Our clients, married and in their 60s, bought the home in an effort to downsize from their previous home, which was over 10,000 square feet. He was a high-profile businessman in the area. We wanted the house to reflect the creativity in both husband and wife: polished, well-traveled yet not flashy. Both have been long-time residents of the Philadelphia area, and they wanted a one-floor, smaller home, yet one that was very conducive to entertaining – which the clients do a lot. We aimed to create a sophisticated and elegant home where practical considerations played a key role in its interiors.
The clients are very sophisticated and well-traveled, so we wanted them to have spaces that felt elevated, fresh and different from other homes on the Main Line. Plus, they were very clear that they wanted comfort to be key, where their two dogs have full-reign! Not to mention many grandchildren. But comfort in pieces of furniture, particularly in all of the seating, had to be at the forefront. The clients spend a lot of time reading with their feet up, so all of the upholstered reading chairs had to look the part but also highly-function.
We knew we wanted a somewhat untraditional, non-white kitchen, and then we bounced off from that position. The clients were very open to using color as a theme and, because we don’t have a “house style,” we wanted to run with that. Not all clients are open to an array of color and pattern, but these clients luckily were.
Given the layout of the home – with the central living room as the hub – we wanted to begin with the most neutral palette in the space, and then create very colorful and vibrant off-shoots from there. Minty sage in the calm kitchen (Farrow & Ball Eddy), moody and midnight tones in the den (Farrow & Ball Hague Blue), a home bar/cigar room in plum colors (Farrow & Ball Brinjal), and the two bedrooms highlighting the feminine and the masculine: duck egg blue with hints of blush and, separately, crisp, burnt orange with wheat. The central living room is the only room painted a warm white. All of the other rooms – including the bathrooms – have a deep and rich tone (emerald zellige tiles and deep grey, Porter Teleo wallpaper).
Team:
Interior Designers: Melissa & Miller
Builder: Orion
Architect: Neil Young
Photos: Brian Wetzel
Stylist: Kristi Hunter
Materials Used:
As always, it was important to us to work with smaller makers and artisans – the more local, the better, and we always enjoy working with other female artists. And we knew the client was open to unusual lighting choices. Once we heard that, we sourced from some incredible suppliers: local woodworkers like East Otis, who helped create the L-shaped bookshelves that flank the stepped-down living room, and Nat Fry, as well as female designers like Hoffman Hardware for the kitchen hardware, and large globe pendants from Cuff in LA, as well as Aldridge & Supple fabric (from London) for throw pillows.
We used lots and lots of textures: wools, leathers, silk, cotton, and more, all with natural woods like natural oak. Many of the fabrics and wallpapers are from high-end suppliers like De Gournay, Fromental, De La Cuona, Rogers & Goffigon, Scalamandre, Larsen, Pierre Frey, and more. For rugs, we went to Erik Lindstrom’s stunning NYC showroom and had fun picking some pieces.
- Entry: wall lights by Apparatus.
- Living room: L-shaped Varickk sofa by Maiden Home with Schumacher fabric. Elyse freeform coffee table by Eternity Modern. Sumo chair and Sumo ottoman by Holly Hunt. L-shaped bookshelves by East Otis. Credenzas by Nat Fry. Gregarious Pineas Hansen end table by Holly Hunt. 1960s vintage Czech chairs from 1stdibs with Rogers and Goffigan fabric. Maker’s chair by Lawson Fenning. Amber small Soda tables from Comerford. Suspended lighting by Cuff Studio. Potosi area rug by Erik Lindstrom.
- Dining room: Lance dining chairs by Palecek with Brook Perdigon fabric. Stave dining table by Black Creek Mountain. Mollino large tiered chandelier by Visual Comfort. Stella sconces by Lostine.
- Kitchen: Amazonia wallpaper by De Gournay. AP counter stools by Thomas Hayes. Fues medium pendants by Visual Comfort.
- Desk area: Satine office chair by Lulu and Georgia with Scalamandre fabric.
- Den: Writing desk by Chelsea Textiles. LF Castello Dome pendant by Lawson Fenning. Varickk sofa by Maiden Home with Designers Guild/Osborne and Little fabric. Custom ottoman by Richard Herzog with Kelly Wearstler/Lee Jofa fabric. Wall to wall carpet by Rosecore. LF Capitola table by Lawson Fenning. Jalama end table by Lawson Fenning.
- Bedroom: Serena accent bench by Four Hands. Wall lights by Urban Electric. Cobe hang pendant by Urban Electric. The Smith bed by Maiden Home. Ojai nightstands by Lawson Fenning. Bookshelf under TV by Lawson Fenning. Carpet by Prestige Mills/7 West Carpet. Wallpaper by Philip Jeffries.
- Sitting room corner: Wallpaper by Fromental. Wall lights by Urban Electric. Swivel Rocker chair and ottoman by Alta Nova with Brunschwig + Fils fabric. Pierre side table from Design Within Reach. Olivia dresser by Made Goods. Norah dresser by Croft House. Whimberly flush mount by Urban Electric.
- Bar: Tuxedo wall lamps by Blueprint Lighting. ClassiCon Bell coffee table in brass and amethyst violet by Sebastian Herkner. Rex flush mount (ceiling light) by Urban Electric. Inga bar stools by Thomas Hayes in Schumacher fabric. Margie swivel chairs by Lulu and Georgia with Designers Guild fabric. Folia rug by Erik Lindstrom.
