Highland House - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
REBECCA McALPIN Photographer
VESTIGE HOME Stylist
You move into your first home and think, “we’ll stay for just a while and then we’ll move on.”
Fast-forward a few years and you find that you love your sweet neighborhood and your beautiful street dotted with mature sycamores. Your favorite places are just a short stroll away - restaurants, shops and even your favorite local co-op. In your heart, you don’t want to move but that starter home just doesn’t feel quite right yet. You’re ready to make it your own - more personality, a little more sophisticated.
This is exactly where our Highland House clients found themselves when they reached out in February 2019. They had started the process of updating their dated furniture but they felt intimidated by the process and we’re quite sure of how to pull the rooms together in a cohesive way. Despite all of this, they thought that perhaps there was some potential, and called us to see what could be done.
“We started our journey when we decided against a move and as a result decided that we wanted to make the best of our current home. In essence, we wanted to “move” into an awesome new living space that was our current home. And we wanted to enjoy our new spaces with a sense of joy, calm and great design that our home lacked – we wanted to feel we’d checked into a small design hotel right at home.”
— Highland House Client
After our initial meetings, our clients decided that they wanted us to tackle the rooms where they spent most of their time as a family and with visiting friends. Through our consultation process we learned that our clients loved elements of Danish Modern design and craved a connection to the natural world within their home. Our design statement was to create a cozy and welcoming space with modern, clean lines with organic elements. With the direction in hand, we began drawing up plans for the dining room, living room, sunroom and office.
DINING ROOM
Our clients had filled their dining room with furniture that they had acquired over the years but they were finding that much of it was no longer useful to them . The piano had fallen out of use (in favor of other instruments being taken up) and an old curio cabinet in the corner felt too small and insignificant for the scale of the room. Our clients were ready for a new, modern dining set that was more keeping with their current style. The old ceiling fan was a bit of an eyesore and didn’t provide enough light for the large space. It was time to say goodbye to this homogenous brown and beige color scheme and welcome something with more personality.
BEFORE
AFTER
All hail the power of paint and wallpaper! A minimalist color palette of black, white, wood tones, and with touches of greenery give the new dining room a calm feeling, despite the bold wallpaper. We chose a custom-made walnut table for centerpiece of the room, illuminated and balanced by a soft Japanese style lantern chandelier. The abstract, large scale mirrors bounce light from the only window in the room and act as art pieces in themselves. The colors and natural references of the wallpaper give our clients that Scandinavian feel, but also offer a timeless connection to the past, almost like something you would see in a botanical illustration book from 200 years ago.
“Before the redesign, we often ended up dining at a kitchen island because our old dining room was such a mess and just never felt like it was our space. But now we look forward to moving into the dining room for meals, and we sit and talk longer than would have felt natural in a high traffic and more task-focused kitchen space. And the space just ‘fits’ and feels a lot better and more enjoyable – we want to be there now. ”
— Highland House Client
AFTER: This warm, modern cabinet is more appropriately scaled to the space and offers a spot for our client’s a growing collection of ceramics. We uncovered the radiators for some visual interest in it’s form but painted it the same color as the wainscoting so the eye just drifts across it’s shape (rather than it being a stand out element in the space) .
AFTER: We were able to reuse the clients antique cabinet that was originally on the other side of the room. It now acts as a bar area with hidden storage and a banquet lamp adds additional light to the space. Carrying the color from the wainscoting up onto the door and trim to the powder room adds drama to the mirrored door.
AFTER: Molded Eames side chairs with walnut legs that tie into the custom table tie into the minimalist, Scandinavian aesthetic.
LIVING ROOM
In the living room, the clients had recently purchased the sofa and chairs but they weren’t feeling the true value of those new pieces as the other furnishings and accessories didn’t feel quite special enough. The original rug was too small for the room (such a common mistake!) and the room felt dark without adequate lighting. The radiator covers took up an unnecessary amount of space in this already cozy room in addition to limiting furniture placement. There was a gorgeous sunroom on the other end of the living room, but it just didn’t feel very inviting.
BEFORE
AFTER
We picked a two tone finish for the walls that adds a subtle drama to the room. Your eye is now drawn into the sunroom beyond by framing the doors in rich black. An appropriately scaled, neutral rug helps to fill out the room. By removing the radiator covers we were able to create an improved and more conversational furniture layout by moving one of the client’s leather chairs to the corner by the television. Recessed lighting was installed and new fixtures added to allow to just the right amount of light for any situation.
AFTER: A two tone custom coffee table designed by vestige HOME is a better scale for the room. A handmade matte black and brass wall light provides task lighting for reading as well as acting as a bit of a wall accessory.
AFTER: Petros Koublis’ fine art photograph pays homage to our clients love of surfing. A side table with open cubbies on two sides allows for storage for both the sofa and the chair to the right. A classic, midcentury style lamp provides task lighting in the evenings.
AFTER: A classical Scandinavian designed console cabinet gives purpose to the TV area, the walnut wood and integrated handles add style and warmth to the space, and provide storage for A/ V equipment and other items.
THE SUNROOM
When we first arrived at our clients house, the sunroom just seemed like the forgotten room. No one wanted to spend time in the space, even though it was easily accessible from the other main areas of their home. Our clients were ready to say goodbye to the older furniture and they needed more purposeful storage for the whole family. On the plus side, there was a striking wood ceiling treatment the clients had installed and there were big, beautiful windows topped with a large sun ray window that is so quintessentially Philadelphia - here we had some great jumping off points.
BEFORE
AFTER
The sunroom had fantastic natural light so we decided to go with a saturated, dramatic dark, grey-green for the wall color. The trim was painted in the same color let the newly painted white windows shine. A cozy rug and reading corner give this room purpose and make it a place the clients finally want to retreat to at the end of a busy day.
AFTER: Warm oak shelving provides both open and closed storage for books, art, games, and other personal items. The oak ties together some of the colors found in the warm ceiling.
AFTER: Scandinavian styled chairs are comfortable, yet minimalist and are anchored by a green marble table with veining resembling wood. We found a proper home for our client’s personal artwork and used it for color inspiration for the traditional-style rug - an interesting juxtaposition with the more modern elements of the room.
One of the things that often gets forgotten after all of the pretty pictures is that none of this would be possible without having the trust and respect of your client. Admittedly, there was a bit of trepidation at our first presentations but we continued to help build confidence that bold choices in design can result in something truly special. It was amazing to see the soul of this home really start to shine, she’s certainly not beige and boring anymore! Nothing feels better than creating a space that feels personal and truly improves the daily lives of those who live there.
“By really listening and observing they (vestige HOME) were able to design a space that was a fit for us, that just felt right. As well, they really helped walk us through the process of understanding design proposals and getting past some initial concerns at how drastic a change some of the rooms would represent. In the end, any areas of ‘we’re not really sure’ or ‘it’s such a big change’ converted to ‘this is amazing!’. ”
— Highland House Client
xoxo,
the vestige HOME team
