“Heidi’s specialty is pulling it all together,” says homeowner Jen Grossman. Built in 2011, Jen's house already had the framing for luxury— just look at those vaulted ceilings! It was the décor, then, that needed a sophisticated reboot capable of capturing the homeowner’s affinity for classic European design. 

“My passion is bringing out the best in the floor plan,” says Peg Hammerschmidt, interior architect at Hammer & Schmidt Design. And while the homeowner describes her house’s original style as bland – “builder-grade late-90s contemporary,” she says – the catalyst for a stunning whole-house transformation was closet space, not aesthetic. 

More and more homeowners are taking the steps to improve one, if not several, spaces in their homes. Careful planning, sticking to a budget and enlisting the help of an interior design, architect and/or remodeling professional will ensure a successful end result. If you are considering embarking on a remodeling project, we want you to be inspired. This special before-and-after section highlights innovation and clever design at its finest.

Rebekah Murphy loves everything antique and has from an early age. She had pieces in her collection hidden away for years just looking for the right classically styled home to suit them. Rebekah explains it best by saying, “I’ve always loved old homes and antiques and reading. When I read period books I love that feeling of being in a different time in history. It’s almost like I was born in the wrong era. On top of that, my parents would drive great distances to find incredible antiques and a lot of that has been passed down to me.”

John and Kim McCurdy were lucky to even catch a glimpse of their Ladue home from the road prior to purchasing it in November 2013. “It’s a 25-year-old home,” Kim says, “it was so overgrown that people drive by and ask if it’s a new house.” But despite the ‘mind-boggling’ masses of invasive honeysuckle, the puddles of standing water, and the “deferred maintenance issues,” as Kim gingerly understates, they saw the house and they saw the potential.  “We knew what we were in for,” she says.

After four years in a Central West End condominium, Aaron Speropoulous and his fiancé Sabrina Padgett felt overdue for a change. Roomy but bland, their open living/dining area lacked the personality of its owners and their vivacious long-haired chihuahuas, Djasper and Rufus.