Many of my clients strive for a balance of modern and traditional elements in their homes. I do, too. We like to mix modern furniture with traditional architecture, antiques with mid-century pieces, contemporary art with historic furniture, etc.
In the midst of all this mixing it up, it was such fun to walk into this Philadelphia row house recently and remember how delightful a consistent, unapologetically traditional interior can be.
The house was built in 1804, so the scale is small. But carefully chosen furniture and an extremely thoughtful dining room addition make the space functional and cozy, not claustrophobic. He upholstered the sofa (a family piece) in a tasteful navy cotton damask, which is more Corgi-friendly than silk. The sofa looks just right with the Persian rug, and as a bonus, it’s quite comfortable. The needlepoint Corgi pillow is genius. I might lower his grandmother’s portrait and adjacent pictures a few inches, but they’re perfect over the sofa.
This is the view of the dining room from the living room. Unlike so many additions today, this one is completely in scale with the existing house; it actually won an award from the National Trust for Historic Preservation for its sensitive design. (I remember when the homeowner covered that side chair with the red Napoleonic bee silk years ago. It still looks great, doesn’t it?)
The dining room’s tasteful creamy yellow wallpaper – which you can’t see well in this picture – is appropriate and vaguely historic without being reproduction. It exemplifies the vibe of these two rooms, actually: you sense a strong connection to things past without feeling as though you’re in a museum. And I mean that as a great compliment – it is a house, after all.