When St. Louis-based interior designer Chelsea Smith was entrusted with restoring a family-owned farmhouse in Kimmswick, Missouri, she was tasked with more than just a remodel – she was asked to preserve a piece of living history.
“The goal was to build a home that could be a family time capsule, [and] that would [also] stand the test of time,” says Smith, the namesake of Chelsea Design Company. Other interior designers might find the task confining, but Smith embraced the challenge, taking an inventive approach to restoring a home steeped in generations of family memories. She began by carefully cataloging the family’s heirlooms, which included Civil War portraits and original horsehair mattresses, and organizing them into eight storage units based on the level of restoration each piece required.
“I had to inventory all the furnishings and art that existed in the home; and decide what we were going to fix, refurbish or reuse [as well as] what items we had to purchase or gather from family storage,” Smith says. Partnering with contractor Period
People are also reading…
Restoration, Smith made thoughtful updates to Sunnyside Farm, originally built in 1918. Even the smallest changes required careful planning to preserve the home’s integrity. “That was a unique aspect of this project but also why it feels so intentional and complete,” she says. While the main structure was retained, the second floor was rebuilt from the studs up and a two-story addition was completed…