Seated at the peninsula in her tired, dated kitchen, a Ladue homeowner wistfully envisioned her family and friends gathered around a center island while she prepared delicious meals and snacks. While her current kitchen wasn’t necessarily small, it was narrow, making it nearly impossible to add a center island that was the appropriate size for seating and aisle space. A peninsula extending from one wall provided seating, but it cut off the flow to the breakfast room and doors to the home’s exquisite backyard patio and pool.

Here’s what the professionals had to say:

Classic


“Classic. Light stains on wood always will be desirable because they allow the natural beauty of the wood to be showcased, especially on woods like knotty alder and cherry. The beauty nature produces always will be timeless.” Jennifer Lewis, Signature Kitchen & Bath.

Nicole (Nikki) Lemkemeier is the equivalent of two artists in one body. She is an accomplished painter, as well as a ceramic artist. She has combined these two arts into one by making painted-tile mosaic installations. Her work is a combination of classic painted tile work, plus the originality of handmaking the tiles and cutting them into small, irregular pieces that fit together almost magically – like a puzzle – into an appealing, intricate work of art.

Induction cooktops have been around since the early 1900s, when the first models were patented, with widespread production beginning in the United States in the ‘70s. While the appliance never lost appeal in Europe, Jane Heiling, president of Authorized Builder Sales, reports that here, “there was very little in the way of induction between 1985 and 2005.” Now, though, the induction flame’s been reignited (remagnetized, actually, but more on that later). “Today, it’s the most popular cooktop we sell,” Heiling says.

After downsizing to a home in Ladue, Kelly and Brian Butler were looking for a solution to make their new home practical for their family. With an established, working relationship with Keith and Jeanne Liston, Liston Construction Company, for more than 15 years, the homeowners knew exactly who to turn to to help them redesign their home to best fit their lifestyle. First up, a typical great room.

CLASSIC
“I really like this look! I think the mix of finishes on kitchen cabinetry will become a classic–many people are entertaining in the kitchen and like the furniture and homey feel that this style delivers. It looks less matched and more gradually put together than when all cabinets, counters, etc. are all the same.” Patrice Munden, Patrice Munden Interior Design.