LU Design Build

Not your average home renovation. 🧗‍♂️

When a past client referred us to a friend looking to transform a century-old carriage house into a private climbing gym, we knew this would be a fun one.

What was once a garage and cigar room became something entirely unexpected.

We exposed the original brick and 14-foot vaulted ceilings, then our LU carpenters got to work building a custom 12-foot climbing wall, known as a Moon Board.

And this isn't just any climbing wall. 💪

⚙️ A motorized winch adjusts the wall from a 10° to a challenging 50° overhang.

💡 App-controlled LED pathways guide climbers through different routes.

🪵 Additional climbing walls and sliding window panels make the most of every inch of the space.

Projects like this are a reminder that great design isn't always about kitchens, bathrooms, or beautiful finishes. Sometimes it's about taking a client's unique vision and figuring out how to bring it to life.

A little creativity, a lot of craftsmanship, and one seriously cool result. Have a space with untapped potential? Let's talk about what we can create together. 🔨

Not every kitchen needs white cabinets. And not every remodel needs to follow the latest trend. 🎨

For this Ballwin kitchen, the homeowners loved the warmth of their original wood cabinetry, but after 20 years, they were ready for something new.

We expanded the kitchen and introduced rich maple cabinetry in a warm coffee stain, complementing the darker tones of the new hardwood floors. Bright, clean finishes balance the richness of the wood, creating a space that feels both refreshed and timeless.

The result? A kitchen that honors what the homeowners loved about their original home while making room for the way they live today. 🏠

Mid-century charm, made for modern family life. ✨

For this kitchen renovation, we paired warm wood cabinetry and clean lines with quartz countertops and statement lighting to create a space that feels true to the home’s mid-century style, while working beautifully for a busy family.

Because great design isn’t just about how a space looks. It’s about making everyday life work a little better, too.

Thinking about what’s possible in your own home? Let’s talk about how thoughtful design can make your space work better for you.

What if the extra space your home needs is already there? 👀

These homeowners were outgrowing their two-bedroom, one-bath bungalow, but right above them was an opportunity: an unfinished attic.

After exploring several different layouts, the LU Design Build team found a way to make that unused square footage work much harder for the family, creating additional living space, another bedroom, new bathrooms and a staircase to connect it all.

It's a good reminder that remodeling isn't always about adding on. Sometimes it's about looking at the space you already have a little differently. ✨

Is there an underused space in your home you've always wondered what to do with?

An updated kitchen doesn't have to erase the character of an older home. 🏡

For this St. Louis kitchen, the home's historic architecture helped inspire the design. A new cabinet layout opened up the room and made it more functional, while details like white subway tile with dark grout, soapstone countertops and antique schoolhouse lighting kept the space connected to the character of the home.

Even the transom window plays a part, bringing more natural light into the black-and-white kitchen. ✨

The result? A kitchen that works for life today without forgetting where it came from.

Have an older home you're ready to update? We'd love to help you find the balance between old and new.

Sometimes the best design moments come from the space you almost ignored. 👀

In this basement remodel, the area under the stairs could easily have become dark, unused storage. Instead, it became an open niche with reclaimed wood shelving that adds both function and character to the room.

The same wood was carried onto the columns and floating bar shelf, tying the entire space together. ✨

It’s a small detail, but a great example of what thoughtful design can do: find opportunity in every square foot.

What overlooked space in your home could be working harder for you?

Can we give the hardworking spaces of the home a little love? 👏

Mudrooms, laundry rooms and powder rooms may not always get top billing in a remodel, but they're some of the spaces working hardest every single day.

In this Wendover project, rethinking the mudroom and laundry area, along with the powder room, was part of creating a more functional and connected first floor. And functional definitely didn't have to mean boring. 💙

Bold blue cabinetry and geometric tile carry through both spaces, giving these hardworking rooms plenty of personality of their own.

Because good design isn't just about the rooms everyone sees. It's about making the whole home work better for the way you actually live.

What hardworking space in your home would you love to rethink?

MYTH: Working with a design-build firm means giving up control of your vision. 🏡

REALITY: The best design-build process is collaborative. ✨

Your ideas, style and the way you want to live in your home are where the process begins.

This Organic Oasis project is a great example. 🌿 The homeowners wanted a home that felt peaceful, personal and connected to nature, with a mid-century modern style that was uniquely their own. The design evolved through collaboration along the way, resulting in a home tailored specifically to them.

At LU Design Build, design and construction work together from the beginning, helping turn your vision into a space that's both beautiful and built to work for the way you live. 🔨

THIS OR THAT: Shower Tile Edition

When it comes to shower tile, which way are you going?

A: Bold color + pattern 🔷
B: Neutral + timeless ⚪

Both can completely transform a bathroom, but we want to know which one you’d choose for your home.

Tell us: A or B? 👇

Here’s a detail with a story behind it. ✨

This custom stained-glass window was incorporated into the vanity as a surprise gift between the homeowners, making an already beautiful Creve Coeur primary bath feel completely their own. 🏡

It’s a great reminder that the best spaces aren’t just designed to look beautiful. They should reflect the people who live in them, too.

What personal detail would you build into your dream space?