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.

Like every stereotypical 1950s-era home, this 2,200-square-foot Des Peres ranch was immured with compartmentalized rooms and smothered by eight-foot ceilings, wall-to-wall carpet and linoleum. So, two brave homeowners renovated the entire floor plan, taking the space from stale to stylish. The crowning achievement: conversion of the segregated kitchen, living and dining rooms into a casual cooking and eating area that’s constantly begging for company.

As many homeowners gracefully age, their focus begins to turn from their current living situation to where they will live in the later years of their lives. For many, staying in their own homes is important. The ability to “age in place” and enjoy the comforts of their surroundings has many homeowners rethinking the current state of their homes and making modifications to accommodate life changes in the future so that they can live independently in their own home and community.

When the owners of a charming Lafayette Square residence moved in, they knew their outdated kitchen had to go. It just simply was not functional for their family that loves to cook. With a goal to create a more contemporary space with a functional layout, the homeowners enlisted the help of interior designer Tamsin Mascetti, of Tamsin Design Group, to help them achieve the look they desired while holding on to the historic charm of their new neighborhood.

When two Frontenac homeowners added serious square footage to their estate, a crowded mudroom found new purpose as a handsome, centralized anteroom – both bar and Butler’s pantry – inspired by the rich feel of the old Westchester gentlemen’s clubs.

Decorator Garison Salinas of Garrison, Ltd. dubs the room denim-and-diamonds dapper. “The homeowners don’t entertain black tie or even coat and tie all the time, so they were interested in a bar that was elegant but also warm,” he says of a space suitable for lavish soirees and family get-togethers alike.