Heidi Sowatsky's basement makeover

5/13/2016

Basement to Brand New | ST. LOUIS HOMES & LIFESTYLES

(http://www.stlouishomesmag.com) 

Basement to Brand New Impeccable style may be as near as a stroll through the basement, a quick dusting and a fresh coat of paint or upholstery pattern.

By Christine Soucy Photography by Anne Matheis Before & After (/category/after) | May 2016 (/issues/may-2016)

http://www.stlouishomesmag.com/article/949

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5/13/2016

Basement to Brand New | ST. LOUIS HOMES & LIFESTYLES

After

Heidi Sowatsky of Decorating Den encourages clients to buy high-quality furniture and reupholster and re䂯nish old furniture whenever possible. “If you’re consistent in your style, you can then move the furniture from room to room and home to home without di섽�culty,” Sowatsky says.  Judy and Don Walter’s previous home was completely tailored to their personal preferences.

To make the move easier, Walter says she 셁brought over a lot of ideas from the old house to the new house, which has signi䂯cantly more space and natural light.

For the sunroom, Walter envisioned French casual, a style that reminded her of her travels through the South of France. Her three favorite countries are England, France and Italy. She pulls design inspiration from what she sees, experiences and purchases during her travels.

Old wicker chairs covered in a tattered Native American pattern and hiding away in the basement were a French casual gold mine to Sowatsky. Her expert eye saw the tall backs and knew they would work beautifully with the sunroom’s brick 䂯replace that stacks all the way up to the ceiling. To give the plain brick 䂯replace an interesting something extra, Sowatsky whitewashed it and then chose a chic white pattern with which to reupholster the wicker chairs.

End tables can be found in the least likely places. The 110-year-old Louis Vuitton trunk used as an end table is another favorite of both Sowatsky and Walter. It doubles as a storage space for Walter’s purse collection.

http://www.stlouishomesmag.com/article/949

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