South Philadelphia Home is Open and Bright After Much Needed Updates
By: Ashley Fee
When Rachael found her South Philadelphia home at 1539 S Clarion St in 2014, she found herself in a position many homebuyers in our city face – the house was in decent condition, but hadn’t been updated in years. This included a dark, cavernous 1st floor, mis-matched flooring, faux marble vinyl “tiling”, cheap fixtures, and a terribly outdated kitchen.
She specifically searched for a project house, and found this diamond in the rough with good bones and great potential. With her hired contractor and ideas of inspiration, she started the planning process right away.
The kitchen and bathroom were the first rooms she tackled, updating both from their cookie cutter 80s motif to a more modern, open, and clean style. What a difference it makes to paint walls a crisp white, install classic honeycomb tiling, and add a pop of color with aqua glass tiling in the bathroom. The frameless, glass shower doors also make the room feel bigger, and the updated window add tons of natural light to her morning routine.
Her new kitchen is also particularly dreamy. Keeping the color palette to white and gray neutrals with natural materials allows anyone to feel cozy and at ease. All of the appliances are new and built in for a cohesive look, and the kitchen island has a small breakfast bar.
To make the entire first floor feel more open, Rachael knocked out the claustrophobic, beige archway to the kitchen and created a larger cased opening while also adding a half wall with built-in shelving to create an adorable dry bar!
The previous owners had knocked out the wall to the second bedroom, creating a large open space at the top of the stairs, which was an unconventional choice, but this allowed Rachael to get creative. Instead of rebuilding the full wall, she built a half wall with industrial sliding panels, so when the guest room wasn’t in use, the space continued to feel open, bright, and functional.
This was Rachael’s first project, and it was a great labor of love. For inspiration she started making boards on Houzz and began to see a pattern that lead to the design of her perfect space!
4 years later Rachael is now moving out of state, and while she’s sad to say goodbye to the house she’s made home, she loves the idea of the next owner loving it just as much as she has.
Could that person be you? Let us know in the comments below and keep your eye on our new listings after July 4th!
Originally published on July 12, 2018 by Ashley Fee for Real Estate With Heart