HOUSE & GARDEN 2023

May 1

A historic Philadelphia house elegantly refreshed by Chauncey Boothby

Written by Antonia Bentley | Photography by Read McKendree | View Article

After trading in Brooklyn's busy sidewalks for tree-lined pathways in suburban Philadelphia, a young family sought to put down roots in their ‘forever’ home during a difficult time – and called upon the interior designer Chauncey Boothby for an elegant, fast-paced refresh.

*A detail of the hand-painted climbing tendrils in the master bedroom.*
Read McKendree

Tucked away on a leafy street in a charming Philadelphia suburb sits a grand stone house, surrounded by verdant lawns and gardens . Built at the beginning of the Roaring Twenties, the five-bedroom house was designed as a family home, and nearly a century on, the current owners, previously based in Brooklyn, decided to carry on the tradition. It was the summer of 2020, a harrowing, strange period for families around the world, a time when cities were effectively shut and when many parents and children alike stayed home. With one young child and another on the way, the family chose to leave behind their cramped New York apartment and embark on a new, suburban adventure.

It was then that interior designer Chauncey Boothby received a DM via Instagram from her future clients, asking if she'd take on the challenge of giving the bedrooms and living spaces in their new home a decorative refresh. Despite the timing, “of course I said yes,” she says, “and so, it began.” Chauncey's clients (“a dream to work with”) set a strict timeline, wanting the house to be completed in time to welcome their newborn. Having hurriedly left their Brooklyn flat, the family had been “pretty much camping out in the house, sleeping on a mattress with no headboard in one of the guest bedrooms,” says Chauncey. “I wanted to work as fast as I could to get the house in a perfect and liveable condition, while still honouring the beautiful architecture of the home and its idyllic gardens," she explains.