Clayton woman’s condo is her place for zen (2024)

Six years before she purchased her house, Laurie McGrath had already envisioned exactly how her perfect home would be decorated. She just had no idea if it would be in her hometown of St. Louis, or in another city in the United States or in a foreign country.

When a 2,400 square-foot, two-bedroom condominium became available in Clayton near Shaw Park on a street she had always admired for the architecture of the buildings and the landscaping, she seized the opportunity to purchase it and turn her vision into reality.

“I owned this condominium before I sold my house, and then lived in an Airbnb for several months while I had the inside completely gutted,” she remembers. “It had not been updated since it was built 20 years ago, and many of the rooms had wallpaper that took a long time to remove.”

Two elements of décor she had always wanted include the dark wood floors that replaced the original carpet and ceramic tile floor, and ceilings in several rooms painted a darker shade than the wall color. “Somehow a darker palette above on a ceiling relaxes me and makes me feel more secure,” she says.

The centerpiece of the living room are two green couches facing each other and placed perpendicular to a fireplace. “That combination atop a dark wooden floor was always something I dreamed about,” she says.

Because McGrath is an avid collector of art, the wall color was important as a background to best display her collection. Her contractor, David Geerling of Platinum General Contracting, did research and found an off-white preferred by museums to minimize distraction from the art being displayed, and she used the color throughout the residence.

“I am Buddhist ‘by nature,’” McGrath says explaining the myriad Buddhas on shelves, in paintings, photographs and statues seen throughout the home.

An almost life-size, prone Buddha reclines on a low shelf next to an ofuro tub McGrath had installed into its own recessed niche in the bathroom. The traditional Japanese-style bathtub is square and 2-feet deep, which allows for deeper immersion and more relaxed bathing. “I soak and meditate in it almost every day,” McGrath says. “Most people think the kitchen is the most important room in a house, but to me, it is the bathroom and my ofuro tub.”

Her appreciation for the tub did not stop her from completely gutting the kitchen. The original brown cabinets and dark quartz countertops were replaced by white contemporary custom-made cabinets and white quartz countertops. Small sculptures of Buddhas watch over the kitchen from shelves, the middle of the kitchen table and on the wall over the cooktop.

McGrath’s appreciation of art is intense. On two occasions she has flown to Milan and Paris to see art exhibits. At home she has met or researched the artist behind each of her own paintings and sculptures, and her respect for their talent and admiration for each piece is evident as she gives a tour of her home.

Included in her collection are pieces by St. Louis artists, including Ted Collier, known for his abstract works derived from observable patterns found in nature.

St. Louis mixed media artist BLU Adler was commissioned by McGrath to do a painting incorporating her favorite quote: “You are the sky, everything else is just the weather.” Attributed to Pema Chodron, a Tibetan Buddhist teacher, the saying relates to a thought associated with meditation, and is interpreted as meaning that while there are disturbances in everyday life, the sky above is always calm.

Adler’s work is displayed in what once was the dining room but is now dominated by an enormous 15-foot-long couch spanning the room from one wall to the other. “It is where my daughters and I talk, relax, enjoy each other’s company and watch television together,” McGrath says.

Three other works of art, each a contemporary portrait, are by another St. Louis artist, McGrath’s older daughter, Mia. “She has been painting since seventh grade,” Laurie says.

Off the living room of the first-floor residence is a thin patio accessed via floor-to-ceiling doors allowing increased natural light and fresh air when the doors are open. Glass doors in the kitchen lead to a covered patio featuring a living privacy screen made by a Japanese maple tree growing on a trellis.

Complementing the enjoyment of her residence is the convenience of the innerbelt and the close proximity to St. Louis Lambert International Airport from Clayton. “I lead a crazy, hectic life with a lot of business travel several weeks a month.” McGrath says. “It is so nice to come home to my sanctuary.”