news/blog

Inside O’Toole’s New HQ in St. Louis

O’Toole Design joins its affiliate Green Street Real Estate Ventures in new home in Forest Park Southeast. Read More Photos by Jeannie Liautaud Photography STL Business Journal...

The District Marketing Package

In conjunction with their development of The District in Chesterfield, The Staenberg Group needed a clever way to market the new amenities to potential tenants. To accomplish this we designed a comprehensive marketing folder, reminiscent of a record sleeve, playing...

Westview Place Renovation

Westview Place, a multi-tenant office building in Creve Coeur, needed to maximize its small footprint while providing a much needed pop of sophistication for the tenants in the building. The three main areas in need of some TLC was a refresh of the existing lobby, a...

Jewish Federation of St. Louis Transformation

The existing Kopolow Building for the Jewish Federation of St. Louis was suffering from a lack of natural light, accessibility, functionality, and security and was long overdue for a facelift. Partnering with TR,i Architects, we developed a fresh welcoming space,...

Kirkwood Performing Arts Center Logo

Did you know that while we create beautiful spaces, we can also create beautiful brands to go with that space? In the last two years, we have added graphic design capabilities to our repertoire, allowing for a broader creative reach. These talents came in handy over...

O’Toole/Formica Partnership at Carmelite

We love working with manufacturers who provide real-life solutions to some of our toughest challenges. In this article from Formica, they highlighted a recent collaboration between us to provide both functional style and durability at the Carmelite Child Development...

November Employee Spotlight – Katie Swehla

Katie Swehla Accounting/Bookkeeper Years at O’Toole Design? 2.5 years What drew you to O’Toole Design? Finding ODA was a little serendipitous. I was introduced to Michelle by a mutual acquaintance who knew she was looking for a bookkeeper. I was impressed with ODA’s...

November Client Spotlight – Justin Reise, WWT

Justin Reise Director of Corporate Properties World Wide Technology Years at WWT? 23 Total number of years working with O’Toole Design? 7 Main design contact at O’Toole? Kim Johnson What was your initial project with O’Toole? World Wide Technology Corporate...

Special School District Early Learning Center Relocation Design

Taking a confined and dated space with no natural light to an open and welcoming collaborative space is no easy feat. When the Early Learning Center of Special School District came to us in early 2018, they had recently purchased a new building in North County,...

October Employee Spotlight – Sommer Keling

Sommer Keling Fall Intern Years at O’Toole Design? 1 month! What drew you to O’Toole Design? The fact that ODA is a smaller company is what initially drew me in, and then how kind and comforting everyone was at my interview helped me make the decision to intern here....

October Client Spotlight – Scott Seymour, ISC Contracting

Scott Seymour Vice President ISC Contracting Years at ISC? 31 Total number of years working with O’Toole Design? 18 Main design contact at O’Toole? Michelle, Kim & Debbie What was your initial project with O’Toole? CHAN in 2001 What was important to you when...

September Employee Spotlight – Diane Drury

Diane Drury Office Administrator Years at O’Toole Design? 3 years, 8 months What drew you to O’Toole Design? I was retired and still wanted to work part time. O’Toole Design was an opportunity to work for a great company in a creative environment close to home. It was...

August Employee Spotlight – Heather Jones

Heather Jones Creative Director Years at O’Toole Design? 1 What drew you to O’Toole Design? After an extensive graphics career, I wanted to continue to expand my skills within the Branded Environments world. Through a mutual connection, I was connected to...

August Client Spotlight – Lisa Bulczak, Midwest BankCentre

Lisa Bulczak Sr. VP – Director of Facilities Midwest BankCentre Years at MBC? 3 Total number of years working with O’Toole Design? 3 Main design contact at O’Toole? Debbie Stamer What was your initial project with O’Toole? Midwest BankCentre @ Friendly Temple...

2019 Book of Lists – Largest Interior Design Firms

We are honored to once again be listed among the largest Interior Design firms in St. Louis! We moved up four spaces from 17th to 13th over the course of the last year, and we couldn’t be more proud of our growing team! If you’re interested in learning...

July Employee Spotlight – Meredith Carmier

Meredith Carmier Senior Designer Years at O’Toole Design? 1 What drew you to O’Toole Design? After moving to St. Louis from Seattle, I was connected to ODA through a fellow IIDA member involved in her KU alumni group. She had heard ODA was hiring, I sent in my resume,...

July Client Spotlight – Tim Masa, Cooperative Building Solutions

Tim Masa President Cooperative Building Solutions Years at CBS? 10 Total number of years working with O’Toole Design? 12 Main design contact at O’Toole? Kim Johnson What was your initial project with O’Toole? Callaway Electric Cooperative What was important to you...

June Employee Spotlight – Maren Hampton

Maren Hampton Summer Intern How long have you worked at O’Toole Design? A little over a month! What drew you to an internship at O’Toole Design? I job shadowed here in High School and really enjoyed it, so when it was time to apply for internships, O’Toole was...

June Client Spotlight – Michael Staenberg, The Staenberg Group

Michael Staenberg Principal The Staenberg Group Years at The Staenberg Group? 7 years. Prior to that THF was around for 22 years. Total number of years working with O’Toole Design? I’ve been working with Michelle O’Toole and then ODA for over 30 years. Main design...

May Employee Spotlight – Rachel Townsend

Rachel Townsend Interior Designer Years at O’Toole Design? 2 years in July What drew you to O’Toole Design? The variety of projects/clients, plus them being a smaller company. What is your favorite project so far at O’Toole Design? Special School District Offices and...

May Client Spotlight – David Payne, PayneCrest

David Payne President PayneCrest Electric and Communications Years at PayneCrest? 35 Total number of years working with O’Toole Design? 25 Main design contact at O’Toole? Michelle What was your initial project with O’Toole? Renovation of Payne Electric office on North...

April Employee Spotlight – Alysa Paladino

Alysa Paladino Interior Designer Years at O’Toole Design? 2 years in July What drew you to O’Toole Design? The tight knit group of coworkers and the various opportunities that came along with working for a small firm. What is your favorite project so far at O’Toole...

Alberici Rainforest Room Gets a Facelift

The Rainforest Room at Alberici Corporation has recently undergone a major transformation, updating the dated and dungeon-like room into a fresh, modern and usable space. So usable, that the once barren room that no one wanted to use now has a steady flow of traffic...

March Employee Spotlight – Kim Johnson

Kim Johnson Senior Designer & Project Manager Years at O’Toole Design? 20 What drew you to O’Toole Design? When making the move to St. Louis 20 years ago, O’Toole Design was the perfect fit for me. I was intrigued by Michelle’s drive to create great spaces...

March Client Spotlight – Melissa Emmenegger, World Wide Technology

Melissa Emmenegger Senior Manager, Corporate Properties World Wide Technology Years at WWT? 12 Total number of years working with O’Toole Design? 7 Main design contact at O’Toole? Kim Johnson What was your initial project with O’Toole? World Wide Technology Corporate...

KCJC Highlights Staenberg and Recent O’Toole Project

O’Toole Design has had a long and successful history partnering with Michael Staenberg, Jewish philanthropist and founder of The Staenberg Group. Being an integral part of the updates and remodels of the JCCs in St. Louis, Kansas City, Omaha, Denver and beyond,...

February Employee Spotlight – Debbie Stamer

    Debbie Stamer Senior Designer & Project Manager Years at O’Toole Design? 20 What drew you to O’Toole Design? I was looking for a company where I could grow professionally and one that was still small enough to provide a more personalized approach...

February Client Spotlight – Matt Wever, JCC St. Louis

Matt Wever Senior Director – Facilities Jewish Community Center of St. Louis Years at JCC? 20 Total number of years working with O’Toole Design? 15 Main design contact at O’Toole? Debbie Stamer What was your initial project with O’Toole? Renovation of Marilyn...

January Employee Spotlight – Michelle O’Toole

  Michelle O’Toole Principal/Founder Years at O’Toole Design? 25, I started in my basement in January of 1994. What inspired you to start your own company? I wanted to be flexible with my schedule and forge my own destiny, as well as work with people that...

Kim Celebrates 20 Years

Dependable. Honest. Talented. Creative. Integrity. Team Player. Our O’Toole team was overflowing with positive words for Kim Johnson, our newest employee to hit the 20 year mark. Kim’s detailed and approachable demeanor has made her a team leader at...

January Client Spotlight – Alicia Fleming, Ascension

Throughout 2019, we will be featuring some of our clients, especially those with a longstanding relationship with O’Toole. We start with one of our longest-running relationships – Alicia Fleming with Ascension. Alicia Fleming Manager, Facilities Services...

O’Toole Design is Celebrating 25 Years!

“Only 50% of small businesses will ever make it past their 5 year anniversary, and only 30% of those will make it past 10.” – Bureau of Labor Statistics In January of 1994, founder and President Michelle O’Toole took a leap of faith to start her own company, not...

Debbie Celebrates 20 Years

Patient. Sweet. Creative. Hard Working. Thorough. Efficient. These are just a few of the kind words our O’Toole team had for our second longest running employee, Debbie Stamer. Joining owner and Principal Michelle O’Toole in October 1998, Debbie has been a...

2018 Illumination Awards

We are excited to announce we are once again winners of the Illumination Awards for the Saint Louis IES (Illuminating Engineering Society) Section. O’Toole Senior Designer and Project Manager, Kim Johnson, along with Sean Naeger and Justin Bruce from M+H...

2018 Book of Lists

We are happy to announce our inclusion on the 2018 St. Louis Business Journal’s Book of Lists for St. Louis’s Largest Interior Design Firms. St. Louis is filled with incredibly talented interior designers, and we are so lucky to have some of the most...

WWT Video & Event

O’Toole Design has unveiled a new video that explains our process for designing a state-of-the-art building like WWT, which you can view here! O’Toole Design and M+H hosted an evening event at our recently completed project, World Wide Technology Global...

Our client, WWT, is attributed for growth in Westport Plaza

Westport Plaza in Maryland Heights has undergone a rebirth. Thousands of jobs are moving to the area, with additional developments soon to follow. Other companies are also moving in, with an estimate 500 jobs soon to relocate in Westport. Read the full article...

World Wide Technology site visit

Kim and Kate—hard hats and all—on the job site at the soon-to-be-completed World Wide Technology Building at Westport Plaza!...

Top Women Business Owner’s Award

We celebrated Michelle O’Toole’s award today at the Top Women Business Owners Luncheon at the Hilton Frontenac Hotel.  Each year Small Business Monthly (SBM) highlights the area’s TOP WOMEN-OWNED COMPANIES in St...

JCC Denver

The first of many upcoming O’Toole Design projects at the JCC in Denver....

Welcome back Rachel Marks!

Welcome back Rachel Marks who is interning for us during her winter break! Rachel is a 5th year graduate student at Kansas State University. She is currently earning her Master of Interior Architecture & Product Design degree and will graduate spring of 2017. It...

Happy Holidays from O’Toole Design

As we reflect on the year’s gifts, we are grateful for the ways you have touched our lives, and the opportunity to be part of yours.  With gratitude to you and in the spirit of the holiday season, O’Toole Design has donated to Operation Food Search. Happy...

Stillwater Senior Living published in Philly Queen Commerical brochure

O’Toole Design’s “Stillwater Senior Living” project is featured in a new product brochure by Philadelphia Commercial Carpet! Philadelphia‘s brochure notes that, “today’s seniors want more than places that feel like home. They want places that ARE home.” That was...

Operation Food Search is complete!

   Thanks to our friends at Operation Food Search for letting us design their cool and colorful new space!  O’Toole volunteered at Operation Food Search this fall, and also donated to this worthy organization for the holiday...

Curling is a lot harder than it looks!

         O’Toole and M+H went CURLING for our annual holiday party!  Here we are, newly trained in how to deliver the stone to the house (preferably in the button) with the help of our skip and sweepers, careful not to slip off the slider when leaving the hack,...

Toys for Tots

   O’Toole Design, M+H Architects and Hogan Trucking collaborated to collect and donate 235 Toys for...

Festive evening decorating gingerbread houses

     We really got into the holiday spirit, decorating gingerbread houses at Companion Bread Teaching Kitchen. There was a lot of creativity and a little bit of  friendly competition. Thank you Momentum Textiles, Bentley Mills, National Office Furniture and Interior...

WWT is one “step” closer to completion

              The new World Wide Technology, Inc. (WWT) Headquarters is one “step” closer to completion. The exterior sign is up and the custom monumental stair is in!  O’Toole design teamed up with M+H Architects to design a 210,000 square feet, 7-story global...

Welcome Keaton!

Keaton Tyler recently joined our team as a student intern. She is currently pursuing her a B.F.A in Interior Design at Maryville University and will graduate in fall 2018. When we asked her why she chose design, she said “I have been interested in design since I was...

O’Toole wins 3rd place at Rocking-a-Stocking design contest

      O’Toole’s Jungle Book themed stocking was awarded 3rd place at this year’s annual Rocking-a-Stocking design contest hosted at Working Spaces in partnership with Kimball Office to benefit SSM Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital. Twenty-three St....

Kate Scannell has been promoted!

Congratulations to Kate Scannell who has been promoted to Senior Designer + Project Manager. Kate joined the O’Toole team January 2014 and now has over 7 years of experience in the interior design field. Clients appreciate Kate’s background and understanding of...