St. Louis Proves to Be the Perfect Setting for an Art-Collecting Couple’s Dream Home
Designer Heather Wells, architect Peter Rose, and landscape architect Michael Van Valkenburgh collaborate to blend traditional and contemporary styles to create a one-of-a-kind residence
The pool house of a suburban St. Louis residence conceived by architect Peter Rose with interiors by designer Heather Wells.
Photo: Joshua McHugh
Several years ago, a St. Louis couplewith two young daughters and a growing art collection recruited a dream team to build their dream house. Like many highly imaginative plans, this one took some challenging turns—a devastating one, actually—before the vision was ultimately realized. First to come on board the project was celebrated landscape architect Michael Van Valkenburgh, who is based in New York and Cambridge, Massachusetts. The couple had met him when he won a competition to revamp the park surrounding St. Louis’s Gateway Arch, the iconic riverfront monument designed by Eero Saarinen. He was joined by a longtime collaborator, Peter Rose, the Boston architect and prominent Harvard University educator whose firm has handled everything from museums and symphony spaces to cutting-edge coastal retreats. The couple discovered their interior designer, Heather Wells, in a magazine, admiring her work on a townhouse that sensitively melded inviting furnishings with contemporary art.
In the lower-level lounge, Wells grouped a mustard-hued Pierre Paulin sofa and an India Mahdavi cocktail table, both from Ralph Pucci, with a Christophe Delcourt sectional sofa and a Vladimir Kagan lounge chair and ottoman; a Henni Alftan painting hangs between a Serge Mouille two-arm sconce and a Usona table lamp.
Photo: Joshua McHugh
The wife, who is American, has always favored the kind of traditional homes she grew up in. Her British husband, however, is a flat-out modernist with adventurous tastes in art. “I think they hired us,” Rose says, “because we talked about the connection, or disconnection, between these two impulses, the modernist and the historicist. They thought we might be able to manage that kind of complexity.”
What emerged was a sophisticated, 18,000-square-foot, six-bedroom house sheathed in handmade Danish brick and topped with classical slate roofs. The more progressive interiors feature sculptural staircases, an intriguing variety of ceiling heights, ample white walls finished inJapanese shikkui plaster, and steel-framed glass walls that provide sweeping views of the surrounding five-acre property, which Van Valkenburgh manipulated to create a landscape of small, undulating hills. “There are rooms that may look quite ordinary,” Rose explains, “but when you’re in them the space is almost infinite because it extends out into these extraordinary external spaces.”
In the family room, a sectional sofa, a Marcel Wolterinck barrel-back chair, and a Christophe Delcourt stool are arrayed around a Martha Sturdy
table with a Carl Hansen three-legged chair and an armchair and ottoman by Minotti; the painting is by Rosalyn Drexler.
Photo: Joshua McHugh
A month before completion, however, a fire broke out in the house and burned over the course of a day. That evening, the couple sipped stiff drinks on their lawn and, as the husband recalls, “watched the end of what we thought was a dream.”
“Everything is really soft to the touch. I love a house that looks like you can sit anywhere even if there’s a formality to it”
Heather Wells
Fortunately, none of the furnishings or artworks had been installed. Also spared was the breathtaking pool house compound, an indoor-outdoor haven comprising concrete walls inset with richly veined Vermont Verde Antique stone, green roofs planted with feathery prairie grasses, and expansive terraces shaded by an Alaskan cedar brise-soleil with banana-shaped fins. After everyone sufficiently recovered their equilibrium, the family decided to move into the pool house while the team rebuilt the main house on the same footprint, an effort that required two more years.
The concrete façades of the pool house buildings are inset with expanses of Vermont Verde Antique stone from Marmi.
Photo: Joshua McHugh
If anything, the extra time allowed the team to refine and elevate their vision. Rose made a few tweaks to the interior spaces, while Wells focused on perfecting the decor. In the final scheme, she deployed spectacular light fixtures by Mathieu Lehanneur, Niamh Barry, Lindsey Adelman, and Drift to help animate the rooms, while emphasizing sculptural, often colorful furniture, such as the lower-level lounge’s mustard-yellow Pierre Paulin sofa, the living room’s Vladimir Kagan Wysiwyg chairs, and the Paola Lenti armchairs and poufs in the pool house. Fabrics are textured and sumptuous. “Everything is really soft to the touch,” Wells says. “I love a house that looks like you can sit anywhere even if there’s a formality to it.”
Wells installed a Drift light sculpture in a living room sitting area furnished with a pair of chairs by Vladimir Kagan (next to the window) and another set by Jaime Hayon around a Caste cocktail table; the painting on the left wall is by N. Dash, and the rug is by Hechizoo.
Photo: Joshua McHugh
Working with curatorial and art advisory firm Goodman Taft, under leadership of Abigail Ross Goodman and Molly Epstein, the couple continued to bolster their collection. The result is a compelling mix of works that is thoughtful yet uninhibited and totally of the moment in its showcasing of women and artists of color. The soaring entry is hung with paintings by Glenn Ligon, Pat Steir, and Sarah Sze. A freewheeling abstract painting by Charline von Heyl adds an exhilarating note to the library, while a Lynda Benglis wall sculpture presides over the dining room’s sprawling Rick Owens table, along with large-scale paintings by Jack Whitten, Tauba Auerbach, and Erin Shirreff. A work by Katherine Bradford brings colorful verve to the pool house, adding to its fun weekend retreat vibe.
“There are rooms that may look quite ordinary, but when you’re in them the space is almost infinite because it extends out into these extraordinary external spaces”
PETER ROSE
One side of the soaring entrance hall features a large Sarah Sze painting, and a work by Glenn Ligon hangs on an adjacent wall.
Photo: Joshua McHugh
In explaining the couple’s art choices, the husband notes that he lives in a house full of women and was raised by a single mother. “Feminism is definitely part of our collection,” he says. “And we have also given deep thought to Black artists and emerging artists. We want to bring up our daughters so that they really understand our histories. We want to ensure that they walk into their future with a good understanding of all those artists who have significantly brought about change.” He adds that St. Louis is a microcosm of America today, “wrestling with its future,” as he puts it. “All of that is reflected in how we collect art.”
A version of this article first appeared in print in our 2022 Spring under the headline “Outside the Lines.” Subscribe to the magazine.
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An Adventurous Art-Collecting Couple Overcame A Devastating Challenge to Build Their Ideal Home
Lush gardens landscaped by Michael Van Valkenburgh surround the pool house of a suburban St. Louis residence conceived by architect Peter Rose with interiors by designer Heather Wells. A Katherine Bradford painting overlooks modular Usona sofas paired with a rounded chair and poufs by Paola Lenti, which also designed the chairs on the terrace.
Photograph by Joshua McHugh
u201cThereu2019s an ethereal quality and a humor to her practice,u201d explains Wells of Katherine Bradford, the celebrated Brooklyn painter whose color-soaked swimming scenes were on view last summer at Milan gallery Kaufmann Repetto. Fittingly, one of her luminous canvases hangs in the pool house. u201cThat piece adds this beautiful pop of color,u201d she says. Just like this 2015 canvas, Couples Swim.
Photograph by Courtesy of Canada New York
Paola Lenti chaise longues and Martha Sturdy side tables line the poolside terrace shaded by a brise-soleil with elegantly curved fins.
Photograph by Joshua McHugh
The concrete fau00e7ades of the pool house buildings are inset with expanses of Vermont Verde Antique stone from Marmi.
Photograph by Joshua McHugh
Sheathed in Vermont Verde Antique stone, the pool court evokes architect Ludwig Mies van der Roheu2019s famed Barcelona Pavilion. u201cIt feels like youu2019re retreating,u201d says Wells. An Alaskan cedar brise-soleil shades a row of chic sun beds by Paola Lenti.u00a0
Photograph by Joshua McHugh
Beneath the kitchenu2019s Mathieu Lehanneur light fixture, stools by Phase Design tuck under a Corian island outfitted with a Dornbracht faucet; the dining table and chairs are by B&B Italia, and the artwork on the far wall is by Marley Freeman.
Photograph by Joshua McHugh
In the lower-level lounge, Wells grouped a mustard-hued Pierre Paulin sofa and an India Mahdavi cocktail table, both from Ralph Pucci, with a Christophe Delcourt sectional sofa and a Vladimir Kagan lounge chair and ottoman; a Henni Alftan painting hangs between a Serge Mouille two-arm sconce and a Usona table lamp.
Photograph by Joshua McHugh
A stirring work by Paris-based artist Henni Alftan hangs in the lower-level lounge and was originally displayed at the up-and-coming talentu2019s first solo show in the U.S., at Karma in 2020. u201cI love the austerity and simplicity of her work,u201d says Wells. Shown here is a 2019 painting, English Garden, which puts a modern spin on the traditional landscape.
Photograph by Courtesy of the artist and Karma, New York
One side of the soaring entrance hall features a large Sarah Sze painting, and a work by Glenn Ligon hangs on an adjacent wall.
Photograph by Joshua McHugh
In the primary bedroom, walnut paneling clads the wall behind the A. Rudin custom-made bed dressed with a Roman and Williams Guild throw, while Jeremy Maxwell Wintrebert pendants are suspended on either side; the mirrored artwork is by Nick Mauss, the chair is by Holly Hunt, and the side table is by Jaime Hayon.
Photograph by Joshua McHugh
A Niamh Barry light fixture swirls above the dining roomu2019s Rick Owens table and Jacques Guillon chairs; a Sarah Lucas sculpture perches next to a Tauba Auerbach painting on the far wall, and an Erin Shirreff work hangs to the right.
Photograph by Joshua McHugh
To source art for the home, designer Heather Wells enlisted advisory firm Goodman Taft, which helped acquire this 2020 neon canvas by Charline von Heyl, a German artist who has been creating dazzling and enigmatic abstract paintings for the past three decades. With studios in New York and Marfa, Texas, she presented a large solo survey, u201cSnake Eyes,u201d at the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden in Washington, D.C., in 2019. u201cIt feels like graffiti in a way,u201d says Wells. u201cWe wanted something brightly colored and supermodern to offset the dark, cavelike quality of the library.u201d
Photograph by Joshua McHugh
Wells installed a Drift light sculpture in a living room sitting area furnished with a pair of chairs by Vladimir Kagan (next to the window) and another set by Jaime Hayon around a Caste cocktail table; the painting on the left wall is by N. Dash, and the rug is by Hechizoo.
Photograph by Joshua McHugh
u201cIt brings a moment of delicacy,u201d remarks Wells of the loungeu2019s Drift light sculpture, which contains real dandelion seeds adhered one by one to each tiny LED bulb. u201cItu2019s dramatic but not heavy.u201du00a0
Photograph by Courtesy of Carpenters Workshop Gallery
Wells installed a Gubi chair next to a custom sofa around the libraryu2019s Holly Hunt cocktail table; the sculpture in front of the window is by Arlene Shechet.
Photograph by Joshua McHugh
A sculpture by New York artist Arlene Shechet graces a corner of the library, appearing almost like an exotic fossil. u201cWe love the crafted texture of it,u201d says Wells. This 2020 piece, made of brightly glazed ceramic and painted steel, was created during the first pandemic quarantine as a beacon of spiritual nourishment and was displayed at Pace Galleryu2019s East Hampton location that summer.u00a0
Photograph by Courtesy of the artist and Pace Gallery
In the family room, a sectional sofa, a Marcel Wolterinck barrel-back chair, and a Christophe Delcourt stool are arrayed around a Martha Sturdy table with a Carl Hansen three-legged chair and an armchair and ottoman by Minotti; the painting is by Rosalyn Drexler.
Photograph by Joshua McHugh
Animating the entry hall is a poetic Pat Steir painting, Red for Hong Kong, which comes from a series that Lu00e9vy Gorvy debuted at Art Basel Hong Kong in 2018. u201cItu2019s like having an exclamation point right off the bat,u201d says Wells.
Photograph by Joshua McHugh
The third-floor lounge has a mood that Wells describes as u201cvintage and sort of Scandinavian,u201d with floor-to-ceiling windows lending a u201cSoHo feel.u201d The furnishings include a credenza fromnBDDW, a custom sectional by Fern, and a B&B Italia cocktail table.u00a0
Photograph by Joshua McHugh
A Carol Bove sculpture stands beneath a staircase.
Photograph by Joshua McHugh
The homeu2019s rear fau00e7ade.
Photograph by Joshua McHugh
The exterior of the house is clad in handmade bricks by Petersen Tegl.
