After more than a quarter century in their Webster Groves home, empty-nesters Anne and Karl Dunajcik were ready to freshen up spaces that had scarcely been altered since the Clinton Administration—a time when light, bright and airy weren’t necessarily high on the design aesthetics checklist.

It took four years of searching — yes, four whole years — but after watching and waiting for the right property to come on the market, Dana Jones, owner of Flavor Dance Studio and professional home renovator, finally found her dream kitchen hiding away in a historic Clayton duplex. And all she had to do to make it perfect was figure out how to navigate the red tape that comes with remodeling a historic home and complete a total conversion of said duplex into one, big cozy home. With the help of interior designer Joni Spear of Joni Spear Interior Design, it was a piece of cake.

Last year, Pat Perotti downsized from a large home to her mother’s recently vacated villa. Her villa was the same as her neighbor’s, which was the same as their neighbor’s and so on, but that was not Perotti’s style. She wanted to make her new home her own and give it a touch of her feminine class. When she decided to re-do her mother’s old kitchen, she trusted interior designer Ellen Kurtz, of Ellen Kurtz Interiors, to pull off the new look.

Remodeling is on the rise in 2015 as 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.