Storyful Design

09/08/2023

We’re home in Philly! The last few weeks we have been slowly unpacking the whole house and getting things back in order after renting our house to tenants the last 7 months while we were away. One of the first priorities was getting my daughter a new bed. She outgrew the green crib/toddler bed (see slide 2).

My family had an antique wood spindle bed in storage from my grandmother she found somewhere that we claimed as the new bed. Decided to eliminate having a box spring so it sits low to the ground. Now working on dressing it up with some pretty linens. We are deep in 4 year old princess mode and so it’s got to be super femme and have elements of pink, but I try to balance with other fresh colors like yellows and greens to keep things layered and fresh.

I assembled these 2 schemes:
SOFT & PRETTY (image left)
or
CHEERY & PLAYFUL (image right)

My husband and I chose different (no surprise). Maybe my daughter will break the tie. Which would you choose? Let me know in the comments.

07/13/2023

My husband was traveling to the University of Birmingham in the UK for work and I tagged along to visit Winterbourne House and Garden that now belongs to the University. It is an early 20th century suburban estate built in the Arts & Crafts Period, featuring gorgeous historic William & Morris papers and fabrics throughout. And many lovely architectural details in the plaster, woodwork, and hardware, created by local craftsfolks.

The grounds feature stunning gardens and I was lucky to have a perfect weather day to enjoy them with my daughter. Inspiration abounds!

06/05/2023

Some completed construction photos sent to me by our contractor at the bathroom project in . Last pic is BEFORE. Still finishing touches of artwork, books and window treatments to come to complete the look. A unique design feature in this bathroom is the open shower that was also designed with accessibility in mind. We wanted to keep the bathroom as light and bright as possible and decided on this glass enclosure so you could still get the nice light from the window. The client talked about creating the feeling of an outdoor shower. I started researching exposed pipe shower systems that you often see in that scenario. I found a really awesome system that was designed to mount to glass like this, but it came at a luxury price that was way out of the budget. So I used that as inspiration and put together a custom system using much less expensive parts. Other challenge was the client did NOT want a rainhead which is often the style you see with exposed pipe systems. So this is truly super custom- the parts even come from different manufacturers and are pieced together. The contractor was awesome in coordinating the custom glass enclosure and getting a precise pre drilled hole to align perfectly with the riser attachment. The client reported the shower has already been tested and it does feel so bright and like showering outside. I love it when a plan comes together!

This bathroom also features a custom soapstone vanity, built-in millwork linen cabinet, custom mirror and medicine cabinet, and walnut shelving.

02/16/2023

Fresh Blog post is now live on the details into our design process for this Historic-Meets-Modern family bath reno!
✨ See Link Below ✨

I am a preservationist at heart, but also recognize the need to modernize and strive to do that in a way that is sensitive and thoughtful. It was such an honor to work on this project.

Design:
📸:

02/08/2023

A little pop of color to brighten the feed. I have been taking an abstract painting course one night per week this month. Had never done abstract before, and I’m finding so many similarities in determining a composition to interior design. It’s exciting and inspiring! You start with this blank canvas (always intimidating), but then you put in some grounding planes of color to define the space in larger zones and start to break it down. You continue to layer on color and textures, pulling back in some places and allowing more contrast in others for your eye to easily move around the “room.” There are micro zones of visual interest within the larger composition. A touch of black always helps. And one little bright contrast color pop (like that perfect accent pillow). It always turns out best when you don’t overthink it and just let intuition guide the way! Looking forward to learning more and applying this to my work.

12/30/2022

Feeling grateful and proud for the work that was achieved this year. This bathroom was designed in the summer of 2021 and construction began this past February and completed late spring. Last 2 photos are the before.

Design:
Construction: Jon Hoffman, Redmond General Contracting
Photos:

The brief was a complete gut renovation and new expanded layout of a primary shared family hall bath in a historic 1890’s West Philly home. We planned a new layout, taking back some adjacent unused hallway and closet space. This 2nd floor bath was planned out at the same time as a future 3rd floor master suite phase so we could study the ideal location for relocating the plumbing. The family wanted a modern, sophisticated space that still felt in character with the home. Favorite details include the double rainhead family shower with a window, flooding light onto the beautiful white marble tiles. Custom radius double ogee edge Carrara marble countertop. Custom floor tile pattern. Custom wood paneling and trim to tie in with the existing entry door and hardware. And the private toilet nook with built-in millwork that divides the room into 3 zones.

But by far my favorite thing was the incredible team that came together including wonderful, trusting clients and a patient and thorough contractor who had years of experience and knowledge working in these old homes. Thank you, Jon. Thanks to neighborhood millworker Louis Tannen. Thank you for the beautiful tile install Jason . Thank you for your help with the tile order! Thank you Meghan Balcom Photography for capturing the space so beautifully!

12/05/2022

I don’t often share family photos on my professional account, but I want to highlight the work of who so beautifully captured our family and home. I also want to share with you all the news that my family is on the move and will be temporarily relocating from Philadelphia to Germany starting in January for an exciting opportunity. We will return to Philly next summer.

Thank you so much to my wonderful clients who have been so understanding and supportive. I have been hyper focused this season to make sure all projects have reached important milestones prior to this transition and will continue to monitor everything virtually (learned so much about how to do this through the pandemic!). I look forward to this special time with my family and to returning to on-site / in-person work next summer.

Stay tuned on this account for design inspiration from Europe in the New Year. I wish you all a wonderful holiday season filled with light and love and blessings! ✨

11/29/2022

Recent millwork detail views from a bathroom design finalized last week. You may have seen in my stories- I have been inspired by stenciling and perforation cut-outs as of late. Started researching about early colonial stencil patterns and developed this design that marries stenciling with very clean, streamlined millwork detailing. Honestly had no idea when we started this project that it would lead to this as the final- love how the design process is always evolving.

The two custom mirrors will have the painted stencil pattern in vibrant pops of color- teal & ochre. The millwork cabinet will be in a soft gray to tie into the trim and will have perforations that functionally provide air circulation and give it a lil something extra aesthetically.

11/22/2022

This room just makes me feel so cheerful on a cold winter day. Color can warm you up and give you energy!

(Unplanned shot as I came downstairs for lunch- the sun was just shining so pretty). Toys are out. Mail and snacks on the counter. Spaces should be real life and real good.

11/19/2022

A custom millwork island I designed to bring warmth and softness to an existing industrial kitchen. A rich combination of copper, butcher block and that pretty blue. 💙

Thank you to for bringing it to life.

10/26/2022

10/14/2022

Preparing for an installation day next week for this where we are transforming the space without any hard construction. All new furniture, artwork, light fixtures and creative storage solutions including that catch-all entry cabinet for the typical closet-less Philly row home entry. Every surface will be soft, inviting and durable for their toddler - including that storage ottoman covered in outdoor performance fabric (bonus: when you open it - a hard surface coffee table raises up for post-bedtime drinks and snacks for parents only!) 🤗