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Where do I Get a Slate Tile Roof?

Maybe Dan Hagerty got the idea for his business looking down on rooftops in the early 1970s. The former Army paratrooper felt right at home high above St. Louis learning his slate roofing trade from two Old World master craftsmen. It was the impetus for his company, Old World Roofing. Founded in 1986, it's one of the top slate roofing companies in the St. Louis area.

Hagerty and his crew of 12 are more concerned with quality than quantity, completing just 12 full roofs per year. They also do repair work. Word of mouth is strong, with a waiting list of one and a half years.

Why slate? It lasts 75 to 100 years, compared with 15 to 20 years for a standard asphalt shingle roof. Plus, slate adds architectural integrity and historical authenticity. Hagerty's slate stock is mined along the upper East Coast, with Vermont slate being the most popular. Green and purple slate lasts the longest, reflecting the sun's rays more effectively. Hagerty also points out that a steeper roof pitch adds longevity.

The average cost of a new slate roof is about $75,000; tile roofs cost a bit more. Old World Roofing is so proud of its craftsmanship, many of its craftsmen work into the design personal slate signatures that only a sharp eye can see. Beer baron heir Billy Busch has a "B" hidden somewhere on his "castle." Others carry smiley faces and initials. Only once has Hagerty been asked to remove a symbol--it was a bit too obvious. One of his roofers was overcome with the homeowner's beauty, so he left behind a red slate heart beneath her sitting-room window. --John Pertzborn

Old World Roofing, 5800 Pernod, 314-966-7916

Posey Perfect

Ever wonder how the pros make those arrangements so artful? We have. So we asked: Cherl Fritz at Bittersweet Botanicals, Randy Felkey of Randy Felkey Florals and Dean Riebeling at Botanicals on the Park.
They say:

Cluster the bouquet of flowers with clear ponytail holders or orthodontic rubber bands.

Peel off a couple of the "pack" pet- als of roses before putting them in a vase.

Best vase choices: small mouth openings or trumpet shape. With clear cylindrical vases, add polished river stones. Use budding flower stems -- begonias or geraniums -- curly willow branches for a touch of drama. Keep flowers fresh by using ice cold tap water with just a touch of flower food. Clean the vase with a bit of bleach. --Stacey Rynders

Home Front Store Scoop

New Spots to Shop

FINE LIGHT LIMITED (7314 Manchester, 314-781-3233) has really lit up the lighting scene in Maplewood. Right next door to T. Rohan, the store is owned by Rose Denness (formerly of Rose Denness Interior Design). The store carries a huge selection of wall sconces, 100 chandeliers and a shade salon--a pri- vate area where customers can have their lamps "try on shades and fi nials. We know no one else in St. Louis is doing that," Denness says. COLES LAMAR has a new (spectacular) showroom at 4655 Maryland (at Euclid), 314-361-6027, coleslamar@aol.com. GRANITE TRANSFORMATIONS (1750 Fenpark in Fen- ton, 636-326-2220, www.granitetransformations.com) has a new showroom complete with displays. BROYHILL HOME FURNISHINGS (87 Brentwood Promenade, 314-699-9830, www.broyhillfurn.com) has joined corporate sib- lings Thomasville and Lane to comprise a mighty furniture triumvirate in Brent- wood. AMINI'S HOME RUGS AND GAME ROOMS (17377 Chesterfield Airport, 636-537-9200, www.aminisgalleria.com): Shop 60,000 square feet of at- home amusements and must-haves. BUTTERNUT HILL HOME FURNISH- INGS has moved to 8918 Manchester (314-963-0221), right across the street from The Gifted Gardener. JUNE ROESSLEIN INTERIORS is now located at 17899 Chesterfi eld Airport (636-394-1465, www.juneroessleininteriors.com).

Exclusively Theirs

When you're thumbing through national magazines, a superb accessory or piece of furniture sometimes leaps off the page, sending your spirits skyward. Then hopes are dashed when the resource page reveals it's not available locally. To remedy that problem, we called fi ve local home furnishings stores to see what brands they carry exclusively.

Butternut Hill Home Furnishings (8918 Manchester, 314-963-0221): Grange Furniture.

Dau Home Furnishings (15424 Manchester, 636-394-3005, www.daufurniture.com): Stickley Mission, Berhardt's Martha Stewart Signature Furniture (pictured above).

Joy Tribout (8139 Maryland, 314-721-0670): Caroline Cole pillows (Joy Tribout's own company).

Rothschild's Antiques and David Richardson Interiors (398 N. Euclid, 314-361-4870): Old Java (an updated version of British and Dutch colonial furniture made out of reclaimed teak) and Kyak, a German lighting and accessory line. Among other designs, Kyak makes iron and wicker chandeliers and wall sconces, as well as fixtures out of reclaimed resin.

Three French Hens (16935 Manchester, 636-458-8033, www.threefrenchhensantiques.com): Taylor Scott upholstered and down-filled chairs, sofas and ottomans; Michael Perry Custom Architectural Salvage Furniture (made out of architectural remnants such as old doors); Raquel's Collection (hand-painted and signed furniture from Peru).

Dollar Store Discovery

Trendier than terra cotta: These pots from a dollar store (in this case, Dollar Tree) are made of durable plastic (think The Graduate) and these beauties won't crack under the strain of the elements. And, face it, any flower can look that much finer in the perfect pot. The Graduate) and these beauties won't crack under the strain of the elements. And, face it, any flower can look that much finer in the perfect pot.

Find Online A long-time St. Louis institution, Anatole's is online. Go to www.housefabric.com. Check out its silks, satins, sheers and more. The Web site includes Susan Sargent's brilliantly colored designs, as well as P. Kaufman, Waverly and Robert Allen, among others, and an entire trim gallery. The prices are great; the actual on-site location: 235 Kirkham, 314-968-0090.

Picking Paints: There Are Many Factors To Consider When It Comes To Finding Your Perfect Paint

While it's handy to know where to get the best deal on a gallon of paint, the question begging to be asked: What kind of paint do you buy?

So we turned to an expert, Gary Hunt of Hunt Painting. Here's his advice: For ceilings. Use flat paint; semigloss if you want "a little reflection from the chandelier in the dining room." Walls. Semi-gloss is easier to scrub and lasts longer. "But a lot of people don't like that sheen," Hunt says. To avoid it, opt for the satin finish.

Baths. "Use low sheen or semigloss. It really depends on whether or not you like the shine."

Bedrooms. Flat or semi-gloss. "The better quality flat paints have a suede finish that looks really nice."

Trims, kitchens, kids' rooms. Use a (washable) semi-gloss.

Doors, semi-gloss. Soffits, either flat or semi-gloss.

Latex or oil? "We try to use acrylic latex due to the environmental issues--it is easy to clean up and to touch up. We hardly ever use oil." --Meisha Fortner


Local Artist Making An Impact

An avid student of art, Michael Miksicek, 50, has yet to find anyone, anywhere, from any era, who does what he does--subtractive painting on wood, using sandpaper and power tools.

A St. Louis native, Miksicek graduated from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville with a Master of Fine Arts degree. For years, he worked for the St. Louis Science Center constructing custom exhibition furniture-- pedestals and display boxes.

In 2001, he transitioned to full-time painting, leaving the day jobs behind. Four years later, while sitting in his kitchen sipping jasmine tea one Saturday morning, Miksicek simply stated the reasons he chanced it: He got tired of doing dinosaur shows.

Miksicek works out of his gingerbread home in St. Louis Hills, where he lives with his wife, Barbara. His studios are in the garage, where he constructs the wooden panels and frames, and the basement, where he paints.

As Miksicek works, there are four large panels lying on the floor, each in a different state of progress. Together they form a quadrille to be framed as one colorful, psychological reflection of the artist. The artist evaluates the worth of the project, contemplating whether or not to proceed.

"You have to be willing to pull the plug at any time," Miksicek says. "It's how you progress, to be self-critical."

Pleased, he picks the four panels up off the floor. Three go back into horizontal slots of a homemade drying cabinet on rollers. The fourth is placed on a wall-mounted wooden easel. Sitting down on a wheeled desk chair low to the easel, Miksicek begins painting again, applying color in patches to the violet-gray panel. It's one quadrant of the project, which will take about two months to complete.

This particular painting is inspired by Monet's famous Poplars. By taking a Monet and altering the colors, Miksicek makes a formal restatement of the work. His abstract is an intellectualized concept, an homage to the muse. But where Monet finished his work with a final stroke of the brush, Miksicek is really just beginning.

Layering the smooth wood surface with acrylic paint is simply preparation for the subtractive technique from which the image evolves through reduction. Miksicek says he "takes away what is unnecessary and reveals the optimal image, its colors and tones." With fine-grain sandpapers and electric automotive buffing tools, he creates the appearance of a labored, worn surface seemingly softer than marble and bewilderingly smooth with a lustrous finish.

"People want to touch it, because it's different and they can feel it," Barbara says. "It calls to people." --Adam Scott Williams

Michael Miksicek, 314-481-1983. Work hung (and represented by): Locus Gallery, 7700 Forsyth, 314-725-6677. Price range: $550-$3,200.

Far From Football

Bernard Whittington played defensive end for the Indianapolis Colts and Cincinnati Bengals. He hung up his helmet two years ago and got into construction. It's a family thing. "My great-grandfather, my grandfather, my father, my uncles, everybody is in construction," Whittington says. "It's in my blood."

A St. Louis native (and graduate of Hazelwood East), Whittington has teamed up with architect Kevin Logan to form X3 Modern Developers. Together they are building "loft homes"--houses with the feel of a loft. Their first was a renovation of a four-family flat in Benton Park that the duo made into a single-family home. (see photos) "We combine the loft feel of a condo with a home with a yard and attached garage," Whittington says. In 2005, X3 is planning to build 12 more homes in Benton Park, on Washington next to the old Gaslight Square district and Lafayette Square. All the houses are brick, 2,500 to 3,000 square feet and priced starting in the $400,000s. For more information, call 314-324-0064. hung up his helmet two years ago and got into construction. It's a family thing.

"My great-grandfather, my grandfather, my father, my uncles, everybody is in construction," Whittington says. "It's in my blood."

A St. Louis native (and graduate of Hazelwood East), Whittington has teamed up with architect Kevin Logan to form X3 Modern Developers. Together they are building "loft homes"--houses with the feel of a loft. Their first was a renovation of a four-family flat in Benton Park that the duo made into a single-family home. (see photos) "We combine the loft feel of a condo with a home with a yard and attached garage," Whittington says. In 2005, X3 is planning to build 12 more homes in Benton Park, on Washington next to the old Gaslight Square district and Lafayette Square. All the houses are brick, 2,500 to 3,000 square feet and priced starting in the $400,000s. For more information, call 314-324-0064.

Favorite Shop

The White Rabbit
9241 Manchester
314-963-9784
Hours: Thu-Sat
10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Sun 12-4 p.m.

Photography by Susan Jackson

The progression from antiquer to mall booth proprietor to shop owner is a well-worn road. Angie and Brad Mathey know all about it. A dedicated antiques collector, Angie would bring home her furniture finds and Brad would refinish and fix them up. She ran four booths at the South County Antique Mall. Then, one night after one drink too many, the Matheys and some friends decided to get serious. "We said, 'Let's open a business in the recession,'" Brad Mathey recalls. The White Rabbit, a shop in a basement off Watson Road, was born. After two and a half years, the partners decided to move on, and Angie decided it was time to get windows. So last October, they moved to Manchester Road.

The shop specializes in Shabby Chic and cottage furnishings. The merchandise is a 50-50 mixture of old and new.

"We like some new things, some old," Brad says. "We like to bring things back from the ashes." The prices are incredibly reasonable (a Jenny Lind headboard for $65; a cottage cabinet, $425; an enamel porcelain table with two chairs, $155; a desk for $185 and matching chair for $28). While most of the furniture is either in its original finish or painted white (or, occasionally, pink), Angie says there has been increased interest in buying furniture painted black (they use Ralph Lauren Black Onyx satin enamel). The White Rabbit also sells a good number of upholstered pieces that have been slipcovered, which means there are plenty of cozy and comfortable spots to sit and read through The White Rabbit's decorating library--a fairly good sampling of interior design books. A friendly offering, it adds another element to the charm of the shop.

Ford Hotel Supply
2204 N. Broadway
314-231-8400
www.fordstl.com
Hours: Mon-Fri
8:15 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Photography by Susan Jackson

First of all, this isn't a shop--it's a showroom. Unlike previous choices, this pick doesn't convey that warm and fuzzy feeling you get from carefully displayed goods and fanciful vignettes. However, for anyone who has ever attempted to equip his or her kitchen with restaurant-quality goods, this is your kind of place. Ford supplies hotels and restaurants with everything they need--pots, pans, plates, deep fryers, knives, serving dishes, soup pots large enough to cook a sizable animal, coffee machines, flatware, glassware, even mops and cleaning fluids. You name it, they have it.

The great part is a person doesn't have to be in the service business to shop here. From 8:15 a.m. to 5 p.m. every day during the week, you can shop, check out and then wait a few minutes while they pull your purchases. You pay upstairs (by the showroom) and pick up in the warehouse at the bottom of the steps, right by the front door.

As for the dishes and glasses, it's good to know those items are sold by the case--three dozen each. You'd have to be a mighty serious party giver to warrant that kind of purchase--even if the price is so right.

On a recent jaunt, I came home with an absolutely fabulous heavy-duty, 7-inch omelet pan ($9.47), an apple corer ($4.39) and a standard French 12-inch wire whisk ($5.85). Suffice it to say, I would have dropped a bigger chunk of change at a more traditional kitchen store.

Finally, when we said we would highlight shops off the beaten path, we really weren't kidding. Ford Hotel Supply is on Broadway--way, way north on Broadway. You may think you've passed it, but you haven't. Look for the name painted in blue on the side of the building near the roof. Hang in there. Keep driving. It's well worth the travel time. --Christy Marshall