This 100-Year-Old South Philly Townhouse Went from “Blank Slate” to “Lava Lamp Chic”

“South Philly is an old neighborhood with a lot of old houses, and I wanted a home that reflected that in some way — not something completely renovated. But I also wanted something updated enough that I wouldn’t be totally in over my head with first-time-homeowner DIYs.”

“The whole thing happened really fast — I started looking in early 2022 right before interest rates went up. I went to the Philly Home Girls first-time homebuyer workshop in January, and picked four houses from an MLS portal to look at in February,” continues Anna.

Anna shares her home with her boyfriend, Adam, and their cat, Sylvia. “We went to look at them all on the same day, and made an offer on this one the next day. I think I only looked at all four just because it felt crazy to only look at one house, but I felt like I knew from the listing photos that this was the one — particularly because of the big arches downstairs. I was immediately dying to decorate it.”

Since purchasing in 2022, Anna says they’ve tackled the home’s remodel “room by room,” starting with the living room, then attacking the dining room, and then the kitchen. “That all took about a year, but I spent a few months between buying the house and moving in to decide on a lot of the furniture — so I moved in with a few main pieces to decorate around, with the couch as the main jumping-off point,” Anna describes.

Anna says that some of her design decisions involved Photoshop planning, and others were her “waking up one day and going … I think that wall should be pink. The budget was ‘whatever is left after you move from saving for the house,’ which all in all turned out to be around $5,000 — I moved with no furniture besides my bed, so that was the bulk of the cost. I DIY’d the painting and murals, and the little squiggle/blob rugs that are scattered everywhere.”

“Almost all the accessories are thrifted — including, but not limited to, my column of columns. I know a column at the Whitman Plaza Goodwill absolutely hates to see me coming. I just added to these rooms piece by piece until they felt ‘done.’”

“Honestly having a whole house to do whatever I want to is a lifelong dream, and the biggest challenge is not being able to do everything I want to do all at once,” Anna writes.

• Living Room — Valspar “Quaint Peche”
• Living Room and Entry — Sherwin-Williams “Flirty Fuschia”
• Dining Room — Sherwin-Williams “Hearts of Palm”
• Dining Room — Sherwin-Williams “Celery”
• Dining Room and Entry — Valspar “Beach Bag”
• Dining Room — Sherwin-Williams “Delft Pottery”
• Kitchen and Entry — Sherwin-Williams “Tricorn Black”
• Bathroom — Sherwin-Williams “Rainstorm,” Sherwin-Williams “Bunglehouse Blue,” and Sherwin-Williams “Dark Night”

• Carrara Marble Peel-and-Stick Tile — Home Depot
• Black Marble Peel-and-Stick Tile — Home Depot
• Poster Frames — Amazon
• Rug — Bailey Roper
• Door Print — South Fellini
• Cow Clock — Whitman Plaza Goodwill
• Sconces — Whitman Plaza Goodwill

• Echo Performance Velvet Navy Sofa — Now defunct (?) website called Homethreads, but it’s on Wayfair now
• Coffee Table — Now defunct and definitely sketchy website called Lightsmoon, now available on Wayfair
• Spiral End Table — Amazon
• Faux Cowhide — Amazon
• Plant Stand — Amazon
• TV Stand — Wayfair
• Barrel Chairs — Exact ones no longer for sale, but purchased on Wayfair
• Curtains — Wayfair
• Artist Yardage Pillow — Fabric Workshop Museum Store
• Fairmount Park Sign — South Fellini (not for sale, but they have that print on T-shirts)
• Fish Hook — Whitman Plaza Goodwill
• Dog Sculptures — Old from HomeGoods
• Avon 8 Ball of Perfume — Whitman Plaza Goodwill
• All Plants and Pots — Lowe’s
• Liberty Bell Candlestick Holder — Whitman Plaza Goodwill
• Coffee Table Books — Whitman Plaza Goodwill
• Squiggle Coasters — Worm’s Emporium
• Column of Columns — Mostly Whitman Plaza Goodwill; one stooped from a church
• Floor Squiggles — Tufted by me
• Blob Rug Under Plant — Tufted by me
• Blob Rug on Chair — Tufted by me
• Various Framed Rugs — Tufted by me
• Lava Lamp — Amazon
• Sconces and Candlestick Holders — Whitman Plaza Goodwill
• Chain Candelabra & Wavy Candles — Cloud 9 Clay
• Hourglass — IKEA
• Wacky Inflatable Arm Man — Now defunct website called Yellowaha that took 3 months to ship and doesn’t work <3
• Moss Ball — Marcus Fish Tanks
• Pigeon Pillow — Museum of the City of New York gift shop
• Globe — Whitman Plaza Goodwill
• Cuomo Pandemic Poster — Lockdown relic now only available for far too much on eBay
• Throw Blanket — Urban Outfitters
• Little Painted Can — Casey Meyers
• Card Deck of Creative Prompts — Kayleb Candrilli
• Hannah Montana Prints — Circle Thrift
• Bell Jar Clock — Whitman Plaza Goodwill

• Dining Table — No longer available, but from Overstock
• Isobel Storage Console — No longer available from Urban Outfitters
• Modway Casper Chair — Amazon
• Rug — No longer available, but from Society6
• Hoagie and Reading Terminal Prints — Gab Bonghi
• Mirror — Amazon
• Pendant — PB Teen
• Plant Hangers — Amazon
• Plant Stand — Amazon
• Frames — Wayfair
• Molding — Home Depot
• Snake Clock — Casey Meyers
• Paper Clay Shelf — Casey Meyers
• Cold Beer Sign — Drew Leshko
• Seinfeld Salt & Pepper Shakers — 2nd Ave Thrift
• Candlestick Holders and Vases — Whitman Plaza Goodwill
• Grow Light — Click & Grow
• Throne Chair — Bought off a friend
• Rug on Throne — Tufted by Me
• Gay Old Hag Art — Philadelphia Rare Book Fair

• Smart Tiles Metro Fiona Green — Lowes
• Carrara Marble Peel-and-Stick Tile — Home Depot
• Black Marble Peel-and-Stick Tile — Home Depot
• Sektion High Cabinet — IKEA (exact color out of stock for all cabinets)
• Sektion Wall Cabinet — IKEA
• Ivar Cabinet — IKEA
• Faucet — Amazon
• Cabinet Pulls — IKEA
• Globe Bar — Wayfair
• Ceiling Medallion — Amazon
• Lights — PB Teen
• Curtains — No longer available, but from Society6
• Sconces, Vases, Etc. — Whitman Plaza Goodwill & Retrospect Vintage
• Gold Banana and Apple — IKEA
• Fun Little Bar Syrups & Bitters — Herman’s
• Toaster — Amazon
• Air Fryer — Amazon
• Cooking Tools — Amazon
• Soap Dish — Whitman Plaza Goodwill
• Iridescent Knife Set — Amazon
• Virtuo Next Coffee Machine — Nespresso

• Desk — Wayfair
• Yarn Collection — Tuft the World

Thanks, Anna!

This tour’s responses and photos were edited for length/size and clarity.

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