The Stories Behind St. Louis Homes With @housesinstl

Welcome back.

Like some of you listening right now, last weekend I moved my kids into their college dorm rooms.

We hauled blue Ikea bags, wiped down surfaces with Clorox wipes, and built furniture in record time.

Well, my husband gets the credit for that.

It's always bittersweet day when we say goodbye for a few months, but I'm also so excited for my kids to begin the next chapter in their lives.

I guess you could say I'm also turning the page.

With the kids at school, I'm committed to completing a few house projects.

The paint on the wall in the kids' bathroom is peeling, and the clawfoot tub rocks back and forth when someone's using it.

My daughter, in particular, has been asking for years for us to redo it, and I just haven't made it a priority until now.

I'm also zhushing up the first floor powder room, which we haven't touched since moving into the house more than 10 years ago.

But the project I'm most excited about is my office, which I haven't been able to use since the tornado.

One of the main windows shattered in the storm, and the shades ended up scattered around the room, along with tree leaves and other detritus.

It's one of my favorite places in the house, though, and I just can't wait to make it mine again.

To help me tackle all of these projects, I called in Marcy Marsh, the interior designer I've worked with for many years.

Her touch will be all over the house, but it's in the office where I think her ideas will really shine.

She was in town a few weeks ago, and we spent an afternoon looking through stacks of fabrics and rug samples that she had brought with her.

Can I just add, interior designers are truly some of my most favorite people.

One of Marcy's proposals is to add a natural green grass cloth onto the fireplace wall.

The other walls would finish in a lighter shade of the same green.

I've honestly never thought of myself as someone who would use grass cloth in my house.

Not sure why.

It's just never been, um, one of those wall coverings that's, you know, called out to me.

But adding some natural texture is, is really beginning to grow on me.

My advice for you is to, unlike me, start your house projects while your children are still at home so you can all j- enjoy the results.

I wish I had, but other things have always seemed to come first.