Newly Expanded Living Room Offers Extra Space and More Vegan and Vegetarian Fare

Almost immediately after opening their Maplewood coffeehouse, Living Room (2808 Sutton Boulevard, Maplewood; 314-899-0173), seven years ago, Hannah and Nate Larson knew they needed a bigger space. Though the brother and sister duo had originally envisioned their business as an intimate tasting room where guests could sample different coffees and nosh on some freshly baked bread, it was obvious that their customers wanted more.

"We thought it was OK for the building to be small, because we didn't think we'd need a lot of seating since it would be invite only," Hannah explains. "We opened with a very limited menu and full coffee bar, but immediately customers were like, 'That bread — can you put some egg, cheese and bacon on it?' It got to the point, by year three or four, that there was a line out the door on weekends, and there was nowhere to sit. We'd watch families come in for brunch, see that none of our three tables was open, and go somewhere else."

Now Hannah and Nate can easily accommodate those hungry patrons in their newly expanded digs. In early January, the pair opened the doors to a much larger Living Room, comprised of their original storefront as well as the adjacent space formerly occupied by Bolyard's Meat & Provisions (which also expanded down the road last May). With the wall between the two spaces now gone, the much larger Living Room now boasts two rooms of seating, an expanded coffee bar service area, a patio quadruple the area of its former outdoor seating space and a significantly enhanced kitchen.


Though the additional seating allows the Larsons to offer more seating to their guests, the upgrade is about much more than adding in some tables. The entirety of the former space has been transformed into a full kitchen, allowing the pair to expand their menu and think through the sort of cafe they want to be without the constraints imposed by the cafe's formerly small size. Now, with both an expo and prep kitchen, the culinary team can prep during service, rather than waiting until the cafe was closed, allowing them the room to simply prepare more dishes and the headspace to get more creative.

"The time closed [for the renovation] allowed us to fine-tune our menu a little and get clarity about where we want to go in the future, which is in a more vegan and vegetarian direction," Hannah says. "We have added things to the menu that are all vegan or vegetarian; we will still have local chicken from Buttonwood Farms and bacon, but everything else is vegan and vegetarian. Our tagline is 'All are welcome,' so we want focus on building community, and definitely the environment and sustainability are a huge part of building community for the long haul and not just for today."

Alongside Living Room's beloved favorites, new dishes include a Buffalo cauliflower sandwich, featuring tempura battered cauliflower, housemade pickles, housemade vegan ranch, mixed greens and red onions all served on a crusty, freshly baked baguette. Another new item that is proving to be quite popular is the spinach artichoke grilled cheese, with melds wilted spinach, sautéed artichoke hearts and almond ricotta into a creamy concoction served between two slices of housemade white bread.


The Larsons are also thrilled to have more space for their coffee service area, which gives their baristas more room to let their creativity shine. Additionally, they have added a pickup window, facing Sutton Boulevard so guests can grab a coffee or a bite to eat without having to walk inside. These enhancements, together with the possibilities of dinner pop-ups now that they have the capacity to tackle such events are finally allowing the Larsons to welcome their guests in a more comfortable setting and create the cafe they have always dreamed of operating.

"Our big hope and dream for the future is to be able to welcome more people in the space to be able to comfortably enjoy what we have worked so hard to offer people," Hannah says. "It's an inclusive space for the community, and we have also done a lot of reflecting and deep thinking about how to balance our values with then needs of our business and our community."

Living Room is open Monday through Saturday from 7 a.m. until 3 p.m. and Sundays from 8 a.m. until 3 p.m. Scroll down for more photos of the newly expanded Living Room.












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