A home is an incalculable number of things to an infinite number of people. Universally it’s an amphora for life. Or simply put a container. It contains everything we hold dear: our loved ones, our possessions, our personal expression, our memories and experiences. For Hope and Arthur, the time had come to fold an envelope to enclose all the new things they create together.
As creative types through and through, Hope and Arthur built their professions around making amphorae and came together over this common bond. Arthur designs the visual display for Urban Outfitters. Hope designed the stores that held his displays. Together their lives are a virtual nesting doll of design: things that hold things that hold things that hold people.
After getting married and combining their households they found themselves expecting their first child. As you would expect, they needed to find a chamber for their new family. Being naturally creative and stylish, they came up with a combination of possibilities and a variety of spaces to suit their needs. The loft they currently lived in would have been lovely. But did they want to be the keepers and care givers of a rickety old elevator system and loading dock, along with all the other nuances that makes a barely converted warehouse interesting? Would the shell of a gigantic brownstone on Broad Street with possible first floor commercial space lend itself handy in the situation where they both work on their own businesses and receive clients home? Ultimately the nurturing neighborhood of West Philly presented a conventional yet cozy living space with a versatile ground floor and convenient garage that checked all the boxes, yet had enough flexibility to open up to other possibilities.
Together Hope and Arthur reimagined the layout of their first floor by breaking down walls, opening the kitchen dining room, and adding a gorgeous calacatta marble island. No matter which direction they went, the house they chose would be their canvas.
Today Hope, Arthur and Clover lead idyllic lives. They enjoy and add to the beauty of West Philly with its parks, pools and friendly neighbors. Hope’s break out business, Chrysalis Studio, has taken off. She recently designed our very own Philly Home Girls HQ. Another beaut of a project includes the interior of high profile restaurant Mission Taqueria. This new taco shop is the next big thing by the owners of Oyster House.
We’re so happy for our friends and clients Hope and Arthur. Philly is lucky to have such wonderful residents that make the city a better place one interior at a time. We wish them all the luck and love in the world and cannot wait to hire Chrysalis Studio to design the interiors of our own homes and suggest our clients do the same.
