Despite renovations over the years to its original 1870 construction, this historic house on Philadelphia’s Main Line remained ill-equipped for contemporary living. As such, the owner sought measures that modernize a cramped, dated kitchen and improve functionality.

VMA proposed a series of improvements and expansions, in collaboration with interior designer Eve Wildrick, that would both harmonize with the form and scale of the original house and afford superior views from the garden.

We extended the original entry hall through the house to a new rear entrance, creating a service spine containing newly-created amenities in the form of a mudroom, laundry room, powder room, storage, and a wet bar. The kitchen, at the rear of the house, was expanded to  accommodate a breakfast room addition with a large, rounded bay window. Finally, the dining room was expanded to allow the wall facing the garden to be glazed.

Interior Design completed in association with Executive Interiors.

Awards

AIA Philadelphia Chapter, Merit Award, 1990

PUBLICATIONS

• The Vintage House: A Guide to Successful Renovations and Additions. Mark Alan Hewitt & Gordon Bock. W.W. Norton & Company: New York, 2011.