paul pagano studio blog

Architectural Artifacts

2010-10-18T07:10:00.000-07:00

If you live in an older home as I do, and you're searching for vintage hardware, doors, spindles, lights and much more you should check out Architectural Artifacts located on Lafayette one block west of Jefferson at Hwy 44. If you're not sure what to do with your vintage pieces after a remodel, (DO NOT TRASH THEM) give them a second chance to be the perfect piece for someone else. Drop them off at Architectural Artifacts and put a few bucks in your pocket.

There is also a side yard with a lot of large stone and steel commercial pieces that could be used in a variety of ways. If you like the old stuff Architectural Artifacts is a must see.

Wings in the City

2010-10-12T19:30:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday was the Wings in the City "Old Hollywood Glamor" black tie event and I wanted to go with vintage attire so I hit TFA in hopes of finding the perfect outfit. I forgot a very important detail, I'm 6' 5" tall, and the men and clothing back then were much smaller than today. I started by trying on a few hats and quickly discovered I would have to go to plan B. Take a look and let me know if you think I made the right decision.

Needless to say, I didn't make it out of the hat section. I think I'll stick to shopping at TFA for mid-century modern furniture.

Furniture Designed For Small Spaces

2010-10-11T15:13:00.000-07:00

My House Before and After

2010-08-19T20:23:00.000-07:00

A Victorian built in 1904 with most of the original architectural details removed, I set out to restore her back to her original glory.

I painted Woo Hoo!!!

2010-08-10T20:40:00.000-07:00

I've been so busy this summer I haven't painted in months. I started these months ago. I finally finished them.

Wings in the City Butterfly Update

2010-07-26T05:30:00.000-07:00

I finally started sticking stuff on my butterfly. It's more time consuming than I thought, but I got it under control now.

Wings in the City

2010-05-13T22:08:00.000-07:00

Friday 4-10 was like any other day. I had way too much to do and not enough time to do it. I just parked my truck outside the studio and my phone rings. I didn't recognize the number, which I would've normally let go to voice-mail. For whatever reason, that day, I decided to answer. The woman on the other end, introduced herself, tells me she got my number from a client (THANK YOU!,) that she was calling on behalf of an organization called Friends of Wings, and would I be interested in participating in their upcoming benefit Wings in the City a public art project similar to Cows on Parade in Chicago, Pigs on Parade in Seattle, and The People Project here in St' Louis. She said, 'The entry deadline had already ended, but several sponsors wanted to participate in the benefit after the fact, and she needed more artist to create a design concept for a 5' x 4' fiberglass butterfly, I could decorate the butterfly however I want, if I was interested I needed to go to their website to download the application entry form...complete the application by the following Monday'. Figures, every time I get an opportunity like this I've only got a few days to create, complete and submit an entry. So, I pull out my laptop, check out the website, and I quickly realize this is an AMAZING opportunity for me to showcase my design/art abilities to a large audience that I otherwise wouldn't be able, to! I managed to complete and submit my entry by the following Monday. Now I wait, a few days later my mind starts to race; did the jury approve it, if so, how many other artist were approved, how many sponsors are there, should I have gone a different direction with my design??? A few more days pass, then a few more, the next thing I know it's been eleven days since I turned in the application, and I was told I would hear something one way or the other the previous week. At this point I assume I didn't get it, so I reluctantly move on, and then I get an email that said my design was approved by the jury and selected by a sponsor (Schnucks.) Woooo Hoooo! I'm way pumped...can't wait to get the butterfly in my studio.

Backing up to the loading dock.

They're loading it on my truck.

It's on.

It's strapped down...we're ready to go.

We made it to the studio in one piece.

This will be her home for the next several months.

This is my design for the base and front.

This is my design for the back.

Going Dutch!

2010-02-01T19:31:00.000-08:00

This Dutch Colonial built in 1902 is by far the worst restoration I've ever done! Everyone I showed the property to thought I was crazy. At the time, the majority of the homes I purchased, were just like this one, BAD! So bad, no one else was crazy enough to attempt rehabbing them, and this one was no exception. I couldn't pass on the opportunity to bring back a piece of STL history. When I bought the property in 2003 I discovered that local pest control companies actually taught classes in the property because the termite damage was so extensive. I got a chance to speak with the owner of one of the companies, and he thought the home had wood destroying house guest for 40 plus years. The termites constructed elaborate mud tunnels to access the house. To put things in perspective these tunnels are usually the diameter of a pencil, but here they were as large as a wiffle ball bat! If I hadn't gotten to her when I did, she would've collapsed within a year or two.

The main entry door was moved from it's original location and was lost behind the porch column. I knew this was not how the home was originally constructed. So I removed a five foot section of plaster from the area I thought it would've have been, and sure enough the original door opening was located between the two columns on either side of the stairs.

Moving the door made a huge difference! It's so much more inviting.

I had to remove the existing bay window because it was a structural mess. Once I removed it I decided to leave it off to create some much needed off street parking.

The back of the house had the most termite damage. The entire back wall was floating. I could move a ten foot section of wall with one finger. This made working on the house extremely dangerous; one wrong move and the house could have collapsed on me!

I was able to save the original second story cedar shake siding, but not the first floor lap siding.

I never like removing original architectural details (bay window) from a home, but when the windows, siding and driveway were complete I knew I made the right decision.

"Forty Thieves"

2010-01-21T08:58:00.000-08:00

Following the 1904 St. Louis World's Fair, building materials used for various fair buildings became available either for sale, or the taking, to anyone interested. Legend has it that Walter Wilmont Reynolds, a local builder(Guaranty Builders), "stole" lumber and bricks from the fair site to construct some of the 40 almost identical homes in Richmond Heights (St. Louis County) area known as the "Forty Thieves" homes.

Today, 38 of the original 40 homes survive, and are listed as historic according to the St. Louis County Historical Society . Each of the homes has the same two story floor plan. The only variations originally included different front porches, and four of the homes have a stucco finish. Yellow brick was used for the front facade of many of the homes, but the sides and rear walls were all red brick. Each house has a hipped roof, although over the years dormers added to some homes have considerably altered the look of the original roof lines.

This is how she looks today.

This is what she looked like when I

bought her in 2004.

It took four guys seven days to uncover her.

Obviously, the interior wasn't any better. The mill-work was salvageable, other than that everything else had to be removed.

Although, I've done worse this one is up there! Definitely, top 3.

I wanted to be pure to the era and the history of the home. For me, vintage is the only way to go. The bathroom recreation includes subway tile, one inch hexagon floor tile, wainscoting on the walls and a pedestal sink.

Before converting this space into a master bathroom, it's original purpose would've been storage. When constructed it was commonly known as a "Trunk Room". Historically, a room located on the second floor directly above the main entry foyer. Primarily, used to store seasonal items in stack-able trunks. Today, per code, they're too small to be considered a bedroom, but work great for a bathroom or office conversion.

I converted this 1940's buffet into the master bathroom vanity.

The original foot print was only 1300 square feet. So, I enclosed the existing deck because I wanted to create an all seasons room. It was a quick and inexpensive way to add more usable space.

Sources for this information:

1. Research by Betsy Feldman and Pat Kent "Down Memory Lane," 1988.

2. 1988 interview, by Joellen Mcdonald, of Mary Mcguire Hengin who grew up in one of the homes.

3. St. Louis Post-Dispatch article written by Patricia Rice and published in the January 29, 1986 edition of the paper.

Video Shoot Vignette

2010-01-12T19:41:00.000-08:00

I was recently contacted by Atlas Media Corp, a NYC based independent producer of non-fiction entertainment. They produce television series and specials, documentaries and web series. Atlas has produced award-winning shows for Warner Bros, TLC, A&E, Discovery and several others. They want to check out my online portfolio, and video of me in action, so I created this vignette for a video shoot. I just finished editing. I uploaded it onto You Tube and sent them the link. I'm pumped about the possibility! I auditioned for HGTV's Design Star seasons two and four, and was contacted both times. Although, I was not selected to be on the show, it was a great learning experience and I believe everything happens for a reason... Maybe this is the reason, maybe not, either way, I enjoyed putting it together. Point is, put it out there, you never know what might happen!

My first painting at my new studio.

2009-11-08T06:11:00.001-08:00

Moving into the studio was so inspiring I just had to paint. I had plenty of paint, but no canvasses. As I do with all of my paintings, I made this canvass out of reclaimed materials. Let the gravity begin!

Ahh, finished. I'm not gonna lie to ya, it feels good. It feels good!

ArtSpace at Crestwood Plaza

2009-11-03T22:27:00.000-08:00

The ArtSpace at Crestwood Plaza is the first in the country. Like many malls today, Crestwood Plaza was struggling to keep their doors open. Last March, the 51 year old mall was purchased by Chicago-based Centrum Properties and New York-based Angelo, Gordon & Co. They plan to tear down all or most of the mall. But that's at least five years from now. What to do in the mean time?

Centrum's managing partner Sol Barket, a former St. Louisan, has a long standing interest in fine arts. He suggested converting empty mall space into an art gallery where local artist's could display their work. Running with the idea, the new owners contacted and ultimately partnered with the Regional Arts Commission to take the ArtSpace from concept to reality. Theater companies, dance troops, and visual artists are among the 50 plus art groups/tenants sharing the space.

And the most furosh thing of all...My studio partner and I scored a 3000 sq ft space for $150.00 a month. An artists dream! Finally, a studio with no limitations! It's such an exciting opportunity I thought it'd be cool to blog about it.

Movin' never felt so good.