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Older homes around Philadelphia possess an undeniable charm, but are not always well-suited for modern family life. Such was the case with this Arts and Crafts home in Ardmore, PA, built in 1902 and purchased by repeat clients so that they could get a little closer to the Philadelphia attractions. 

We had originally completed a major project for them close to the City in the Graduate Hospital neighborhood (too hot) and then a remodel in Villanova (too cold). Finally, they settled on this beautiful Arts and Crafts home in Ardmore (just right). 

Our team at Bellweather Design-Build was asked by our clients with 2 young children to develop concepts to upgrade the layout and function of the first floor while maintaining the original character and incorporating a couple of modern design elements for the kitchen remodel.

In addition to this kitchen remodeling project, we also renovated the kid’s bathroom and primary master suite. After we completed all three projects, the homeowners were more than happy to share these thoughts with us, “We used Bellweather in the past for another project and were very impressed with the quality of their work. We knew that if and when we renovated again, we wanted to use Bellweather to ensure that our house not only looked beautiful but had quality work that would stand the test of time.”  

Opening up the Kitchen to the Living Space

With growing children and planning for future family celebrations, the client’s primary goal was to convert the closed rooms in their historic floor plan to a more open floor plan to create a connected layout, but still maintaining dedicated kitchen, dining and living areas. This mandated structural modifications to a load-bearing wall separating the kitchen from the adjacent family room. Removing the wall between the two rooms not only made the kitchen feel larger, but also flooded the family room with additional light that beams in from the windows in the kitchen. A once dark, small, closed off room was now bright, spacious and opened up to the most perfect space for entertaining.

Designing the Kitchen for a Historic Home

With prior multiple renovations with us, our clients knew they could count on Bellweather's creative options approach to present them with multiple suggestions to accomplish their family's goals for their first and second floor renovations. 

For the selections and finishes, Bellweather recommended a prefinished wood floor for the kitchen that perfectly complemented the parquet flooring in the adjacent family room. Not only does the selection look great, but it also saved our clients from re-staining and finishing the wood floors on the entire first floor. 

For their kitchen style, our client wanted an Anthropologie inspired theme (Anthropologie began and is still headquartered here in Philly). Our designer, Stephanie, was excited to take this project on and helped them create a clean look with white as the dominant cabinet color, but then incorporated black bases as a bold and dynamic accent, as an anchoring element. In the end, the client selected their two-toned kitchen cabinetry scheme with bright, white upper wall cabinets contrasted by the bold black lower wall cabinets and island. 

We even introduced a third tone through a rustic wood accent cabinet surrounding the fridge for an antique touch in an otherwise modern design. The result is a well balanced blend of transitional and modern.

As a final touch on the Anthropologie vibes in this kitchen, our designer suggested going with mixed metal finishes and fixtures. One common question from our clients is "how do you mix metals?" Stephanie told us, “When mixing metals in a room, we like to define one leading finish and then other metal(s) can serve as accents. We often use one metal for plumbing and lighting fixtures while another can be used for cabinet hardware and accessories for a sympathetic blend to meet our clients aesthetics.”

Partnering with Bellweather (again)

We were honored when this family came to us to help remodel another home. If you’re looking for a trustworthy home, kitchen, or bathroom remodeler in the Philadelphia area, don’t hesitate to contact us to discuss your goals.