Philadelphia Townhouse

This Philadelphia townhouse was originally built in the 1860s in the early neoclassical style, with many handsome details from that period. It also has layers of changes and additions completed by the many generations that have passed through. Our decoration built upon the layers, making the conscious choice to augment and improve upon what we found and weave all the parts together.

The client had a rich and varied collection of antiques so we juxtaposed old and new forms to highlight their shape, color, and patina. The bold combination of a lacquered blue Parsons dining table from the 1970s surrounded by the Portuguese chair is a prime example of this.

The solarium has walls made of Texas shellstone, and the plaque above the fountain has a local provenance. It was carved by Giuseppe Jardella at the end of the 18th century for a folly on the Morris estate and later used on the façade of Benjamin Latrobe’s Chestnut Street theatre, sadly demolished around the time the solarium was built in 1931.