Designer injects modern style into historic Webster home

When Rochelle McAvin and husband Josh Pennington purchased their cottage-style home in Webster Groves in 2021, it was in a state of complete disrepair. Standing vacant for some time, the English ivy surrounding the house had taken over, slipping through the cracks and growing inside, creeping up the living room fireplace.

Yet with her interior designer’s eye, McAvin could see the 1928-built home’s character shining through. Its arched doorways, French doors and original hardwood floors spoke to her, and a vision began to form.

“Once you get an idea in your head, you run with it,” McAvin says.

She and Pennington, a construction superintendent, were no strangers to renovation in both their professional and personal lives. The couple had been living in a ranch home nearby in Webster Groves that they had remodeled. They wanted more space, and the house offered an opportunity to start fresh with a design that suited their lifestyle while honoring the home’s bones and history.

They purchased the home and got to work, first replacing all of its internal systems including mechanical, electrical and plumbing, as well as all of the windows. They kept the eight original French doors that flood the home with light intact.

On the main floor, McAvin and Pennington removed a wall separating the small galley kitchen from the dining room, opening it up and adding a peninsula. Wide, arched doorways provide a glimpse into the cozy living room.

“We sit around, hang out, have drinks and relax and you can see almost the whole first floor from anywhere you’re sitting,” says Pennington of the updated floor plan.

The renovated kitchen features sleek Ikea Bodarp Gray Green cabinetry and white oak butcher-block countertops. Josh pieced together two large slabs of the countertop to create a waterfall edge on the peninsula, which is outfitted with four stools for the blended family that includes Pennington’s 17-year-old son, Raiden, and McAvin’s 11-year-old daughter, Dakota.

McAvin created a statement in the adjoining dining room with bold fig leaf pattern wallpaper by Peter Dunham. It echoes the foliage that can be seen through the two French doors overlooking the front yard. “It feels like bringing the outside in,” she says.

Once the ivy was removed from the original wood-burning fireplace in the living room, she chose a teal patterned Arwen encaustic tile for the new surround, topped with a simple wood mantle.

“My inspiration for the design came from the feeling that the house, from the beginning, felt like a jewel box,” McAvin says. “I was inspired by the French doors and windows — from every angle you can see outside. I wanted to use natural, rich colors and materials to emphasize the connection to nature.”

The house originally had no bathroom on the main floor, so McAvin and Pennington took a small amount of space from the front of the living room just inside the front door to create a tiny yet striking powder room. Crown molding salvaged from the removed wall in the dining room as well as a repurposed original interior door make the powder room feel as if it has always been there. McAvin covered the walls in another bold and colorful patterned wallpaper, proving that a small space can still be big on style.

“I love modern, graphic art and textiles. I chose wallpaper and artwork in natural colors, specifically greens and blues (my favorite) so I have the pop of the pattern without it overwhelming the rooms and competing with the connection to the outside,” McAvin says.

A finished walkout basement in what was originally a tuck-under garage includes a cozy family room, as well as a bedroom and bathroom for Raiden, who lives at the house part-time. Upstairs, Pennington and McAvin divided the one enormous original bathroom to create a new primary bath and new second bathroom for Dakota. A small bedroom overlooking the large backyard serves as the home office for McAvin’s design business.

Though she got a little pushback, McAvin went with her designer’s gut when repainting the home’s stucco exterior — choosing a pale mint green that adds to its cottage charm and curb appeal. She and Pennington plan to continue their exterior renovations with a new front walk and landscaping.

“I learned a lot through this project — it pays to take your time and think about why you are buying or bringing each item into your home and what will it pair well with what is already existing,” McAvin says. “If you can keep the project end in sight and be patient, it will pay off in the end with a cohesive finish.”