Three years of careful thought, planning, and design have culminated in a home that truly reflects the personalities of the homeowners. Desiring some arts and crafts bungalow characteristics combined with the relaxed feel of a vacation house…the homeowners intended for the home’s appearance, from the street, to be smaller than its actual 5,700 square foot size.
Special considerations given to the home included a welcoming front porch with a chimney that faces the street, a large open foyer, a relaxing library with plenty of shelving, a “U” shaped home to create a private courtyard, a woodshop space, and a garage that included both a direct entry to the basement plus a strong permanent staircase leading to a second floor storage room. Additionally, it was important for the homeowners’ to have an area where their house guests could feel comfortable and relax, thus the inclusion of a guest suite containing a sitting room, bedroom, full bath, a set of private cabinetry concealing a mini-refrigerator, coffee machine, and storage.
The kitchen, living, dining, and foyer spaces are all integral to each other while the foyer and the library can double as pretty seating areas for large dinner parties. The reading nook in the dining area was placed so that the family members would still be included in the household activity, but have a comfortable space to relax and take pleasure in a book with an enjoyable backyard view. The kitchen’s size easily accommodates two cooks and the large walk in pantry off the kitchen’s foyer has proved a valuable space for dry goods and other items.
For busy working moments, an office tucked behind sliding barn style doors was positioned at the kitchen making it easy to pop in and pay bills or send e-mails while waiting for a pot of water to boil. The doors provide the luxury of concealing a potentially messy desk area. The library pulls double duty as a relaxation area and as an alternative space to work at a big table, perform research, and compose presentations. Both offices are well utilized and the library contains special ventilation equipment to filter a gentleman’s aromatic cigar smoke out of the home.
After an action packed day, the homeowners frequently eat in their screened porch. The screens are specially constructed to keep pesky gnats and tiny insects out in the yard!
The practically grown children have rooms upstairs and downstairs from the main floor. Since boys tend to be noisy, they were placed on the lower level so their sounds would not vibrate through the household. The lower level also offers a space dedicated for the kids’ friends to gather and enjoy passing time together.
Interior finishes throughout the home lean toward casual and blend rustic with arts and crafts. Punches of color surprise visitors, particularly on the bead board ceiling treatments in the family room and master bedroom. The distressed hickory wood flooring in the foyer, library, and living room happily greet the kitchen’s porcelain tile with the two materials married in the dining space.
The exterior craftsmanship includes ornamental corbels, stained soffits, rain chains in lieu of downspouts off of the front porch, durable “wood” gasketed siding, all complimented by prairie styled windows and doors. Exterior trim at the door and window units were highly regarded as important to the overall feel of the home.
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314.962.7073 | 8045 Big Bend, Suite 104 | Webster Groves, MO 63119 | info@scheipeter.com
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