SPACE Design + Construction

10/09/2026

We're not feeling blu(e) this morning!

Last night, we brought home an The American Institute of Architects St. Louis Chapter Merit Award for EssereBlu The Salon - The Space. This was a team effort all-around: incredible clients who entrust us with a vision; architects and designers that translate that vision to space through meticulous planning, materials, and lighting; and last -- but definitely not least — a construction and fabrication squad that works tirelessly to bring the finest details of the plan to life.

The jury noted:

"The jury admired this project's confidence and consistency....a pair of ordinary storefronts has been transformed into a place of unmistakable identity in an atmosphere that is refined, theatrical, and playful. The design has a real point of view, and every detail carries it forward, and careful editing makes it all come together. The spatial choreography turns a conventional commercial shell into a destination."

Cheers, and have a good weekend, friends.

10/07/2026

✨ We're happy to announce we've been named a finalist in four categories in the Sophisticated Living St. Louis SOPHI Awards next month. Our beautiful EssereBlu The Salon - The Space is a finalist for the Commercial Interior Design and Craftsmanship categories; one of our Unbuilt Commissioned projects earned a nod, and the one and only Tom Niemeier is up for Architect of the Year. ✨

No matter what happens, we're excited to make it this far. Looking forward to the awards next month!

✨ 🚀 ✨

10/06/2026

You know what's this week? ARCHITECT PROM (aka The The American Institute of Architects St. Louis Chapter Awards). It's always fun to have an excuse to get dolled up, have fancy hors d'oeuvres with a cocktail, and celebrate the incredible work our colleagues are doing across the metro area. In honor of Thursday's festivities, here are a few of the 13 we've won:

🌟 FRANCO, 2007. Gorgeous French bistro in Soulard with the unforgettable wavy panels that disguise PVC pipes, while letting the beautiful historic timber beams shine.
🌟 IMAGINE SCHOOLS, 2008. Colonial Bread Bakery conversion to a school, featuring a cheerful tensile structure to welcome little learners.
🌟 BOBO NOODLE HOUSE, 2009. Sleek box-within-a-box design for a elegantly compact restaurant.
🌟 PI PIZZERIA AT THE MX, 2012. Elegant folded plane with reclaimed wood accents.
🌟 CURTAIN CALL LOUNGE AT THE FABULOUS FOX THEATRE, 2016. Dramatic cocktail lounge attached to the legendary Fox Theatre.
🌟 LEBAO ASIAN EATERY, 2019. (Won in St. Louis and Mid-Missouri AIA.) Seed barn turned casual bao and ramen restaurant featuring a luxurious ceiling treatment.
🌟 BULRUSH, 2019. Part restaurant, part history lesson, it featured a dining theatre that evoked a campfire with stars above and a stylized Ozark forest in undulating plywood panels.
🌟 HIGH LOW, 2020. Literary arts center with library, nonprofit offices, reading room, gallery, and the fabulous . (It also showed off our James Baldwin Welcome Tables.)

✨ 🚀 ✨

10/02/2026

✨ ON THE BOARDS ✨

If you're a car collector and need a new space to house your collection, you don't get a "garage", you get a much-fancier sounding PARKADE, a term we gleefully stole from the term for parking garages in Vancouver.

Just steps from the main house, this new structure neatly fits into the grade while preserving views of the pool and gardens beyond. Not only is this new building a chic space for cars, it features an adjacent lounge with two bowling lanes, and an elegant mother-in-law's apartment upstairs.

BRB, buying a lottery ticket so *I* can live there.

Happy Friday.

✨ 🚀 ✨

09/28/2026

One Table STL has an incredible mission and we are proud to host you!

A huge thank you to SPACE Design + Construction for supporting One Table STL and giving us the opportunity to share our mission with your incredible community of talent. We’re so grateful to be surrounded by people who believe in inclusion, independence, and creating opportunities for everyone to thrive.

09/28/2026

✨ THINK BIG ✨

Over 10 years ago, our team made some cosmetic updates to the lobby in Lindell Tower West. We’re proud the new ownership selected us as architect for renovations of this historic high rise on Lindell across from SLU.

We build a lot of what we design, but our talented architects and interior designers are glad to work with design-only clients who have their own general contractor. Because of our experience with our own general contracting team, we’re pros at collaborating and providing construction documents that help efficient builds. For Lindell Tower West, we’re excited to work with the team at BSI Constructors to bring this renovation to life.

Have a project in mind? Let’s talk! [email protected]

09/08/2026

We just switched out our front window quote this morning, and from the looks of the forecast, it's purely aspirational at this point. 🤷‍♀️

Fingers crossed for Fall to arrive soon!

🍂

09/02/2026

We've been keeping this one a secret for a long time! Glad to help the folks at Union Loafers Cafe and Bread Bakery on design and fabrication.

About two-thirds of the roughly 4,600-square-foot space will be used for baking and the rest will house a cafe. >> See the full article below ⬇️

09/02/2026

Homer Simpson was right: You don't win friends with salad.

And fortunately we didn't have any salad last night at Bill Oakley's at The Blue Duck - Maplewood, MO. Oakley shared anecdotes about his time writing for the Simpsons and regional dishes across the country, and Chef Trenton Garvey and his team served seven of them.

Every dish was a surprise because of the "omg are you serious" nature of the courses: if you knew you were going to eat something called Cincinnati Sauerkraut Balls or Utah Pickle Pie, you may have skipped all the fun. In the end, all the dishes were delicious, but the She Crab Soup (a delicacy you don't see in St. Louis), Santa Maria Tri-Tip Sandwich, and the Key Lime Sorbet stood out the most. Fantastic speaker, incredible food and a goodie bag? Best Tuesday ever.

PS: Thanks for skipping the rocky mountain oysters.
PPS: Bill's poster made it to our wall of favorites in the library.

08/31/2026

Will they win? Probably not.
Will they have fun? ALWAYS.

Brad, Tom H, Ryan and Tony are out on the links at Tapawingo to raise a few bucks for the Kiwanis Club with the folks at Bartolino's Restaurant and Chris' Pancake and Dining.

(Promise, next time we'll send you guys out for some golf when it's not 150 degrees outside.)