Designing indelible experiences for 4 Hands Brewing and their devout followers

Now, 12 years since that Sauce interview, Lemp and 4 Hands have become an incredible craft brewing success story. They are currently expanding beyond their flagship downtown location with another great place for craft beer in the new hub at The District at Chesterfield, an increasingly dynamic entertainment destination in St. Louis County already featuring a Topgolf, a live music venue, local food concepts and numerous other businesses.

Our team is proud to be designing 4 Hands' new space at The District in Chesterfield which will include a 10,000 sf tasting room, a free-family arcade and a private event space with an oversized patio and food from the popular local Hi-Point Drive-In chain.

“I’m excited to expand westward,” Lemp told local media when announcing the new space. “I grew up in the area and it feels good to open a location back in my neighborhood. While we remain hyper-passionate and committed to the City of St. Louis, this opportunity fits perfectly with our growth strategy.”

For our team, both the growing relationship with 4 Hands and the opportunity to transform what was a former outlet mall into a leading-edge brewery space in Chesterfield, MO, have been incredible opportunities.

“How do you tell the story of one of the fastest-growing craft breweries in our region? That’s a fascinating creative challenge that allows us to explore new design possibilities,” said John McAllister, our design lead for the 4 Hands work. “Our partnership has been successful because of the deep trust we’ve built with Kevin and the 4 Hands team. He’s been so open with us, it empowers us to design as if the 4 Hands story is our own.”

With the Chesterfield location, John and the team focused on balancing transformation with overreach. The space selected for the new brewery was a former food court that needed bold reimagination while also keeping common design vocabulary that translated to 4 Hands' flagship location in the heart of St. Louis.

The team relied on simple geometries and material transitions to achieve the right balance. “Kevin loves a strong balance of warm and cold materials. He loves metal…with a touch of wood. He loves color…but not too much. Let’s infuse something rustic…but make it modern.” The signature exterior design move transforms the building’s exterior canopy into an elegant datum line across the facade that can be seen up close and from afar as an iconic element.

The team fused all of Kevin and 4 Hands cues with creative energy to design a transformative space in Chesterfield where brewers and guests can both enjoy themselves.

4 Hands is deeply proud of the St. Louis region and works to embody that in its beer and brand. Kevin and his team engage a local artist to design their cans and the graphics and artwork in their spaces. And, several beers are oriented around City Wide and State Wide missions, helping generate significant funds for pillars of St. Louis and local organizations including Mission: St. Louis, Unleashing Potential and Kids Vision for Life.

“Kevin and 4 Hands' passion for St. Louis echoes in everything they do. As we designed their new space in Chesterfield we never lost sight of that,” added Whit Rogers, a designer on the 4 Hands project. “We had to create an incredible space that ensured the art, the civic pride, and the beer could take center stage.”

As wonderful as the design opportunity has been, both John and Whit allude to how much they enjoy the relationship with Kevin and his 4 Hands team. They consistently get together to have a beer and talk about design ideas, new possibilities, family, life and more. Our team has already agreed to help 4 Hands with a new space at the St. Louis airport too.

“4 Hands is all about family. Kevin’s said that the name traces back to just the importance of family,” adds John. “We feel that. Our relationship is a familial friendship at this point.”