniewski sees her career as a small contribution to bringing the city’s beauty back to life. As for the palm trees in the room…well, she says she’s not of much help: “They’ve been replaced at least six times since we moved in two years ago!”
