DesignSTL January/February 2021

IN A YEAR that’s brought challenge to local small businesses, I’m especially thankful that Design STL—itself a locally owned enterprise—continues to play a key role in the fabric of our city. The editors, writers, and photographers who lend their vision to the magazine are unrelenting in their quest to cover the most inspiring designers, shopkeepers, makers, and personalities that comprise our creative community. This first issue of the New Year follows that mode. We last published our “Where to Get Everything Fixed” guide in 2015. This year, the listings include home professionals working in more than 25 specialties, from painting to plumbing, HVAC to landscaping, and they’re all right here, in St. Louis. Our reporters—Amy Burger, Cara Downs, and Charlene Oldham—interviewed local designers, architects, and homeowners for recommendations. They pored…

CONNECT therustyboltz.com instagram.com/therustybolt JONDLE’S CLOTHING LABEL is named after her father, Rusty, a welder. He and Jondle’s mother, who worked in stained glass, were artists in their own right, and as a young girl Jondle was fascinated with their ability to take 2-D materials and create 3-D objects. She started sewing in high school, taking fabrics that she’d collected from thrift stores and stitching them together into costumes just for fun. She later purchased an IKEA sewing machine and dabbled in creating small garments such as underwear. But Jondle followed another passion to California, enrolling at the San Francisco Art Institute with a focus on painting. HOW DID YOU GO FROM PAINTING TO SEWING? During my first semester of school, I stepped away from figure painting. I started exploring other…

THE TERM “FUSION,” as it relates to the culinary arts, is often misinterpreted, says Chef Ashok Nageshwaran. For the India-born Nageshwaran, fusion calls for far more than simply throwing together a meal inspired by diverse cultures. “There has to be a bit of science in there,” he says. “You have to understand the history of [the dishes]. What are the similarities? What flavors go together?” Through his catering and events company, Food Raconteur, Nageshwaran and his team create one-of-a-kind dining experiences for groups of all sizes. Each dish is a thoughtful marriage of cultural cuisines. “It’s not one-menu-fits-all. We try to understand the profile of the host and the guests,” says Nageshwaran. “Are they global travelers, or locals who don’t want too much adventure? Will it be too spicy? ”…

what % of US adults say they read magazines in the last 6 months? 91% This includes 95% of those under 35 and 95% of those under 25. (MRI-Simmons, Fall 2019) when advertisers were asked which medium offers the highest ROAS, which was the highest overall? MAGAZINE. THE MAGAZINE ROAS OF $6.51 WAS DOUBLE THAT OF THE TV ROAS OF $3.23, AND MORE THAN DOUBLE OF THE DIGITAL ROAS OF $2.43. (NCSolutions 2005-Q12019) HOW MANY ADULTS AGES 18+ READ MAGAZINES? 228.7 MILLION THAT’S AN INCREASE OF 18 MILLION SINCE 2012. (MRI-Simmons, Fall 2012-2019) THE PRINT MAGAZINE INDUSTRY IS GROWING 139 new print magazine brands with a frequency of quarterly or greater were introduced in 2019 (Samir “Mr. Magazine” ™ Husani Monitor 2020) MAGAZINES REACH PREMIUM AUDIENCES IN HIGH-INCOME HOUSEHOLDS* At…

CHRIS MOWER IS a kokedama evangelist. Kokedama means “moss ball” in Japanese. It describes a method of wrapping plant roots in a ball of sphagnum moss instead of potting them. Nearly any houseplant—bromeliads, succulents, orchids, even small trees—can be turned into a kokedama. And Chris will tell you all about it. That’s why he founded White Stable Farms in July 2019: to introduce the concept to the St. Louis area. “It’s a different presentation style and a different look, whether it’s on a tabletop or whether it’s hanging,” says Chris, who learned about the style while visiting Milan, Italy. At the time, he was planning to retire from a career in the insurance industry and looking for a new challenge. He studied horticulture in college and loves to garden, so…

THERESA WILLIAMS’ DESIGNS know how to have a good time. For Tiny Little Monster, an independent T-shirt shop in Shrewsbury, she created Tiny, the shop’s namesake, a toothy little guy who’s yellow when he’s happy and green when he’s ridiculously happy. For Clementine’s Naughty & Nice Creamery, she drew cheeky greeting cards that aren’t saccharine or sentimental, just funny and a bit risqué. Her poster designs for the Maker’s Market on Cherokee incorporate a wealth of original typography reminiscent of an old-fashioned circus, with a look that’s nonetheless as fresh as the day. Her designs aren’t just trendy; they’re grounded in the traditions of generations of sign makers, printmakers, and typographers, and they demonstrate her knowledge of sign craft. “It’s funny,” she says, recalling her years as a visual communications…