Inhaltsverzeichnis für May/June 2021 in DesignSTL

I’VE OFFICIALLY SWAPPED interiors for outdoor spaces as my preferred places to spend extra decorating dollars. This shift in mindset can be traced to last spring, when, collectively, we reassessed the role of porches and patios in our everyday lives, resolving to make these areas as inviting as any room inside the home. My purchase of a teak sofa upholstered in a black nubby cushion fabric for a side patio sealed the deal, and I devoted the rest of the summer to shopping for a complementary mix of tables, chairs, and potted plants. With warmer temps upon us again, I’m compelled to ask: What’s next? Well, the view from that new perch of mine could use a dose of creative thinking. I’m taking inspiration from The Well-Gardened Mind, by Sue…

FEW THINGS BRING out the flavor of a recipe like fresh herbs. Homeowners can grow them in pots or as part of a vegetable garden, use them immediately or store them for cooking later. Here, local experts share the best ways to harvest and store fresh herbs. HARVESTING Once your plants are thriving, it’s important to harvest them correctly so they continue to provide throughout the season. Drew Dinges, assistant store manager and horticulturist with Bowood Farms, suggests harvesting often for bushier and healthier plants, taking about one-third of the plant’s topical growth each time: “Harvest herbs in the morning after the moisture from dew dries but before the heat of the day sets in. This ensures that the herb’s oil content is highest and flavor is at its peak.” Molly…

CONSIDER THE ARCHITECTURE Although window boxes enhance the curb appeal of any home, they are particularly striking when used on small-scale cottages with shutters, half-timber, half-stone farmhouses, and traditional homes with a center front porch. “South-facing homes are ideally situated, because they provide six hours of full sun each day,” says Rhonda Shoemaker, owner of St. Louis-based Glorious Gardens, “but window boxes also work on southwest- and southeast-facing façades, which receive four hours of sunlight.” CHOOSE THE RIGHT CONTAINER Window boxes are sold in a range of materials, so what should homeowners consider when shopping for them? “There are a lot of great composite materials made of plastic that look like metal or terra cotta,” Shoemaker explains. “Just make sure they have drainage holes or that you’re able to drill…

Like so many wonderful things in life, the inspiration for this home project began with a trip to Napa’s wine country. Eight years ago, Frontenac resident Julie Hornsby traveled to California with her family to celebrate her daughter’s birthday. One picturesque day, seated beneath a pergola with the perfumed air of blooming wisteria wafting around her, Hornsby decided that she would re-create a similar setting back at home, one with a tranquil yet family-friendly atmosphere. As she’d done many times over the years, she called Kim Kelce and Nancy Pedley, of Kelce & Pedley, to plan the landscape renovation, beginning with the design of a cypress pergola commissioned from Nancy’s husband, landscape architect Bill Pedley. The pergola was such a hit—with Hornsby’s friends, children, and grandchildren—that she eventually decided to…

In an auto shop turned art studio in Midtown, artist Katherine Bernhardt uses spray paint and acrylic to create masterpieces bound for such destinations as New York, London, Brussels, and Tokyo. Leaning against every available wall are canvases-some 12 feet tall-emblazoned with larger-than-life cartoon characters, school supplies, foods, and other everyday objects that, Bernhardt says, are humorous or “don’t go together.” She purchased the 6,000-square-foot space upon her return to St. Louis in August 2019 and worked with Ann Wimsatt, principal architect and co-founder of Cite Works Architects, to completely revamp the building, from the water lines now running under the floor to the roof overhead. “I wanted to provide a place where she could just experiment,” Wimsatt says of the renovation. After living in New York for more than…

AVID GARDENER BETSY CUNEO was searching for creative ways to bring nature into her home, turning to all the usual sources such as Pinterest, shelter magazines, and garden websites, with little luck. Inspiration finally struck one evening while she was out to dinner at Peno, in Clayton, where she spotted a 4-by-6-foot wall fashioned entirely of leafy green plants. The structure, sometimes referred to as a “varden”—or vertical garden—is the creation of Webster Groves resident Mark Woolbright, who designs and builds them at his company, Verdant Technologies. A varden is mounted to a wall and outfitted with aluminum casings, plastic trays, drip lines, and mesh “socks” in which to grow plants. A serial inventor and self-described tinkerer, Woolbright received his first patent 30 years ago for the invention of a…

In James and Cabanne Howard’s home, contemporary art is displayed alongside centuries-old antiques, and flea market finds blend effortlessly with high-end furniture. “We love mixing high and low,” says Cabanne. But what’s most important, says the St. Louis native, is that “each piece tell a story.” Nowhere is the couple’s appreciation for storytelling more apparent than in the dining room, where a stunning crystal chandelier with cobalt accents hangs above a Hollywood Regency dining table. The early-1900s chandelier belonged to Cabanne’s grandmother Ellen Connant, and a collection of framed photographs show how it was worked into the décor of her David Adler-designed Chicago apartment. A large triptych, titled “Kate Moss Rorschach,” created in 2010 by contemporary artist Asher Penn, adorns another wall in the room. It features Rorschach test-style inkblots…

CHAUVIN COFFEE Coffee has been the Charleville family business since 1930, but the name Chauvin (a family name) was adopted in 1984, by “Java Joe” Charleville, grandfather of the current co-owners, Dave and Mike Charleville. A passion for coffee is the company’s driving force, first in its early days as Rose Coffee on South Jefferson and now in its current location, in Kirkwood. Connoisseurs are drawn to Chauvin’s artisan coffees, including the flowery Ethiopian Yirgacheffe and the rich La Minita, from Costa Rica. “After our dad, Dave, went to Europe in 1973, he was determined to match the taste of the rich, balanced espressos there,” says Dave. Espresso Oro is a light Northern Italian-style roast; the darker Espresso Traditional is reminiscent of the intense flavors from Southern Italy. “When people…