Attention: You are using an outdated browser, device or you do not have the latest version of JavaScript downloaded and so this website may not work as expected. Please download the latest software or switch device to avoid further issues.
Architect: Purdy O'Gwynn Meyers Architects
Neighborhood: Chestnut Hill
Project Type: Renovation/Addition
Square Footage: 6,150 sq ft
Photographer: Halkin Mason Photography
Situated in a leafy suburb of Philadelphia, this single-family site offers privacy and open play space for children. The original house, designed by local architects Willing, Sims & Talbutt in 1924, has beautifully proportioned rooms, each associated with a lushly planted outdoor space. The focus of the project was to renovate the former service wing of the house with updated amenities. Equally important was that the renovations be designed in a modern idiom that was complementary to the historic house.
Challenges on the first floor of the service wing included low ceilings. To offset this, the minimalist kitchen and pantry cabinets are white high gloss lacquer with white quartz countertops and back-splashes, paired with white painted walls. Also light in color are the rift- sawn white oak legs and cabinetry beneath the island and the flush, full height cabinets of the mudroom. Rich brown stone flooring grounds the whole space, while new openings at both ends bring the outside in.
The second floor of the service wing was originally divided into smaller spaces with dormer windows. Removing the two bedrooms created one generous guest room and home office. Flush maple cabinetry houses closets and a desk with built-in bookshelves. The bathroom is finished in limestone tile, with maple millwork and an etched glass shower screen.
The house appears from the street as a series of volumes diminishing in size. At the east end sits an addition harboring the family entrance to the kitchen wing. Materials like the slate roof and the Wissahickon schist base were meticulously crafted to match the original house. The glass bay of the addition replaces single pane steel sash with double-glazed aluminum clad casements. Only on the east side of the addition is the historical palette abandoned in favor of plate glass and a cantilevered roof.