Name: Christopher Brenner and Tyler Olsen
Location: Compton Heights, St. Louis, Missouri
Size: 5400 square feet, 5 bedrooms, 3 ½ bathrooms
Years lived in: 6 years, owned: – 3rd owners in 113 years.
If you were only the third owner in the 113-year history of a historic house, what level of responsibility would you feel for it? Tyler & Chris' home is one of Saint Louis' many huge, old brick mansions that are marvelously preserved. We always drive by these classic Victorian manors and wonder what they look like inside. You can imagine how thrilled we were when Tyler and Chris opened up their doors and let us photograph their lovely home.
Thankfully Chris Brennan and Tyler Olsen have a healthy appreciation for their home of six years and decided to honor its roots. Using archival photos passed on to them by the home's two previous owners when they purchased the house, they were able to recreate their grand home's past in addition to adding modern-day comforts. They began a full-scale rehab and one year later, Tyler and Chris inhabited their dream home.
As you wander through the home's elegant 5400 square feet, you are struck by how incredibly warm and livable the space actually is. From the elegant entry hall to the bright, lovely kitchen, it's evident that it is indeed possible to live comfortably surrounded by history.
Apartment Therapy Survey:
Our Style: Traditional with a simple gracefulness and a touch of color for a hidden treasure
Inspiration: [I'm inspired] whenever I see an uncomplicated, elegant, well-designed item. It could be a beautiful flower arrangement or a clean-lined chandelier or a wonderfully-textured stationary.
Favorite Element: I love to work with stone, and textures on any surface, and even better if you can combine the two, like brushed granite counter tops. An item may appear to have one element, but by adding a texture, it makes the element three-dimensional and makes you want to touch it and gives it a new perception.
Biggest Challenge: To keep the design simple and knowing when to stop.
What Friends Say: Your house is well-designed but livable.
Biggest Embarrassment: You think I am going to reveal that?
Proudest DIY: Creating my botanical print wall grouping on a $100 budget.
Biggest Indulgence: Original paintings. When I buy a piece of art I want to know why the artist did what they did. I want the piece of their soul they did to make the work.
Best Advice: Find a theme and a common element to your design, whatever it is. This will make the house flow and give a sense of welcome.
Dream Source: To be able to channel the late great Gianni Versace.
Thanks, Chris & Tyler!
(Images: Ann Manubay, Dabney Frake)
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I just died. The home is perfect. The stain glass windows are wonderful
Wow! Thank you! Something different on AT! LOVE all that great historic details! Beautiful!
Yay St. Louis! Your home is gorgeous!
I am a sucker for history and am one of those who think *most* vintage or antique wood should never be painted.
Thankfully Chris and Tyler must feel the same way. The home has an obvious nod to its past but doesn't look like a museum, it feels homey and lived in.
I'd like to take the opportunity to express my utter jealous of all of your woodwork and built-ins. So many incredible details, you must love coming home every day to such an amazing home!
Beautiful! I would be so happy with that kitchen and that bathroom!
Gorgeous. I'm SO glad to see historic-home owners who feel a sense of stewardship over their home and the need to preserve important architectural details.
It's entirely refreshing to see how liveable and homey you've made this house through working with the architecture instead of against it. Well done!
Also, the woodwork! I die. (And I really think I would commit murder to prevent anyone painting it.)
Gorgeous home, but 5400 sf...on Apartment Therapy? Really?
I want to see more; I don't feel like the photos do it justice @ 5400 sq feet.
I like what I see of the architecture so far!
i understand your sense of stewardship, living in an old tudor, i keep everything that's bolted down period. it's called respect for craftsmen of another era.
love the house. beautiful and elegant. you are lucky to have a house with such good bones.
Lovely!
These guys must cry themselves to sleep every night because they don't live in a city with an IKEA in it. Sorry - could not resist. I too think the square footage is a bit off the charts but the tour itself is a really nice change of pace for a site that does seem stuck on "mid-century" everything. I love the refinished wood - or perhaps it was never painted in the first place.
It's unquestionably a beautiful home, but tours like this make me wonder what Apartment Therapy's mission statement and ethos can possibly be, if this qualifies.
I love this. The home reminds me so much of the old Victorian mansion that my family lived in for a short bit at Mare Island, CA. Are there any secret hiding places for valuables in this home, too? You don't need to say where, obviously, but there used to be a secret pully in the utensil drawer in the formal dining room, and it popped open a mirror..you could hide gold or the 'good stuff' behind it.
Love the bed!!
Too much of a museum vibe.
First impressions: they have excellent taste in antiques, they are using my color palette (I have a lot of Craftsman furniture), that is an awfully huge house for two people, they must have a reliable cleaning service, they obviously love to entertain graciously, I think they must not have house pets, I wonder whether that is a working radiator right next to the toilet (!), and...as much as I love every bit of this palatial house I have to admit it feels a bit stuffy and formal to me. I'm from California...
I'm in the do-not-paint-millwork camp, but I believe that those cake-decoration details on the beam in the front hall are meant to be painted. No?
I really enjoyed this tour since I live in a 112 year old house bordering between Victorian and American Four Square styles. I likewise have warm toned original non-painted wood and similiar windows and sometimes struggle with paint color and window coverings that are so not cool but respect the house. Very pretty, never doable for a family with a lab and one year old whose style is more fisher price and dog crates but enjoyable and gave me great ideas nonetheless.
I don't even know what to say. Nearly every picture took my breath away. Just gorgeous.
What an elegant and yet liveable home. An absolute inspiration.
I live nearby and I wanted to say that those of you on the coast would be shocked at how much house you get for your money here. Especially in the city, this part of the city is on the rise, but still affordable.
It is too fancy for me, but I have a dog and a baby on the way.
Absolutely breathtaking! So beautifully done,but to be honest now that Im middle aged I couldnt imagine the constant upkeep.I downsized 7 years ago and it was the best decision I ever made.But kudos to them for a showplace.
Agree w/EricAuerbach. It's a don't touch me house.
Agree with some others here. A (very) nice break from MCM. And must be a pain to upkeep and clean, whoever does it!
So gorgeous. I loved most the shot with all three crystal chandeliers in view. The color of the wood is so rich yet not heavy or dark. You guys did a fantastic job.
And to those of you who think the money behind a home like this is outside of the AT mission, I am sure this St. Louis mansion cost no more than many of the LA homes shown on here on a daily basis.
Beautiful home! Of course I love the architectural details but you managed to compliment the interior with great furniture, colors, and those paintings! I could see where others may think it's a "don't touch me home" but there's a livability factor. And thank you so much for helping to preserve this gorgeous home. I also live in an 100+ year old home and to me, those that live there are entrusted with something special and your just a piece of the timeline. Cheesy, I know.
For those that are upset about the square footage, I'm assuming (from what I've read) that St. Louis isn't the most desirable city (hey, I'm from Flint!) and a quick trip to Trulia shows that the price of homes there is about $1/sq ft, so it's not like it's a million dollar home. And they did a full scale rehab? Also, a lot of these historic mansions will be either inhabited by a small family, broken up into apartments, or demolished. I have many friends who live in 3-5,000 sq ft homes and they have a passion to preserve an historic beauty, not many people want to take on that challenge. Lastly, I'm guessing the reason there are so few pictures is because those parts are unfinished/unfurnished and they probably close those rooms off. My neighbors do that to save on energy bills.
More T&C than AT, but very nice. Love the marble countertops and the green white shades in kitchen best. Not sure there was a lot I could take away from this tour. Didn't feel like you took enough pictures of 5400 square feet. And yeah...5400 square feet is a lot for two people. I feel tired just thinking about all the furniture I'd need to collect for a house like that. Impeccable and breathtaking, but feel like they are adhering to the rules a bit too much.
p.s. Your choice of paint colours is breath taking? Farrow and Ball??? The one place where I think you did break the rules a bit was the art over the bed. Would like to see a bit more of that century/style mixing going on in here.
Fabulous!!! I so want to drink wine in that dining room.
GORGEOUS! Your styling of this beautiful home is impeccable. I moaned out loud at the stained glass window and the trim. Your bathroom reminds me of very elegant old art-deco hollywood style - drooling here. Leave the key under the mat - I'm sure you have room for one more! There are many of these gorgeous houses in my area, and while I can afford to buy one, sadly, I can't afford to heat one!
There is an unmistakable elegance and sobriety to this home but at the same time it looks livable. Never mind the cleaning, upkeep and other comments... Oh, to live in a home like this! **sigh**! It is not my style but it is beautiful. Their sense of stewardship is commendable. There's something to be said for respecting the past and the long-lost art of craftmanship in architecture and furniture. Quality is remembered long after the price is forgotten. I'm sure the owners feel it was all worth it to live in such a beautiful home.
YES a good break from transitional, "contemporary rustic," and MCM, YES it's interesting to see real estate outside of NYC/LA/SF, but this reminds me of AT's Monticello april fools' joke. At least buying antiques is sustainable . . . and buying art is honorable . . . and preserving a city's architectural heritage is awesome
the best design i have seen on the site in quite awhile. gorgeous plan, immaculate curating and totally livable. the editing is modern and, finally, the furniture is not. beautiful, beautiful, beautiful!
Totally agree. What a breath of fresh air from the relentless MCM posts. I left this tour until last because of the unrelatable (for me anyway..I'm sure there are posher AT'ers than my humble self) square footage - but sometimes it is just plain nice to look at lovely things for the sake of enjoyment, too. Beautiful home and I hope someone else does the dusting!
So what if they throw in a few grand homes once in a while? I love to see how people live large in small, but sometimes it is just nice to see taste spread out over large areas. Beautiful home guys!
This space somehow feels decadent and homey at the same time. And how great that they honored the home's heritage when renovating the space.
wow, wow, WOW! love it and hooray for STL!
Way to represent my hometown! I love to see the golden age of St. Louis preserved in homes like this. It makes me a bit homesick. I miss this great city, and while it doesn't have the cool factor as NY or Chicago, I would move back there over any other city, given the choice.
Too fancy for my taste, but I "get" it.
Luckily a lot of old homes and buildings, especially on the south side, still stand but they're not cared for like this. They've been painted over, run down, neglected, chopped up into 2 or 4-family flats. Some have been restored, but so few have been maintained throughout their life like this. Only 3 owners! It's refreshing and exciting to see one that is so well preserved and still lived in. St. Louis is a beautiful old city that's suffered a long decline, but I believe it's experiencing a bit of a revival now. I hope it grows and continues.
I've been in this home- it's fabulous, and yes, they even have a couple of pets if I remember correctly.
Definitely a different tone from the typical AT vibe, but this home was restored with incredible integrity and is an amazing place during a party. One of the best in St. Louis- where you can still purchase grand homes at an amazing price- untouchable on the coasts.
Just left San Francisco for Pittsburgh, PA. Bought a 2700 sq. ft. historic home for about what I'd spend on rent in five years for my 1000 sq. ft. townhouse in SF. Love that they are preserving that wonderful house. The craftsmanship is superb. Decor is a little formal for my taste, but I agree that it's nice to have a break from MCM, rustic, eclectic in SF, LA, and Austin.