Michelle Ficker and Peter Dolkas, the founders of Brooklyn-based design firm Studio Dorion, didn’t have to weed through 1stDibs or estate sales in an effort to fill their client’s Philadelphia rowhouse with storied antiques. By the time the homeowner reached out to Ficker and Dolkas, she already had tons of family heirlooms—chinoiserie end tables, a massive secretary cabinet, Windsor chairs, and more—on hand. “She loves grandma-chic, which was great because she had inherited so many things from her grandmother,” says Ficker.
But it was up to Studio Dorion to figure out how to make them all work in their three-story Federal-style home in Society Hill without the place feeling like a museum. Turns out, context is everything: put a Queen Anne mirror near to a contemporary sconce or a turned wood bed next to a pile of colorful children’s books and suddenly they don’t feel so stuffy. “One of the reasons I loved working with them is that they were open to using antiques in their kids’ rooms, allowing them to live amongst them without feeling like things are so precious,” shares Ficker.
Having been stripped of much of its original character and watered down with plain gray paint, it took nearly four years for the designers to infuse the circa-1828 house with some charm again. And they had a lot of ground to cover: the home is technically two townhouses combined, totaling to 4,000-square-feet. Ahead, Ficker gives us a behind-the-scenes look at the project.
The first thing we bought for the house:
The plant pedestals were probably the first thing we found. It’s a traditional column, but it’s worn and the paint is stripped. It felt like an ode to the house in some way. The living room curtain fabric was also one of the first items we picked out. It’s such a traditional motif, but we went with a gray scale so it felt a little more sophisticated. We also went with a style of drapery that made the windows appear symmetrical (they’re actually off-center).
The fresh take on granny-chic:
Contemporary art is always a fun juxtaposition with traditional upholstery. Our client’s grandmother passed down pieces she’d saved from an art subscription box back in the 1960s called S.M.S. It was almost like a magazine but you could take out the pages and save them. It was fun to be able to throw a Roy Lichtenstein print next to her grandmother and mother’s furniture.
The biggest design risk:
We had only met our clients once before we suggested covering the breakfast room in a striped wall covering. The delft tile fireplace was already there, so we saw it as a more-is-more moment. I was unsure if they were going to be into that, but they totally were. Because the ceiling is so low in here, it created the illusion of more vertical space.
The inspiration from across the pond:
The kitchen was really inspired by Rita Konig’s English farmhouse kitchen. It has the Shaker paneling and the northeastern light coming in through double-height windows. We wanted it to feel a little bit tavern-y, because it’s right next to the cozy breakfast area, so we went dark with the cabinet color.
The biggest splurge:
The custom beds were our splurge moment. We also replaced all of the hardware throughout the house with unlacquered brass, which made things feel consistent.
The indoor-outdoor moment:
We brought in a decorative painter to do this fun pattern on the sunroom floor, which was previously just white. We landed on these shades as an ode to a greenhouse. They have these incredible wraparound windows. It’s just such a nice room to soak in the warmth of that backyard.
The quick fix:
The bathroom sink was a remnant from a past renovation. It was pretty contemporary, and we wanted to make it feel on the same level of the rest of the house without redoing everything. We added a skirt in an attempt to make it feel a bit more traditional.
The smart move:
They turned what used to be a bathroom into the laundry room. It’s a convenient space because it’s on the second floor where all of the bedrooms are. We added the sink with the skirt and the shelving, paneled the whole room as a nod to what’s happening in the kitchen, and painted it Picture Gallery Red by Farrow & Ball.
She has some furnishings in the bedroom, like the secretary cabinet and the chinoiserie table, that are really rich. We didn’t want the bed to fall flat to those pieces so we incorporated some drama with this half-canopy.
The best-kept secret:
There was just a niche in the bedroom where they had initially situated the dresser. When she told us she wanted the ability to work from home, we turned that area into a closet with a desk so she can have all of her office essentials right there.
The elevated rocker:
The client wanted to keep this rocking chair for her daughter. We thought it would be fun to take this really ornate piece and put a more contemporary fabric on it.
The unlikely pairing:
The guest bedroom is where her husband works every day. We injected it with some contemporary furnishings by adding the Vitsoe shelving. You need that moment of minimalism sometimes.
The detail we had to convince the homeowners on:
It took years for me to convince them to paint all of their doors brown. Before, when they were white, it just felt like why are there suburban doors in this house? It changed everything.
The biggest save:
Inherently, we saved [on furniture] because their families passed down these heirlooms. A lot of people don’t always see the value in antiques that their grandparents give them, but it really did make sense that she would reuse some of those things in this house. It made it so much more personal.
