Homeowners Sandy and Dixie Deibel had admired a plot of land in the quiet city of Ladue for years; seven, in fact. The lot sat next to a lake with ample privacy, and it happened to be owned by their neighbors.

    Originally the Deibels weren’t looking to build a new home as it would be the fifth custom home they’d designed and built for themselves. However, the lot’s view, location and privacy were refreshing after the hustle and bustle of Clayton for 20 years. They decided to build another, more comfortable home to better match their lifestyle.

For Andy Hahn, creativity was something he was born with. He was always fascinated by an artist’s ability to portray a subject accurately, but he wasn’t always so fascinated by the abstract side. Hahn describes that “juvenile” way of looking at art as, “If it wasn’t photo realistic, then it just wasn’t art to me.”

Contemporary fireplaces, your traditional hearth’s sleek, gas-powered relatives, are making winter’s hottest home improvement project one of its coolest.  “We call it the ‘burn season’,” says C. Bennett’s Eric Jost of the September-to-February fireplace frenzy. “Every year right around that time people start considering installing a fireplace; contemporary units are a great option.”