Country Wonderland

Designer Maghan Heeter reimagines a barn-loft in a palette of red, white, and blue.

- By Veronica Theodoro

The renovation of a barn loft in Augusta, an hour west of St. Louis, was a dream project come true for interior designer Meghan Heeter of Castle Design. From the first time she visited the property, nestled at the base of a wooded valley off Highway 94, she knew that her design work would serve as a backdrop to the memories that would be made there.

So before deciding to apply a first layer of stain to the pine floors or discussing the addition of shiplap walls and a walnut plank ceiling, the designer looked no further than her own childhood as muse.

“One of the reasons I love this project so much is because it’s in Augusta, and that’s where my grandparents live,” she says. “I grew up spending summers with them, swimming, fishing, catching fireflies. It’s the best place for kids to run around and just be kids, and that’s what the client wanted.”

The family’s main home is in Richmond Heights, where school activities and weekend sports occupy the majority of their time. They were searching for a weekend retreat within an hour’s drive of St. Louis where they could enjoy the outdoors—hiking, swimming, canoeing. “It started with my husband, who felt like we needed a sanctuary, and he had a log cabin in mind,” says the homeowner. The couple had been looking in southern Missouri and had even made an offer on a house there, but when that deal fell through, they broadened their search.