topic Re: WELCOMING HOUSE IN ST. LOUIS in Home

WELCOMING HOUSE IN ST. LOUIS

Oznell — Fri, 26 Jan 2024 03:13:07 GMT

This was a super fun tour from Homeworthy. Maybe because the homeowner was so authentic-- and blessedly unassuming, and had wonderful stories. Hope some of my fellow house ~~maniacs~~ er, buffs, will enjoy it as much as I did....

Businesswoman Hillary Muscatello lives here amid the rolling hills and forests, on a quiet pond, in a far suburb outside of St. Louis.

They must have filmed this just after Christmas...

When you walk in, and you're standing in the entrance hall, you have this nice view of their great room ahead--

She is very drawn to antique landscape paintings, shown thoughout the house. Some were from her uncle's store in Maine. There is an appealing New England/Midwest gestalt thing going on in this house, methinks.

She absolutely lit up when talking about this treasured antique flag.

Enjoyed hearing about her style. She said she thought of it as "President's Brother". See, she likes an elegant traditional look, like maybe a President would have. But her style is scaled down more, more relaxed and a little rustic, like a President's brother might have, ha. To me it seems rather Ralph Lauren-esque, but a little more eclectic, and edited, perhaps. So I laughed when later she said one of her interior design influences was when as a child she went with her Dad, a sharp dresser, to the Ralph Lauren store!

The deep green in the dining room is Farrow and Ball's "Studio Green". Here, she wanted a classically 'old school', clubby atmosphere for cozy dinners. The large, super comfortable chairs were left by previous owners, and she relaxed them by upholstering with a chambray stripe.

In honor of her husband's Italian background, she sought out this gorgeous antique Italian gilt mirror. She likes incorporating Italian touches into the preppy mix. She said the wood of the mirror is so old, it is quite stressed, but it has held together so far...

Her antique Audubon prints, in their burnished frames, are lovely against the green. She said that she likes a certain systematic order, as a background, since a lot of what she does with flower arrangements and branches, is messy and slightly chaotic...

Love the shape and color of her island in her mostly cream kitchen.

And you look out toward the pond and undeveloped fields from this vantage point in the kitchen. Almost feels like being in the prow of a great boat--

This little conversation area she created below, beside those windows, love. She had the cushions on the rustic woven rattan wing chairs re-upholstered for a custom look.

A charming small sitting room, off the great room, I think. She weaves the blues all through the house...

Darling breakfast nook. And lo and behold, she had a plate rack built too, like the Los Angeles woman. She had wanted a bookcase here, liking to be surrounded by books, but the space was too narrow, so put in a plate rack instead. She has prints, plates and cookbooks in it.

She created this mud/ laundry room with beadboard, off the kitchen. She said that the celebrated architect/ designer Gil Schafer, was her inspiration here. I love him too. The many coat hooks help keep her children organized. Her husband isn't too thrilled with the hanging baskets, but they hold necessities!

She said she wants to collect vintage decoys to march all along this shelf. But she has set herself a limit-- will not spend more than $15 per duck! I'm surprised that she ferreted out these for under 15:

Back in the great room, looking toward the intimate little library study nook she created for the kids to do homework, and so she can keep an eye on what they are doing on the computer. She has great stories about this nook in the video, but too long to go into here! The distressed leather couches would be great to flop on in front of the fire:

This free-and-easy corner of the master bedroom, summarizes the whole house, in a way. Apparently her kids vie to take naps on this very inviting chaise.

I say this every time, but really, the video is so much better, and you get a much better feeling for her ideas. For example, I loved the way that she was talking about keeping much of the stained woodwork, rather than painting it, since she veers always a little toward the rustic, even while remaining traditional...

To get the video, google:

Step Inside a Traditional Home in St. Louis, Missouri

Re: WELCOMING HOUSE IN ST. LOUIS

Lilysmom1 — Fri, 26 Jan 2024 08:50:46 GMT

@Oznell Lovely! I like everything except the dark paint in the dining room. I especially love the conversation area in the kitchen and the room with fireplace,ace and books. Most of all, I love her Lab curled up on the chaise enjoying the sunshine!

Thanks for posting.

Re: WELCOMING HOUSE IN ST. LOUIS

Oznell — Fri, 26 Jan 2024 13:39:22 GMT

@Lilysmom1 , same, those were my favorites too. That little conversation area in the light-filled kitchen, just summed up the coziness and friendliness I feel in that house....

Re: WELCOMING HOUSE IN ST. LOUIS

DREAMON — Fri, 26 Jan 2024 14:45:51 GMT

Lovely house inside and out. This house looks very New England to me.

The dark walls are not for me but I don't mind them in this home.

Re: WELCOMING HOUSE IN ST. LOUIS

CANDLEQUEEN — Fri, 26 Jan 2024 14:55:16 GMT

Ilike a lot of it, but it is a big house, and lots of furnishings......I love the colors used in her kitchen. The outside is beautiful, as is her huge fireplace!

Re: WELCOMING HOUSE IN ST. LOUIS

GingerHead — Fri, 26 Jan 2024 18:01:29 GMT

Pretty house, standouts for me are the stone fireplace (love it) and the beadboarded walls and the kitchen is lovely.

Re: WELCOMING HOUSE IN ST. LOUIS

cheriere — Fri, 26 Jan 2024 18:26:37 GMT

@Oznell Oh my! I love everything about this home! The door, the pond, and entryway are gorgeous! I also really love the kitchen, conversation area and chandelier! All of those windows are magical considering that view. I even think the dark walls look nice, especially with all the light Audubon pictures. It's a winner! Thanks so much for sharing this home. 😊❤️💕

Re: WELCOMING HOUSE IN ST. LOUIS

jubilant — Fri, 26 Jan 2024 18:38:10 GMT

@Oznell What a comfy and cozy home. While that home is on a much bigger scale then I could afford, it is my kind of decorating. I love it! I love the mix of traditional and rustic. It is where I am trying to go with my own home. If I told you all the things I loved in this home plus the inspiration behind it....I'd be writing a book!

I watched the video and it was great, too. I love how she explained the inspiration behind everything. That makes it not just a pretty home but a place filled with wonderful memories and inspiration.

Re: WELCOMING HOUSE IN ST. LOUIS

Sooner — Fri, 26 Jan 2024 19:06:29 GMT

It's lovely but I would not want to live in this house. It is too dark, even with windows, and has too much furniture and stuff in it.

I also don't want to live near a pond or lake--not fond of the critters it attracts (been there done that as a child).

Re: WELCOMING HOUSE IN ST. LOUIS

wilma — Fri, 26 Jan 2024 20:35:13 GMT

I like the interior design & furnishings better than the exterior. The light color siding isn't my favorite. I prefer brick.

I like all the rooms. My favorite spaces are the kitchen, family room, and seating areas. I don't mind the dark paint colors. I think they work well with the darker stained trim. A bit too many accessories for me.

My least favorite thing is the chandelier with curved arms & exposed bulbs in the small sitting room.

Re: WELCOMING HOUSE IN ST. LOUIS

2sisters — Fri, 26 Jan 2024 23:24:01 GMT

What a beautiful home! My favorites are the fireplace and oh my that kitchen!

Re: WELCOMING HOUSE IN ST. LOUIS

jannabelle1 — Fri, 26 Jan 2024 23:38:42 GMT

@Oznell, what a beautiful home. I love that comfortable conversation area overlooking the deck....that looks so relaxing for a hot cup of coffee in the morning or a nice glass of wine in the evening. And that island in the kitchen...wow, the size and shape is amazing. Being from St. Louis, this home is most likely in a western suburb known for the beautiful homes and rolling hills.

Re: WELCOMING HOUSE IN ST. LOUIS

SaveTheTurtles — Sat, 27 Jan 2024 02:11:50 GMT

Once again, I love it all.

Re: WELCOMING HOUSE IN ST. LOUIS

Oznell — Sat, 27 Jan 2024 02:58:26 GMT

Reading the comments is fun. I knew there'd be a 'hard core' of us who would feel the special charm of this house, and get pulled in like I did!

@jubilant , glad you watched the video-- learning what's behind everything really enhances appreciation of those rooms. I loved her whimsical dubbing of her own style as "President's brother", and got it right away.

I had the same kind of feeling as you-- the instinctive way she decorates is close to what I try to do-- even though I'm not especially rustic. But in my own much smaller scale, in my humble little 1910 cottage, I feel a kind of similarity to the spirit of her place, the respect for the past, need to create coziness, etc.

Re: WELCOMING HOUSE IN ST. LOUIS

Oznell — Sat, 27 Jan 2024 12:50:20 GMT

That's interesting, @jannabelle1 -- what a beautiful place to live. She mentioned the area in particular in her video-- the natural settings and trails, etc. as being a huge draw for them when they were considering where to live.

I have a soft spot in my heart for Missouri!

Re: WELCOMING HOUSE IN ST. LOUIS

ECBG — Mon, 29 Jan 2024 17:12:02 GMT

I really like this home, outside and her decor. She has a very comfortable, easy flow from one area to the next. I love her use of blue. She has accessorized nicely with a few key pieces. I love her prints!

The plaid wing back in front of the fireplace is quite nice.

I love the kitchen but would remove the fish above the door.

We have an amazing artist Sallie Middleton, here that painted animals on the parkway. She's about 15 years older than we are.

This is mine and for sale on Etsy. I've had it in a closet. It slipped my mind because of all the details of life!

Re: WELCOMING HOUSE IN ST. LOUIS

nyc1 — Mon, 29 Jan 2024 17:31:39 GMT

@Oznell Thank you so much for these wonderful posts. Whether I'm a fan of what you've posted or not, I always like to see the style of the home, how it's furnished and painted, and lots of other small details. I appreciate that you take the time and share. Thank you.

Re: WELCOMING HOUSE IN ST. LOUIS

shoptilyadropagain — Mon, 29 Jan 2024 18:06:47 GMT

This is just too different from my style and likes that I'm not finding a whole lot here that interests me. I do love that she used a darker paint color in the dining room as most people tend to shy away from doing so. My favorite room would be the kitchen but, even then, I'd make some changes.

Re: WELCOMING HOUSE IN ST. LOUIS

Oznell — Mon, 29 Jan 2024 20:09:43 GMT

Sweetest bunnies, @ECBG !

@nyc1 , how nice of you to say. I'm right with you, I enjoy all the details and everything about how others live and decorate. Even the ones with which I'm not especially sympatico, I can often pick up little tips and tricks, if the designer is clever!

Re: WELCOMING HOUSE IN ST. LOUIS

QVCisFun — Tue, 30 Jan 2024 10:59:11 GMT

@Oznell wrote:

When you walk in, and you're standing in the entrance hall, you have this nice view of their great room ahead--

That is a nice view of the room ahead. Looking at the painting is like looking through the stone wall through a window to the outside (or at least that is how it looks through this freeze-frame photo from the video).