Photo by Brie Williams | Styling by Frances Bailey
The compelling original entrance of this 1912 St. Louis home shows off a Murano glass chandelier and a zebra wood table with an art deco attitude.
Not everyone is up to the challenge of taking on a house that’s over 100 years old. However, “old house” people have vision and know that, despite the challenges, the rewards are decidedly worth it. Think unparalleled decorative molding restored to its splendor, incredible mahogany paneling and wainscoting gleaming like new, and intricately detailed glass-paned doors and windows once again letting in the light. This is what transpired at a St. Louis, Missouri, home orchestrated by CLOTH & KIND interior design partners Tami Ramsay and Krista Nye Nicholas. “There were extensive embellishments on ceilings in the house, for example, and we had to work with the architects and specialty tradespeople to ensure that things were handled delicately and restored properly,” says Tami. Once the electrical and other outdated systems were replaced, the designers focused on space planning. “We wanted to make everything function well, especially for entertaining, a high priority of our clients,” Krista says. “Some of the rooms are quite large, so scale was essential. We didn’t want anything to look dinky; we needed some significant pieces.”
Photo by Brie Williams | Styling by Frances Bailey
The custom Fromental wallcovering incorporates motifs from the area including native trees, plants, flowers, and butterflies. The yellow-based colorway plays off of nearby rooms and offsets the original black-and-white marble floors.
For example, the decoration of the immense living room called for smaller seating areas to make it seem less cavernous and more intimate. “Our clients wanted the space to speak to a club-like sensibility, which worked well as it was blessed with remarkable mahogany paneling throughout,” says Tami. “We used warmer, cozier colors such as rich burnt caramel, russet red, ocher, gold, and greens.” In the center of the space, matching sofas flank the fireplace. One end of the room reads luxurious with several options for seating—two mahogany spoon-back chairs upholstered in a silk velvet tiger print, a mossy green striated and tufted mohair sofa, and a sizable round table topped with a bold Japanese-style dragon print edged in a deep fringe. At the other end sits a custom curved sofa with an assortment of lively pillows—perfect for a tête-a-tête—and a Lucite-and-glass coffee table. Nestled beyond, near French doors with a transom window above, the designers placed a Carl Springer-like goatskin game table with four bright yellow embossed leather chairs. These more contemporary pieces may seem a bit surprising, but they were thoughtfully curated. As the design duo explains, “We needed some pieces to lighten up this paneled room and release it a bit from the past.” The pair also wove in an attention-grabbing mélange of lamps and more streamlined floor coverings in natural fibers. Throughout the house, the designers continued to walk this carefully calibrated line between celebrating the home’s innate character while making it feel more in the here and now.
Photo by Brie Williams | Styling by Frances Bailey
The expansive living room is orchestrated with entertaining in mind with separate spaces for gathering. The center is filled with generous sofas that help to break up the room; the wood paneling and ceiling details are all original.
Photo by Brie Williams | Styling by Frances Bailey
One end of the room creates an ideal conversation nook with tufted loveseat and chairs anchored by a skirted table in a lively print.
Photo by Brie Williams | Styling by Frances Bailey
On the opposite end sits a gaming table with more modern appointments, including a goat skin table, to add some fresh notes to the room that could easily read too serious.
Equal attention was paid to each of the smaller parlor-like rooms on the main floor. Although these rooms are connecting spaces, Tami and Krista made sure that each one presents its own special identity with varying palettes and furniture styles, unique lighting, and decorative accents. The clients gave the designers wide latitude when it came to the interiors—they had worked with them on another house, so a level of trust was established. Accordingly, the pair knew the couple was up for lots of color, pattern, and adventure. However, one aspect that was non-negotiable was the wife’s favorite color red—not the easiest hue to pull off in a house this size. “We wanted to honor her love of red but do it in a way that blended with our design aesthetic,” the designers say. The duo accomplished this with great aplomb—the piano room off the foyer, for example, brims with red tones in an antique chinoiserie secretary, a pagoda-style lantern, and brushstrokes of the color in the roman shade fabric, among others. “In the paneled living room, we used some true reds and then we leaned into other variations like russet, orange-tinged reds, and raspberry tones,” says Tami. “You see the presence of red without it being too domineering.”
Photo by Brie Williams | Styling by Frances Bailey
The client’s favorite color red shows up throughout the first floor; the antique chinoiserie desk joins hands with a contemporary chair in an abstract print for that welcome push/pull.
Photo by Brie Williams | Styling by Frances Bailey
A bold contemporary painting and crystal-laden table sconces team up for a compelling vignette paired with an unusual antique cabinet against a nubby blue Phillip Jeffries wall covering.
Photo by Brie Williams | Styling by Frances Bailey
While the house is over 100 years old, the designers did not want it to feel stuck in the past. They employed lively colors and prints and unexpected details such as more contemporary light fixtures as captured in this bedroom.
Photo by Brie Williams | Styling by Frances Bailey
In each of the small connecting parlor rooms, the designers took care to create “destinations” such as this mixture of large-scale wallpaper with daintier floral window treatment fabric, a Lucite-and-brass coffee table and bullion-fringed matching traditional loveseats.
Another way the designers brought in red and other vibrant hues was through the artwork they selected. “Our clients like traditional art, so contemporary works were a bit of a departure for them,” says Tami. “However, they recognized the advantage of introducing these pieces and appreciated the juxtaposition of the formal with more modern art to keep any stodginess at bay. The liveliness of these works transforms the experience and interaction with the home.” Adds Krista, “The art decidedly made the spaces more relevant, fresh, and of the moment.” While this historic home is clearly beautifully reimagined, it still radiates the long-lasting allure and stature of an old home—a treasured grand dame.
Photo by Brie Williams | Styling by Frances Bailey
In the front vestibule before the grand entry hall, Tami and Christa employed a scroll-patterned black and white Celery Kemble for Schumacher wall covering over the wainscotting where an unusual and fanciful French deco bench holds court.
Photo by Brie Williams | Styling by Frances Bailey
Gleaming silver toned wallcovering graces the powder room walls while a thick Kravet fabric that evokes undulant Japanese waves forms the skirt for the thick black marble vanity.
Photo by Brie Williams | Styling by Frances Bailey
While their clients wanted a classic white kitchen, the designers imbued it with special features such as the red Dacor oven, shell sconces from Soane, and a pair of Charles Edwards lanterns against high performance vinyl sisal Phillip Jefferies wall covering.
By Alice Welsh Doyle | Photography by Brie Williams | Styling by Frances Bailey
Interior Design by CLOTH & KIND, Tami Ramsay & Krista Nye Nicholas. www.clothandkind.com
Athens, Georgia & Ann Arbor, Michigan; Designer Showroom: Ann Arbor
