It was the lot that sold them. A Chesterfield couple with children still at home had been thinking of building a custom home when the wife happened across a site in Town and Country. Once part of an equestrian estate, the lot's unusually large two acres held many mature trees in a desirable area closer to the children's schools. And the estate's old horse barn, although in rough shape, had massive potential. "I just kept driving by the location and could not stop thinking that this was meant to be." The wife said. "We thought this could be the perfect property for us."

Kemp Signature Homes owned the property with a new home planned for the lot. "Having the two acres really allowed them to do a lot with the footprint of the new home," says builder Bill Kemp, owner of Kemp Signature Homes. "They also wanted expansive outdoor spaces with a pool, and then with the barn on top of that, it's a really unique lot."

The existing home was removed, and the couple began meeting with Bill to plan their dream home. Architect Darryl Labruyere, founder of D.L. Design, had designed a floor plan for Kemp with a first-floor primary suite, one of the couple's must-haves. "We started with that plan, and it just evolved to meet their needs," says Bill.

For these homeowners, the original plans were expanded to allow for double islands in the kitchen, an amenity the family enjoys at their lake house. "Having that design is just so great for entertaining, and it gives you so much space to work with for prepping and cooking," says the wife.

"The heart of the house is the kitchen which flows into the breakfast room and then the hearth room," says Bill. "It's a large area with great flow and great for entertaining."

The couple also wanted retracting doors, another feature of their lake home, so a 5-panel sliding door was installed between the hearth room and outdoor room. The panels retract into themselves, making the outdoor room a part of the living space nearly year-round. "It really makes for indoor/outdoor living and kind of makes it feel like California," says the wife.

An amenity the couple hadn't previously enjoyed was a golf simulator, so plans were made for that space in the lower level. "We developed that with steps down to it, and that also lent itself to the bar design in the lower level, which is just massive," says Bill. "Cory Lamp (of Lamp Wine Cellars) did the racking design for the wine cellar, which is just a great focal point of the entire lower level."

The couple had already renovated their current home completely in the past and loved it, but still really wanted a first floor primary bedroom now that their kids were getting older. Having already considered the possibility of finding their true dream home, the wife had some design ideas of her own ready to start the transition.

"I love interior design, but I certainly didn't want to miss anything in the construction phase and felt I could use a high level of expertise for the interiors to bounce ideas off of," she says. One of her friends had worked with Kathleen Grim, Allied ASID, an interior designer with Srote & Co. 

"My friend has one of the most beautiful homes I've ever seen, and I felt really comfortable knowing Kathleen was the right person for me as well," says the wife.

Kathleen says the wife came to their initial meetings armed with a clear idea of what she liked and what she wanted in the end result. "Her inspiration photos all had a very consistent look-clean lined but with a modern take on tradition," says Kathleen. "For me, it's just helping execute that and build a really beautiful, sophisticated home."

The designer says the modern take on tradition is executed in this home with a consistent color palette of whites, creams and notes of blue but layered with a mixture of textures. In the kitchen, for example, the sleek white cabinetry and white quartz countertops are warmed with a white oak island featuring reeding on the side and bar stools with woven backs. The wood breakfast table also features a fluted edge. A stucco range hood adds yet another layer of texture.

Kathleen carried the reeding effect into the butler's pantry cabinetry and into the primary bathroom, where the design element adds important definition. "In the primary bath, the countertops, floors and shower walls are all marble, and sometimes it's hard to make that feel cozy and warm," says Kathleen. "I feel we did that here with the textured window treatments, the color of the white oak cabinetry, and having the reeding detail on the cabinet drawers. Along with the curve of the little bench, these give it some softness and texture and really balance the coolness of the tile." The wife says the reeding details are among her favorite elements in the home as well, with the double islands in the kitchen as a close second.

"It's hard to pick one space as our favorite, but I would have to say the outdoor screened room is our favorite. We spend a lot of time out here, especially in the fall," says the wife. "When it's cooler, we turn on the heaters and just look out at all the trees changing colors, and the view is just so pretty. We love that room."

Such joy and happiness permeate the entire family's experience in their new home. "It took a bit for our kids to get used to the idea that we'd be moving away from their childhood home in Chesterfield," says the wife. "But once we moved in here, it just immediately felt like home to us."

The setting created the foundation to make that possible. "We were given such a beautiful lot to take advantage of," says Kathleen. "So much of what makes the spaces a success has to do with the lot, the architecture, the way the home is positioned on the lot and the layout. We were able to put the icing on the cake with the furnishings and finishes." 

Resources:

Cabinetry: Wright's Cabinet Shop, Detailed Designs by Denise

Carpet/Wood Flooring/Rugs: Ambassador Flooring 

Closet: Closet Factory 

Fireplace: Forshaw

Granite: Absolute

Technology: HD Media 

Stairs: Builder Stair Supply

Appliances: Authorized Appliances 

Lighting: Wilson Lighting and Villa Lighting

Hardware/Plumbing Fixtures: Premier Plumbing Jenni Mehrmann

Tile: Ambassador Flooring 

Windows & Treatments: Pella 

Doors: Pella

Outdoor Lighting: Villa Lighting, Rejuvenation

Outdoor Audio/Visual: HD Media

Landscape Design: Baxter Gardens James Weishaar

Pool: Baker Pool

Outdoor Furniture: Crate and Barrel

Sunroom/Screens: Broadview Screen

Sunroom Furniture: Arhaus

Ironwork: Eureka Forge