St. Louis Hills House Tour 2023

36 • St. Louis Hills House Tour • 2023 When Roy and JoAnna purchased the house, the interior was a study of decades gone by. There was 1980s green wall-to-wall carpet, dark 1970s kitchen cabinets, vinyl flooring, and fake brick walls in the kitchen. The basement even had funky plaid carpet. Their son discovered dining room windows hidden behind drywall. When Roy excavated them, they contained newspapers dating to the 1940s. Instead of having the living spaces divided between the first floor, second floor and basement, Roy’s smart design resituated all the living spaces on the main floor. Without changing the footprint, the home went from a 2 bedroom, 1 bath house, to a 3 bedroom, 2 ½ bath house. JoAnna said they use every single inch of their home. The living room is graceful with the original crown molding, stone fireplace and honey-colored oak floor. The large, extended half- round windowwith double sunburst mullions has hand-blown panes of glass in pale, subtle shades of green, yellow, blue and red. The stairwell has smaller versions of the window. The wall between the kitchen and dining room was removed. The oak floor in the living room and dining room was extended into the kitchen. White bead board on the ceiling and white cabinets brighten the room. Sage and grey rectangular ceramic tiles are used from counter to ceiling behind the stove and complement the concrete counters. The island is lit by two bronze hammer- finished pendant lights. Past the kitchen is a room used to centralize many of their needs in one area. This room contains storage, laundry, a half-bath, and room for their dog’s crate. It also has space for the mudroom area with a door to the back yard. In 1986 a 20-foot by 30-foot family room with vaulted ceiling was added to the back of the home. Roy turned this into their master bedroom, bathroom and walk-in closet. Heated floors in the bedroom and bath are welcome on chilly mornings. 6522 Walsh continued