Queen Village Town House

Location

Philadelphia, PA

Size

3,300 sq ft

Type

Three-story row home

Year

2015

A young family of five purchased a three story narrow town house — colloquially referred to as a "row home" — in one of Philadelphia's most popular neighborhoods. Our clients were seduced by this quintessential row home's natural charm and historic details, but it wasn't at all suited to the complicated lives of toddlers and busy parents. We threw ourselves into figuring out how to reconfigure the home so that it would not only look better, it would also work better. We added walls where they had been removed during the go-go 1980s and 90s rush to make everything an open-living plan. Part of this "closing off" was our introduction of a combo entry hall / mudroom and a small closet immediately opposite it where tiny hats, shoes, and strollers could be discreetly stored away. Other significant changes included a large glass window and back door at one end of the completely new kitchen and a small but critical first floor powder room.