A chance meeting at a friend's party led to an extensive and unique makeover for Elsie and Tom Gorski's condo. Though the couple downsized nine years ago from a center-hall colonial in Shrewsbury to a cedar and brick condo in Twin Oaks, Tom says, "It was (still) traditional space, and we had traditional furniture. We began with a simple concept of putting a hole in the condo kitchen wall to be able to seat more people, because that's where they gather."

Then they saw the kitchen and bath that Mike Hughes of Kirkwood remodeled for their friends and met Mike at the party. He had directed store design and construction for a division of Brown Group but now heads Crem Inc., which specializes in residential design. After four months of planning with the Gorskis and another four months of destruction and construction, he transformed their 1,000-square-foot upper level into a sleek, unique space. Playful details inside and large pine trees outside stand out against a neutral palette of gray walls and high-traffic gray carpet. The living and dining areas are open to the kitchen.

The kitchen's very linear look is softened by a 6-foot diameter round window overlooking the plant-filled deck. Mike repeated the wood window in the dining area but used mirrored glass inside the frame to reflect light. "I like radius," he says. "It's a relief to the other forms."

Somewhere in the process, the designer says, the style morphed from traditional to modern, "more Bauhaus, minimalist." He acknowledges that the look is not for everyone. "There's a 'wow factor' here, but in St. Louis, this is just not very popular." Still, Tom said, he and his wife enjoyed the collaboration. "Mike is really easy to work with; he'd always see if we were comfortable with each step."

The results combine form with function. Tom says: "The space works great for entertaining. Elsie is Italian, and we have meatball night at Christmas and people make meatballs and drink wine here."

She says, "I always wonder what people are going to think when they walk in here. I'm really happy with it; it's fun to share with everyone."

Tom notes, "When you remodel, there are certain things that you do, like kitchens and baths; we recognize that we went beyond that," even eliminating a bedroom to enlarge the master. "We had a house-changing experience. If you're going to live in a place, why not enjoy it? We've moved around a lot, but this is it!"