We Tore The Roof Off This Place!

Like most 100+ year old buildings in Philadelphia, this carriage house and attached warehouse has seen a lot. Most recently as studio space, and before that a variety of industrial uses. Our goal was to convert it to a light-filled kitchen, dining and living room for our clients. This project was all big moves, but the one with the biggest impact was removing a section of the roof at the rear to let the light in and create a one-of-a-kind outdoor space. We added a Corten steel stair, and reused pavers that we found under the old wood plank warehouse floors.

From the dining room you can see through the living room to the side yard. Those windows and door were just a brick wall when we arrived. The formerly dark first floor is now bright and has views in all directions. The floors are new polished concrete heated by radiant tubing within the slab.

The hood over the island is located up high so that there are unobstructed sight lines from the kitchen to the courtyard. The windows open with the push of a button since it’s hard to reach over counters, and the shades are motorized as well. We packed plenty of storage into these custom cabinets and used simple, easy to clean surfaces throughout. And for all the looky-loos out there, our client leaves one light on in the courtyard at night, so that people walking down this Kensington side street at night can get a glimpse at the unique space at the back of the house.