The spacious downtown loft of stylist/salon owner Steve Lacy is a perfect reflection of his personal style and the things he loves. He moved in less than a year ago and has spent a great deal of time since making the space feel like home. Located in the Bankers Lofts building, its open layout and significant square footage, particularly for a one-bedroom, instantly drew him in.
Lacy had been living in another, smaller loft downtown and considering a move to Houston before finding the apartment. When he decided to stay in St. Louis, he started looking for a new permanent home online, but his search ended the moment he walked into the loft.
“I wasn’t even out the door and had the application filled out,” he laughs. “When I saw it, I knew it had my name written all over it. I never had enough space to display my art.”
The large living space allowed Lacy to create several seating areas for relaxing and entertaining, and even have a real dining “room” in addition to the kitchen island. This, he says, is a departure from many of the newer-built one-bedroom lofts, which tend to be much smaller.
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“You might barely get a couch and a chair and a couple barstools in there,” he says of other spaces he saw. “I have plenty of room to have my furniture displayed, plenty of room to move around. I like to entertain, too, so everyone can sit and chill.”
Enormous windows fill the far wall of the living room, overlooking Washington Avenue and flooding the space with natural light. High wood beamed ceilings with exposed ductwork and polished concrete floors are hallmarks of loft living.
Lacy has filled the space with a mix of contemporary furniture and accessories purchased at various favorite retailers including Restoration Hardware, Arhaus, Wayfair, Etsy and Amazon.
“I like a modern look with an eclectic feel,” he says. “The couch is sort of traditional, but then I like to pair something odd with it — whatever reflects me. I just keep moving it around until I like how it looks.”
A vibrant piece of art infused on metal in a splatter-painted frame that Lacy acquired at a gallery in Houston hang in the entry foyer.
Self-described as “obsessed with coffee table books,” Lacy has a huge collection that is displayed on nearly every surface, mostly focused on topics of art and design.
A long wall stretching all the way from the end of the living room down the hallway to the bedroom area makes the perfect gallery for Lacy’s favorite framed prints, canvases and posters that he’s collected over the years — mostly by Black artists or reflecting Black culture. A favorite is an ornately framed black and white photograph by American photographer Gordon Parks depicting three women protesting segregation.
Lining either side of the hallway is Lacy’s collection of framed movie posters from some of his favorite films, as well framed Playbills from productions he attended of “Dreamgirls” and “The Color Purple.”
The bedroom suite is tucked away at the back of the loft, separated from the main living space, making it serene and quiet. With a walk-in closet and large bathroom, it provides a relaxing retreat. A tall, glass display case houses another of Lacy’s obsessions — cologne — with numerous collectible bottles of his favorite fragrances carefully arranged on its shelves.
In addition to its convenient location, the building offers a small fitness room and two shared rooftop deck areas with grills and seating for outdoor entertaining city-style. Now that he’s fully settled, Lacy couldn’t be happier with the move, and has enjoyed meeting some of his neighbors.
“I like the space and I was able to put together my own style and have enough room,” he says. “I’ve lived a lot of places downtown, and this finally feels comfortable.”
Steve Lacy poses for a portrait in his home in downtown St. Louis next to his window which looks out onto Washington Avenue on Monday, May 23, 2022. Photo by Zachary Clingenpeel, [email protected]
Occupation • Salon owner and stylist at Christopher Stevens the Salon
Home • Bankers Lofts, Downtown St. Louis
Photos: At home with Steve Lacy
At Home with Steve Lacy
One of Lacy’s large, colorful canvas art pieces hangs above a tufted sofa. He likes to pick up throw pillows and accent pieces at Homegoods. Natural light floods the space from the wall of windows overlooking Washington Avenue.
At Home with Steve Lacy
Steve Lacy poses for a portrait in his home in downtown St. Louis sitting on his couch on Monday, May 23, 2022. Photo by Zachary Clingenpeel, [email protected]
At Home with Steve Lacy
The open living space features polished concrete floors and high, wood beamed ceilings with exposed ductwork. Lacy purchased the trunk-style coffee table from Restoration Hardware and piled it with coffee table books, one of his favorite things to collect.
At Home with Steve Lacy
A set of printed artwork hangs on a green wall near Steve Lacy’s front door, greeting visitors as the first artwork in his home in downtown St. Louis on Monday, May 23, 2022. Photo by Zachary Clingenpeel, [email protected]
At Home with Steve Lacy
A vibrant piece of art infused on metal in a splatter-painted frame that Lacy acquired at a gallery in Houston hang in the entry foyer.
At Home with Steve Lacy
An original painting by local St. Louis artist Cbabi Bayoc hangs alongside other pieces of artwork in Steve Lacy’s home in downtown St. Louis on Monday, May 23, 2022. Photo by Zachary Clingenpeel, [email protected]
At Home with Steve Lacy
In the dining area, Lacy splurged on a pair of green velvet end chairs from online retailer High Fashion Home to go with his contemporary glass table from Joss & Main and reproduction “Ghost Chairs” from Wayfair. On the wall is one of his prized pieces, an elegantly framed photo by American photographer Gordon Parks.
At Home with Steve Lacy
Glass diffuses light into the lobby of the Banker Lofts downtown where Steve Lacy lives in St. Louis on Monday, May 23, 2022. Photo by Zachary Clingenpeel, [email protected]
At Home with Steve Lacy
The Banker Lofts downtown is the home of Steve Lacy in St. Louis on Monday, May 23, 2022. Photo by Zachary Clingenpeel, [email protected]
At Home with Steve Lacy
A unique, angled bookshelf Lacy purchased online is a focal piece in the dining area.
At Home with Steve Lacy
The hallway leading to the bedroom is lined with movie posters from some of Lacy’s favorite films, as well as Playbills from performances he attended.
At Home with Steve Lacy
Decorative artwork sits on a table behind Steve Lacy’s couch in his home in St. Louis on Monday, May 23, 2022. Photo by Zachary Clingenpeel, [email protected]
At Home with Steve Lacy
Steve Lacy’s collection of colognes sits in a display case in his hall in St. Louis on Monday, May 23, 2022. Photo by Zachary Clingenpeel, [email protected]
At Home with Steve Lacy
A St. Louis flag hangs outside of Steve Lacy’s downtown condo on Monday, May 23, 2022. Photo by Zachary Clingenpeel, [email protected]
At Home with Steve Lacy
A lion statue wears a crown and rests on a small glass table in Steve Lacy’s home in St. Louis on Monday, May 23, 2022. Photo by Zachary Clingenpeel, [email protected]
At Home with Steve Lacy
A distressed chest from Arhaus sits between two large floor mirrors in one of the living room’s two seating areas. Another colorful canvas from Lacy’s collection hangs above
At Home with Steve Lacy
The bedroom suite is quiet and serene, tucked at the back of the loft away from the main living area. The tufted bed frame is from Arhaus.
At Home with Steve Lacy
Steve Lacy’s kitchen marks the middle of his home in downtown St. Louis on Monday, May 23, 2022. Photo by Zachary Clingenpeel, [email protected]
