Name: S. Rohde Hill
Location: St Louis, MO
Size: 1,100 square feet
Years lived in: 1 year; rented
Rohde (pronounced road-ee) Hill's home is visually stimulating — punctuated by pops of bright color and loaded with interesting things. The result is modern and dramatic. He's a family man, a recent transplant to the suburbs of Saint Louis with his wife and two children. What could easily be a single person's city apartment is actually a mishmash of items that look expensive, but aren't too precious for a regular household with kids.
Rohde's wide-ranging taste was shaped, in part, by his time in Los Angeles, where he worked for designer Martyn Lawrence Bullard (of
Million Dollar Decorators). He's got the stories to prove it: buying a Kelly Wearstler prototype chandelier for peanuts before she was famous, and inheriting a frame from Elton John. Random things find him, and he happily seizes the opportunity to own them.
Glamorous backstory aside, it's Rohde's DIY projects that are truly impressive. The graffiti chair in the living room is one, modeled after higher end versions seen elsewhere. So too is the artwork, including the rasterized Batman print above the bar, and the sexy pin up painting of his wife(!) in the bedroom.
Apartment Therapy Survey:
My Style: Just don't call me eclectic. It's such an overused word. I would describe myself more as "opportunistic". Working on a budget usually requires that you work with what you can find.
Inspiration: I worked for Martyn Lawrence Bullard in L.A and I learned so much by watching the masterful way he would combine pieces from different eras and styles to produce a space that was greater than just the sum of its parts. I'm also a giant fan of Emily Henderson. I want to go shopping with her. I used to hit up all the same stores in L.A and I swear I never found as much cool stuff as she does!
Favorite Element: It's a tie between my original "Rorschach Batman", in a frame that was given to me by Elton John when I was working on his apartment in West Hollywood, and my DIY dipped, graffiti-ed Louis chair paint job.
Biggest Challenge: I have two small kids that have just discovered the joys of lightsaber duels, so I have to choose things that aren't too precious or fragile and that ideally can be climbed on.
What Friends Say: When I have people over for the first time, the always assume that my wife did the decorating. She's always quick to tell them that I was the designer — but she was the client.
Biggest Embarrassment: The bathrooms. I can't paint or change out the 80's era paper covered cabinets. Grrrr.
Proudest DIY: My version of Blackman Cruz's Bronze Skull Lamp… an $8 plastic skull, $3 Goodwill lamp, a bag of concrete, a can of bronze spray paint, and a shade stolen from a lamp I wasn't using.
Biggest Indulgence: A vintage 80's era Jay Spectre Century sofa. It's bright white, so I have to get it reupholstered before my kids destroy it!
Best Advice: I think the best way to amp up the drama in a room (no matter what your personal style is) is to try to incorporate larger scaled items — mirrors, art, lighting, etc. I also like to try to use things out of their intended context whenever I can, like using a bench for an entertainment center or using outdoor furniture inside.
Dream Sources: J.F. Chen in Los Angeles. My jaw hit the ground the first time I went into his trade showroom. I saw things there that I never even knew existed.
Thanks, Rohde!
(Images: Ann Manubay, Dabney Frake )
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First to comment! Yay! Wonderful tour of an obviously bold and stylish individual. I'm so afraid of color so this post is inspiring. I especially love the Batman print.
I have to ask. I've flipped between photos 14 and 15 and can't tell if that's a real cat.
Also, what's your paint color in the stairwell? Kudos on such a colorful home!
Oh, how fun! I love the touches of red and especially the blue curtains. Lovely.
LOVE it.
I'm really diggin the Blackman Cruz diy. I 've lusted after that for years.
Oh she's a real cat! She's a bengal that we rescued. The paint in the hall is a taupe with a little bit of gray in it, but I don't know the actual color. They had just painted the whole place in it before we moved in, so it has to stay. For now...
super effing cool.
S. Rohde Hill - Thanks! I was wondering because she's such a pretty cat (I love bengals) but was sitting so still. Hard to tell!
did you stencil the fridge yourself? I have a small wall I have been wanting to scallop stencil, and love the way yours turned out.
I just used contact paper on the fridge. I saw the idea here on AT actually! (http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/diy-refrigerator-design-contac-125198) It's one of the few DIY projects I've attempted that turned out great and didn't end up costing me 4 times what I thought it would.
My favorite part is the backyard. Not a fan of anything inside. I don't care for hides as floor coverings or antlers on walls..Yes, I know..personal prefernce but you have to really dig a man who paints a protrait of his wife to display.
FANTASTIC! A total joy to read.
i only see a few pics.... what am i doing wrong?
My favourite tour to date. Simply amazing, a truly unique space. Dare I ask the source of the light fixture in the stairwell?
I bought it from Kelly Wearstler about 5 years ago. It was a prototype of one of her production pieces. It's a metal and wire frame with what looks like a thin layer of modeling clay all over it. When I bought it, it was fire engine red (which didn't work in my place in L.A.) and looked like a giant nerve ending.
totally rocks! i love so many individual items that you have, i.e. skull lamp, headboard, bench. it must take a long time to accumulate interesting items like these. i would totally have you design my place.
@chairs07 - When you want to see the full slideshow, click on the "Enter House Tour" link.
Fantastic. Totally not my style but WONDERFUL. Except, yes, the hides and antlers. Thank god I'm not the only one who thinks so. But anyway, this is infinitely better than white, sterile, uncozy spaces dotted with some retro pieces. Infinitely. I especially like the bedroom. And the fridge. Wow!
Fun. I'd call this style glam rock. I love the mirror. I was thinking of doing something similar with those little rearview mirror attachments you put on a truck.
Is that a record player in front of the bar cart? Oh man...where did you find THAT?! Love it!
Wow. I don't even know where to begin. There are so many layers of fabulous here. What a fun house to grow up in. I am not normally a fan of bright colors in bedrooms, but I love the way they are used in the master (I assume) bedroom. In fact, I wouldn't have thought to use half this stuff together, but it really works here.
And the backyard. Love. All of it.
Didn't know from the first set of pics if I would be able to handle this tour as I could tell it might take my breath away. LOVED IT! But I almost had a heart attack with the bedroom. WOW! Love the hot pink duvet, orangey, mustardy velvet covered bench and the light fixture....yum!
Love your home even though my style is a little more restrained. I really love the way you have transformed some of your decor items, which when deconstructed might not have looked so attractive. Would you be willing to offer design consultation online.
Modern_Love - I've actually just begun thinking about adding online consultations and "room in a box" type design services. Send me an email and we can talk about what you're looking for...
www.srohdehill.com
rohde@srohdehill.com
This is a great place. I love their style. There's a little bit more surface clutter than I would like, mainly because my disabilities make it difficult to clean. That dining room really speaks to me, though. Just my style.
I have to wonder, though. How do you keep all that cool stuff safe from the kitty? My brother has a Bengal and his place is in a perpetual "just-moved-in" phase because the "Louie" destroys and/or steals everything that isn't nailed down! He's a wild-man.
I bought stock in the company that makes Super Glue.
love the cat!
awwwwwwesome. awesome-awesome.
yes, where did the record player in a bubble come from? i'm guessing its set atop of the table, not part of it?
Actually my fav thing is his shirt! Where is it from?!
He's cute.
ashley.poskin - I got that Silvertone record player on eBay for about $100 and fixed it myself. It has these cool sphere speakers too that I'm still trying to find stands for. You're right - the "stand" is a Planter side table knockoff I found in a Goodwill for $10.
the things that you have created are among my favorite things- the skull lamp, batman piece, and refrigerator are fantastic. Great shots of the apartment too, I especially like that shot of the fridge with table and antler combo!
All I kept thinking while looking at the photos was, "this family has personality!"
Fun, sensational, happy. In fact, I've never said anything "rocked" before, but I agree with Edmundd--this totally rocks. I also hate the word "amazing"--but here I go, the place is amazing. My favorite slide, I think, is the Asian statue beside the graffitti-ed, Louis chair. And I'm stunned by the bedroom (the hanging lamp above the hot-pink bed ...).
We renters who feel like our landlords have tied our hands salute you!
Just curious. Are all the "hide haters" vegetarian? Just asking. I want one...maybe it's a Texas thing.
That bedroom is just incredible. I loooove the hot pink with the gold and the books underneath that gorgeous bench. Perfect lines.
This is what makes my day! I love it!
OMG, can't believe that is your fridge! I couldn't figure that picture out as I thought that was a screen. It looks amazing now that I know its a fridge...but after seeing the link did you really cut out and perfectly place every piece of contact paper
!?!
Rest of the house is pretty awesome, too, and I love your sense of humor throughout.
This is definitely one of the best house tours AT has ever featured. If you aren't making your living decorating and designing interiors you need to stop what you're doing and make a change. Your taste is fab dude! I was really hoping we would get to see the bathroom you said was your biggest embarrassment. Where there's a will there's a way. I'd bet if you focused on it for awhile you'd come up with something brilliant. Good job! Every aspect of this home rocks! Would have also liked to see the kids bedrooms to see how you decorated them. Maybe next time.....
Love your place! What neighborhood in St. Louis is this?
Oh, sorry I forgot to mention the graffiti chair you did belongs in my living room I think, LOL. I don't like using the words fabulous or amazing but nothing less describes your creation. What a great place to come home to at the end of the day!
Wow! Thanks for all the incredible, positive comments. They really made my day! I love all the questions... I did cut out and stick all those contact shapes on the fridge, but it wasn't too tough - I just made a cardboard stencil. Regarding the rugs and antlers, I admit that I'm really into the "natural curiosity" look and to quote Gaston, "I use antlers in all of my deeee-corating!" I don't object to hunting per se, but I always buy old vintage pieces from antique stores, craigslist, etc. I know a lot of people object to even that though. Oddly enough, we're all vegetarians, which is difficult here in St. Louis where a serving of pork is required at all meals. I'm from Austin Hippyvieja, so I know what you mean about the hide rugs...
love the graffiti chair!
Fabulous !
Please tell me how I can get the white cabinets on wheels in the main photo.
THANKS
What a fabulous place, and a rental? I'm blown away. I also love that everyone thinks your wife is the decorator, go you for having great style :)
I have the same question as SB Media Arts - can you please share the source for your white cabinets on wheels (pictured behind you in the first photo)? Thanks!
Shaunna
Ack! So awesome! This is what I want my place to be like -- fun and colorful and full of personality.
Where'd you get the skull in the tray? So cool!
What is the title of your Batman artwork and the artist?
MAGNIFICENT! If you're interested in a third child, I can move in next week!
Love the vintage feel. And the giant oversized mirror behind the sofa. We have a couple of those oversized, antique mantle mirrors, and we’ve found that hanging them on the wall really makes a huge difference…Leaning it backwards reflects a lot of the ceiling, whereas placing it on the same, flat plane as the wall will reflect the actual living space and windows. It really expands the room. They can be tricky to build a base for. (The link is to one of the simple ones.) But we’ve found the effort worth it.
p.s.- if your headboard goes missing? It’s because I stole it.
Freaking fabulous!!!!!
sometimes on this site i forget that straight guys can have amazing style too :)
SB media arts - The white cabinets are from IKEA, Besta I think. They used to be our entertainment center but they got repurposed into a low dresser when we moved. The door on the right side cabinet in the picture was something I had to rig up because we were one short (it used to be just open, for the dvd player and cable box).
se1985 - The skull is from ZGallerie. I actually bought 2 of them a few years ago (an extra for when this one inevitably gets knocked off it's perch by roughhousing children). I think it's supposed to be a replica of Damian Hirst's Diamond Skull, which is why I liked it so much.
twocakesandagun - The "Rorschach Batman" was done by me - A photo of a batman action figure, a little photoshop, rasterbator (http://download.cnet.com/Rasterbator/3000-2192_4-10771005.html), and mod podge.
Victoria Elizabeth - the headboard was found in the trash. It was cream colored and painted with pink roses and extremely dirty. I sprayed it with white primer and decided I liked the kind of rough matte finish it left instead of a glossy one, so I never painted it with a topcoat.
LOVE the fridge. Absolute Best Ever. The cat is amazing and I love the antlers and hides!
I knew I was going to love this tour when I saw the Damian Hirst knockoff skull, and I wasn't disappointed. This house is AMAZING. It seems like the type of place you can come to many times and always be surprised by something.
The personality of the owner really shines, too - I love the comment about "eclectic" versus "opportunistic".
I think that luscious bedroom and gallery wall may have convinced me to paint a room neutral instead of colorful to let my artwork shine. It's very effective here.
Delicious (spoken in Martyn Lawrence Bullard's accent of course)
Super fun.
My favorite house tour yet. :) Love the Batman print and the layers of interesting colors, textures and shapes! Makes me frustrated at my slow process of putting together my own home.
That cat is the "S." Bengals are a regal breed.
Ah, I am going to have to check out ZGallerie now. Thanks!
What what StL RepreSENT. Awesome home! Love to see the great things fellow occupants of the Lou do with their places. :) There are lots of great, historical, funky places here. You have so many cool interesting things.
I am obsessed with the graffiti chair and I think I might have to make one. Can you tell me how you did it? Did you tape it off and spray paint it cushion and all? And if that is paint on the cushions has is cracked or worn at all? Please let me know and thanks in advanced!
I wrote a tutorial for it on St Louis Magazine's website... http://www.stlmag.com/Blogs/Secretary-of-the-Interior/June-2012/DIY-Instructions-for-Turning-an-Estate-Sale-Find-into-a-Graffiti-Chair/
It's held up really well, though I think it would only look cooler if it got kind of flaky and worn. I've been thinking about doing a limited edition production line of graffiti chairs based on other feedback I've gotten. Have each one be a combination of printed and hand drawn tags. It's not exactly a new idea, but I'd like to do it at a lower price point than say, Jimmie Martin...
I was feeling really under the weather with a horrible summer cold and then I saw your home. I think I am almost cured. It is so gorgeous. I think the colour combo in your bedroom is stunning. I love the clash of the mustard and fuschia, together with the .mid-grey. I have no idea who Martyn Lawrence Bullard is, but if you learned lots from him, he must be the dogs whatsits as well.
I loved all of the pink, everywhere. The whole place was carefully and amazingly curated. One of my favourite house tours as well. I think the backyard could use a pergola and some vines. I seriously loved this house a lot.
I think I'm in love :)
Decorating is Delicious, Darling!
Absolutely love this home - and love Rohde, his DIY skills and 'opportunistic' style even more. Great post!
That fridge is the S*IT!
Also meant to say its like a piece of art. Can't wait to copy it!!!!!
I am OBSESSED with the skull lamp. Do you have some sort of tutorial online I can find so I can make one, too?
I have the Z. Gallerie skull, too. I wish I had bought the skull pillows when they had them. I still check Ebay/Etsy for them every now and then.
The lamp was just a Goodwill find - Just about any skinny metal lamp base will do. I don't remember exactly where I bought the skull online, but it was a place like this... http://www.shopanatomical.com/Budget_Two_Piece_Skull_p/acc-ch-s2.htm
Just remember to get a 2 piece so you can remove the lower jaw. I drilled a hole through it (it's just plastic) and secured it on the lamp with marine epoxy - the type that looks like modeling clay. I painted the whole thing with Sophisticated Finishes "Blackened Bronze" paint that you can get at Michael's. Then I built a box out of corrugated cardboard (you might want to use wood though, to keep it from deforming) and set the lamp in it propped up off the ground so the concrete could get all around it. I ran the cord through a PVC pipe to keep it from being encased in concrete if I ever needed to rewire the lamp. Then I mixed a small bag of mortar and poured it in. It took a couple of days to cure completely. It was really pretty simple as far as DIY goes. I'm not a handy person at all, so if I can do it, then it must not be too hard.
I love your home- your room is great... Sigh...I am like a toddler, I love bright colors!
PS- I am not a cat person, but your cat is beautiful..here kitty kitty kitty....
Rohde says he's "not a handy person at all"!!!!! Oh, my sides are aching from laughter.....
I mean come on....the fridge, the skull lanp, the graffiti chair, etc, etc. Would that I were this not handy!
I just had my first "YES" moment on apartment therapy. Your style seems like what I feel best in.... an item, regardless of condition, if it's "got it" then I will make it mine. There is something great about having things that I love to look at, knowing they were free, salvaged from the trash, or garage sale finds and then seeing what feels best to me. Neon splatter painting above the bed made my heart jump. Been working on similar piece to use as a headboard. The color selections in the bedroom all of those colors, even the desk, play very well. For me I have to try and keep the balance between ridiculous gaudy fun, showcasing my favorite piece, and finding neutrals that work with louder colors, such as fushia, and hot/electric pink. All white walls or is there a neutral that is clean, but not too gray? Thanks for sharing!
Yes and I do like to consort with Gaston in all my decorating as well. He's just so primal.
Tours like these always make wonder whether, in general, AT tours of stylish "single" guys get more comments than tours of stylish women. It's a question based on slim observations rather than a real trend I'm noticing.
I went Sarah Lawrence College, where the ratio of men to women was 1:4, and I recall that on an introduction forum for the incoming first-years, nobody would respond to the women who, I suppose, all just started to look and sound the same. But as soon as a man posted an intro--- almost everyone commented. Just curious about how we discriminate between comment-worthy and not. Male or female-- when I see a great home with more good elements than undesired ones, I comment.
Anyway, my point, and I do have one--- I'm going to perpetuate this trend and say that I love your home.
I AM IN LOVE!!! With your house!!! I love that they took a tour of a beautiful house in my own hometown! Did you make the fabric painting above the bed? And where the heck did you find that awesome bench at the end of your bed! If you can't tell the bedroom is my favorite!!
Favorite tour so far!!! It's all the elements that inspire me to go forth a create more of a space that my family can enjoy even if we are renting. I just have to step over the 3 year old
;)
Love this! Can anyone help me .. what is the name of this type of mirror the 16 convex paneled mirror?
Thanks
i LOVE LOVE LOVE this! Every single thing!
I want to go over for a cocktail! I love it!!!!
You're the House Tourian I most want to be! Love it all. Best in a very long time.
Absolutely fabulous! Love your mixture of natural and rustic and industrial and contemporary... it makes me swoon! The fact that you have those beautiful things in a shared space with children and a cat gives me hope!
I actually have two of the same light fixtures that you have hanging over your bed and am planning to use them in my Mexican-themed kitchen.
Fantastic place. Cool stuff as far as the eye can see! :) Where did you get the red ottoman/coffee table or is it a slipcover?
My mother-in-law made a slip cover to hide the original stained green fabric.
I WOULD DIE TO HAVE THAT ROOM . IT'S MAGNIFISENT
Love it! So much colour and life.
Breathtaking! Incredibly cool.The art wall is amazing.
Fantastic place. I too would love to know what type of turntable that is. What brand or even what style I should search for to find a freestanding unit like that would be super great for my place.
Thanks!
- Clint
I've only seen the first few pics and am in LOVE with your home. Where is your headboard from? I need it!!!
It's a Silvertone player. I bought it on Ebay for cheap because it needed work. It has a pair of cool spherical speakers with it, but I don't have them out. They made a Saarinen style stand for it, but they're hard to find. Mine is sitting on a Platner knock off table base. Thanks!
Wish I knew. It was a CL find and it was "antiqued" i.e. ugly. I painted it white. ;-)
Ah bummer - thanks for the response though! I'm OBSESSED with your home. Do you blog about DIYs, decorating etc.?
I have a blog coming in the next week or so. The link should be on my website soon. www.srohdehill.com !
Your tour is one of my favorites! I love the headboard, the bar cart, your kitchen table and the skull lamp. How long did it take you to put the lamp together?
Would have loved to be a child growing up in this opportunistic laboratory. How imaginative I would have been! And that record player how fun! The endless dance parties...enjoy your nest!