The 10 Most Beautiful Homes in St. Louis

Neighborhood: Ladue Architect: Krejci Associates Architects, Hennessey Development Landscape Architect: Westchester Gardens Significant Stats: The property, which comprises 5 acres, was originally home to a 16-stall equestrian estate with a riding ring.

To passersby, the house could be part of a movie set. Closer inspection reveals that it’s home to a large, busy family. “I love my front porch,” says the wife. “There’s always a cool breeze. It relaxes me, and I forget about all the things I need to do.” Flanked by a formal garden to the west and an original stone structure to the east, the house sits on the highest natural vantage point in Ladue. “We spent a lot of time positioning the house so that we could get great views from the windows and doors,” says the husband. “We feel blessed that we found the land.” “The kids have had a great childhood here,” adds the wife. 

Neighborhood: Ladue Architect: George Hellmuth (The late Brooks Critchfield designed the front terrace and entry area.) Landscape Architect: Rand Rosenthal Design Group Significant Stats: Five bedrooms, nine bathrooms

The relationship between home and nature make this house worthy of its name and a place on our list. At one time a hunting property, “The Woodlands” has retained its natural surroundings: acres of mature native oak and walnut trees and plenty of wildlife, including red-tailed foxes and Canada geese. “Years ago, my kids and I raised a baby raccoon here,” says the owner. The only major change to the exterior of the house was made in 2006: the addition of a pea gravel drive and a front terrace, which opened up the house and made it more welcoming to visitors’ eyes. For years, the owner says, the house felt a bit too “off-limits,” but now it’s warmer and friendlier: “I thought about it a long time because you don’t want to make a lot of changes to the architecture, but the house was a very dark forest, and I wanted to bring more life to it.”

Neighborhood: Ladue Architect: Richard Cummings Landscape Architect: Harriet Bakewell, Moynihan & Associates Significant Stats: Four bedrooms, 3 1/2 bathrooms 

Whatever you do, don’t say it’s pink. Use “salmon” instead (preferred by the husband) or, better yet, “blush” (which the wife likes). Despite the home’s origins as a one-room schoolhouse–turned–1950s ranch plagued by overgrowth, the work of none other than famed St. Louis architect Frederick Dunn inspired the current owners. “I’ve always loved what he did,” says the wife. Soon after purchasing the house, in 1985, the owners had the roof removed and added a second story. They found 33 sets of French doors and had them restored and built into the exterior and interior architectural spaces. The pea gravel in a terracotta shade was a deliberate choice, drawing a distinction between the home’s private drive and the main road, which lies  just beyond a row of hedges. They added six Autumn Blaze pear trees along the exterior brick walls to complete the look.

Neighborhood: Creve Coeur Architect: Vessel Architecture & Design Landscape Architect: Randy Mardis, Hoette Farms Significant Stats: Four bedrooms, five bathrooms

“The view is unbelievable,” says the owner. “There are no homes behind you. It’s all natural landscape.” Deer, coyotes, and geese are visible through the home’s windows, including those in the front, through which a visitor can see to the back of the house and out onto the rolling hills of a nearby golf course. Having previously owned a traditional-style home, the owners felt a strong inclination to live more connected to nature. The house is energy-efficient and complies with aging-in-place standards. It’s also low-maintenance, which the homeowners love. A metal roof, the Artisan by James Hardie cement siding, and natural stacked stone lend a uniform, Midcentury Modern presence.

Neighborhood: Webster Groves Architect: Nolte & Nauman Landscape Architect: Jennifer Schoemehl Significant Stats: Five bedrooms, four bathrooms 

“You bought which house?” It’s hard to believe from the looks of it today, but this was the reaction among friends when John and Tammy Caruso notified them that they were moving down the street and into a home painted periwinkle. “It needed so much work,” says Tammy, recalling the carpeted walls and the tree roots creeping into the home’s foundation. “It was pretty bad,” adds Caroline, one of her daughters. But the Nantucket-style house was a knockout at Christmas time, decked out in wreaths and with a candle placed just so in each of the home’s many windows. “It was my favorite house,” says Tammy. After an extensive renovation that included testing at least 10 shades of gray for the exterior paint color, the Caruso family can’t imagine living elsewhere. “I love the oversize front door, the rounded glass room off the master bedroom, the original limestone fireplace mantel,” she says. “And I love this street—it’s like living in Mayberry.”

Neighborhood: Clayton Architect: Maritz & Young Landscape Architect: Quiet Village Landscaping Significant Stats: Six bedrooms, seven bathrooms (including a carriage house with apartment)

Kim and Gary Taylor weren’t looking for a Spanish-style home when they decided to bid on this one nine years ago. What they’d really hoped for was a Tudor in Clayton’s Claverach Park. But with none available at the time—and the opportunity to buy a home whose interior had been meticulously renovated—they decided to go for it. “Houses from the 1920s were typically compartmentalized, but this one feels so open to us,” says Gary. The stucco exterior, the dark beams and hand-painted ceilings, and the original stained-glass windows are a period home enthusiast’s dreams come true. “Gary loves to study design,” says Kim. “I just go along for the ride.”

Neighborhood: Clayton Architect: Study & Farrar Landscape Architect: Garden Heights Nursery, Horstmann Brothers, and homeowner Significant Stats: This year the house turns 100! 

It’s a picture-perfect family home situated a short distance from Forest Park and the DeMun business district. When the wife spotted the online listing six years ago, she knew that it was meant to be her family’s home. “You can’t buy a house online,” her husband said to her at the time. So on a dreary January weekend, the wife drove from Nashville—where the family was living at the time—to St. Louis to see it in person. “It was filled with light, and despite how big it is, it felt like a home,” she says. Today, the Georgian Revival–style house is known for its French blue shutters. Over time, many of the shutters, originally painted a forest green, had faded to blue. Preferring that hue, the homeowners elected to match the color and repaint all of the shutters, which help imbue the house with its elegant aesthetic.

Neighborhood: Central West End Architect: Tom Barnett Landscape Architect: A Floral Gallery Significant Stats: Eight bedrooms, six bathrooms, 9,000 square feet

Not a week passes without someone stopping to marvel or capture a picture, says homeowner Sharilyn Franklin. “It’s affirming. I always thought the house was beautiful and magnificent, too.” And who wouldn’t agree? The exterior alone features an entryway with twin heads of Minerva, palm tree and angel motifs carved into the stone, granite steps leading up to the front door, and four marble columns, restored by the previous owner after having been stolen sometime in the 1980s. Built in 1909 in the Vienna Secessionist period, this house stands out on a historic street for its unique and unusual architectural and design features.

Neighborhood: Kirkwood Architect: Unknown Landscape Architect: Homeowners, 3D Design Ltd. Significant Stats: Built in 1854, the home was without a kitchen and bathrooms until 1864, the year plumbing was added. 

It’s no surprise that stories about this house, the oldest home on our list, abound, beginning with the original owners George and Virginia Fishback. George was one of the early proprietors of The Globe, which later became the Globe-Democrat. Virginia, born and raised in Kentucky, longed for a reminder of home, hence the house’s antebellum style. The current owners, Jennifer and Scott Purvines, seemed destined to live there. “One day while we were house-hunting, my husband’s aunt pointed out the house to us and said we’d live in it,” recalls Jennifer. We love the 2-foot-wide columns, the crown molding on the outside of the house, the circle driveway, and an exterior built from rosewood, which won’t mildew or mold, so there’s never a need to power-wash it.

Neighborhood: Central West End Architect: Henry E. Roach Landscape Architect: Homeowner Significant Stats: Seven bedrooms, 4 1/2 bathrooms

The limestone exterior, fire-glazed Ludowici tile roof, and two stone Great Danes guarding a walkway leading into a marble-paneled entryway adorned with museum-grade Greco-Roman statues—and those are just a handful of the architectural details on display. The current owners, who have lived in the house for four years, personally removed each of the home’s 48 storm windows to carefully scrape, re-glaze, and repaint them. “It took a while. I needed a 46-foot-tall ladder, but I was in no hurry,” one of them says, satisfied.