A Family Connection
DesignSTL|Jan/Feb 2020
ST. Louisans prove that it's ok to go home again.
By Charlene Oldham
A Family Connection

Christine Smith is remodeling with her mother in mind.

“My mom really, really loved this house,” says Smith, who lost her mother 14 years ago and inherited the Kirkwood home she’s fixing up when her father died, in 2018.

“She thought it was something special, and there were things she wanted to do that she never got a chance to,” says Smith, who’s installing hardwood floors, modernizing the master bath, and refreshing the landscaping on the half-acre property. “I’m finding a lot of value in being able to do some of those things. There’s peace in knowing I’m taking care of something they worked so hard for.”

According to the National Association of Realtors, fewer than 5 percent of Americans inherit homes each year, but arrangements in which people purchase property from family members keep homes, and their occupants, connected. Statistics on such deals are hard to come by, but the trend meshes with data from an analysis by The New York Times showing that Americans are moving less often than they have in previous decades and that the typical American lives just 18 miles from Mom.

This story is from the Jan/Feb 2020 edition of DesignSTL.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.

This story is from the Jan/Feb 2020 edition of DesignSTL.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.

MORE STORIES FROM DESIGNSTLView All
Cut from the Same Cloth
DesignSTL

Cut from the Same Cloth

“Turkey Tracks” is a 19th-century quiltmaking pattern that has the appearance of little wandering feet. Patterns like the tracks, and their traditions and myths, have been passed down through the generations, from their frontier beginnings to today, where a generation of makers has embraced the material as a means of creating something new. Olivia Jondle is one such designer. Here, she’s taken an early turkey track-pattern quilt, cut it into various shapes, and stitched the pieces together, adding calico and other fabric remnants as needed. The result is a trench coat she calls the Pale Calico Coat. Her designs are for sale at The Rusty Bolt, Jondle’s small-batch fashion company based in St. Louis. —SAMANTHA STEVENSON

time-read
3 mins  |
January/February 2021
Color Block
DesignSTL

Color Block

A background in sculpture trained artist Aly Ytterberg to see objects more fully.

time-read
3 mins  |
January/February 2021
A Modern Story
DesignSTL

A Modern Story

How a little log cabin went from being a home to a guest house

time-read
3 mins  |
January/February 2021
IN GOOD TIME
DesignSTL

IN GOOD TIME

With the help of interior designer Robert Idol, a Kirkwood couple creates a home that pays homage to the past, yet feels just right for their modern young family.

time-read
5 mins  |
January/February 2021
Let's Dish
DesignSTL

Let's Dish

"Food Raconteur” Ashok Nageshwaran wants to tell you a story.

time-read
2 mins  |
January/February 2021
The Right Move
DesignSTL

The Right Move

New shops and showrooms bring exciting opportunities for local designers, makers, and arts organizations to sell their wares to home enthusiasts here and everywhere.

time-read
2 mins  |
January/February 2021
Green Dreams
DesignSTL

Green Dreams

Painter and gardener Lauren Knight branches out.

time-read
3 mins  |
January/February 2021
Cultivating Kokedama
DesignSTL

Cultivating Kokedama

Chris Mower of White Stable Farms discovered the Japanese style of gardening in Italy. Now, he’s bringing it to St. Louis.

time-read
2 mins  |
January/February 2021
Graphic Mood
DesignSTL

Graphic Mood

Letters, icons, and illustrations that speak in a hand-drawn language

time-read
2 mins  |
January/February 2021
AUDRA's New Digs
DesignSTL

AUDRA's New Digs

Audra Noyes, of the Saint Louis Fashion Fund Incubator’s first class, opens an atelier in Ladue.

time-read
2 mins  |
January/February 2021