Renovate your kitchen in Compton Heights

KElley and John Vacca have lived and loved their 1903 home in St. Louis' historic Compton Heights neighborhood for nearly 20 years, living there room by room and year by year while raising their six children. We have been making improvements little by little. When they bought the home in 2005, the Vacca family was living in a Benton Park condo with their two children and another child and was ready for a home with more space and a garden.

Wanting to remain in the city, they searched various neighborhoods, including the Central West End, before finding a home in Compton Heights. It's a hidden gem that you never knew about. Compton Heights, an official historic district, was one of the earliest planned housing developments in the 19th century. The house was one of his four in the community, built for a family of parents and their three children, and was constructed of distinctive yellow brick.

When they first saw the house, it was well maintained, but outdated and not suited to their personal style. Kelly is hesitant, but John says: It's a great home with a lot of potential and it was easy to see the changes that could happen. ”

They moved in and began making cosmetic changes, such as removing the old wallpaper in the kitchen and covering up the paint treatment on the brick. Meanwhile, we maintained and respected the home's unique original features, including the crown molding, wainscoting, and beautifully preserved stained glass windows. landing of stairs.

As your family grows, it's time to completely remodel your kitchen to expand and make better use of your space. The Vaccas asked Mike Killeen, principal of Killeen Studio Architects, to help with the project. Killeen's family and John's family go back a long way, and the Vacca family's previous condo was above an architect's office, so he got to know them well.

They wanted to increase the square footage and create an eat-in kitchen by adding a large island with seating. The original space was closed off and separated from the dining room. It was connected to his second servant staircase. This was a common feature of houses of the time.

“It was a small, cramped kitchen. We looked at different ways to make it bigger,” Killeen says of the project. “It was either to expand to the back porch or remove the servants' stairs. That's what we chose.”

They removed the servants' staircase and relocated the connected basement staircase below the main staircase, adding several feet of space. Next, we reconfigured the kitchen to maximize circulation and widened the doorway to feel more connected to adjacent rooms.

“They didn't want a wide open concept,” Killeen says. “It's more transitional, open but respectful of the boundaries of the house.”

To retain some of the home's original details, the Killeen team carefully matched the molding and wainscoting in the living room and dining room and recreated it in the new kitchen. The back door leading to the deck and pool and the glass window above it are reminiscent of the home's original glass French doors.

“He has incredible vision,” John Vacca says of Killeen. “He worked on different issues and communicated them to the architect and the contractor.”

Wanting a fresh, clean look, the Vaccas chose white cabinetry by Kerr Bic and cream-colored walls with white trim. For the long central island, we chose a gray base topped with white quartz. Airy glass pendant lights that Kelly found at Wayfair hang above the island, which is lined with his six bar stools that seat the whole family.

“It's the heart of the home for us, a place for the kids to eat and talk about their day and what's going on in their lives,” Kelly says of the kitchen.

The renovated kitchen seamlessly connects to the open dining and living room and is decorated in a soothing pale blue with white trim and accented with colorful artwork and comfortable furniture. A circular bushy ottoman that belonged to John's mother sits between the living and dining areas, inviting guests to enter the home.

Two wood frame tables with simple, durable stainless steel tops combine to create one large square dining table that can be reconfigured to suit a variety of gatherings. The Vacca family purchased his table at Ace Hardware in 1989. “He carried it with him everywhere he went since he was in his 20s,” Kelly says.

The Vacca family recently completed a renovation of the butler's pantry in the back of the kitchen. It was originally in the house and was planned during our kitchen renovation, which we just completed this year.

After 20 years in the close-knit Compton Heights neighborhood, the family has no plans to go anywhere else. “It's always, 'What's the next project?'” Kelly says.