The latest stories from Remodelista

by Remodelista Team

Happy weekend, and hope you’re keeping cool, wherever you are. (Psst.: Here are some tips for cooling off without AC, if you need.) And if you’re looking for inspiration while you’re kicking back in the meantime, here’s what’s on our radar lately:

Above: Never thought we’d want to try out a red rug in the bedroom, but here we are. Inspiration courtesy of this week’s A Shelter Island Holiday Rental Where Everything Is for Sale.

• “I want,” writes Fan, simply, of this great little lamp.
• Have a quilt that’s on the small side? Here’s how to style it.
• Ooh, a new dinner table from Pinch for gathering ’round (hat tip: Margot).
• Love this: the inconvenience store.
• Instagram follow of the week: @landfolk_com, for all the Scandi summerhouse inspiration.
• Annie’s smitten by Sézane France’s vintage home collection of rattan loungers, woven baskets, and more.
• Perfect for a heat wave or the at-home bar, courtesy of Sub-Zero.
• Want to move into Sienna Miller’s thatched cottage? It’s for sale.
• Currently on our backyard-inspiration board: this incredibly chic patio from 1963. (Hat tip: Fan.)
• Just say ahh (and bring a mat or towel) to Brooklyn Botanic Garden’s meditative soundbath on 7/20, with live music from a Grammy winner. Ticket info here.
• Oooh, what a simple and beautiful birdhouse.
• Need more reason to crush on Josh O’Connor? Here ya go.
• For the planners out there: Perfect Earth Project is hosting a discussion panel about green burials and other ways to sustainably prepare for death. Ticket info on the 7/19 East Hampton event here.
• Curb-appeal-maxxing in Cape Cod.
• Bloomist is taking 20 percent off its houseplants (including kokedamas) through June 30, with code 20FRESH.
• Frazzled? Rest your eyes here.
• And ICYMI: our picks for eating outside all summer long.

by Margot Guralnick

Kate Connelly and her father were on a run the morning of her wedding in 2021 when she spotted a For Rent sign. It was tacked on the door of a brick building in Old City, Philadelphia. Kate and her partner, James Connelly lived nearby and she ended up taking the space on the ground floor of what turned out to be a century-old machine shop. At the time, Kate was a Pilates instructor largely out of work due to the Pandemic and the rental became her first fitness studio.

When the building’s lone tenant moved out, the couple took over the second floor, too—mainly, they say, to protect Together Athletics, Kate’s burgeoning business (“we didn’t want complaints about noise,” she says). The four-story shell of a structure was in rough but original shape (scroll to the end to see it as it was). The previous occupant had set up a basic kitchen and there were existing bathrooms, so Kate and James—a former pro lacrosse player-turned-artist/illustrator—moved in. “It was outfitted just enough,” he says.

A year later, they were in the right place when their landlords, two sisters whose grandfather and father had built motors in the building, were ready to sell and the Connellys were able to buy it directly. Having gotten to know their quarters well and liking a pared-down aesthetic, they had specific plans, down to the Reform kitchen cabinets they wanted. After putting together their own deck and interviewing many design/build firms, they hired architect Kevin Kaminski and designer Alexis Pew, a talented local couple with their own firm and a willingness to collaborate. Join us for a tour of the results.

Photography by Daniel Isayeff, courtesy of Kaminski + Pew (@kaminskipew).

Above: The four-story, 2,600-square foot structure was used as a machine shop for decades–and also a produce store, art gallery, and clothing store among other things, but the top floors had been empty for a long time. It’s located just a block from the Liberty Bell and Betsy Ross house.

Since the couple were looking for ways to cut costs, Kaminski + Pew suggested that they begin on the exterior envelope—the brick repointing and restoration and roof and window replacement—with James overseeing the work. “The exterior was in terrible shape,” says Kevin. “We introduced James to some of our preferred sub-contractors and answered questions as they came up. This allowed them to continue living in the space and save quite a bit.” A local fabricator replicated the existing profiles of the windows and installed new thermally efficient glass. James also oversaw the installation of a new plumbing and electrical system.

Above: Kaminski + Pew rebuilt the storefront and introduced chicken wire glazing for privacy. Kevin explains that Philadelphia is very stringent on window replacement in a historic district “the style and sight lines had to match the existing windows exactly.”

Ground Floor: Entry and a Future Boutique

Above: Kate and James wanted a vestibule that was both elegant and hard-working. Envisioning one day having kids, they asked that it be large enough to hold a stroller.
Above: The designers were able to deliver the requested mud room. It’s tiled in Terra Rosa and Burnt Sugar zellige from Zia and painted Sherwin-Williams Reddened Earth.

A streamlined storage bench extends from the window; like all of the built-ins, it’s rift-sawn white oak custom made to Kaminski + Pew’s design by local cabinetmakers Summus Studio. Out of view, there’s even a dog bed and bike and trash can storage.

Above:”Since it’s a heavily used area, we wanted to use a material that’s visually appealing but can also stand up to wear,” explains Alexis of the zellige.

The space down the hall—formerly home to Kate’s Pilates studio—is being reinvented: she and James plan to turn it into a shop selling favorite housewares, James’s paintings, and Together Athletics’ growing clothing line. Together Athletics, meanwhile, now has two nearby Philadelphia locations with a third on the way.

Second Floor: Art Studio and Living Area

Above: What had been a makeshift apartment on the second floor is now James’s fully finished studio. A self-taught artist, he calls himself Son of Grinch—he was known as Baby Grinch during his lacrosse days—and specializes in what he calls “modern hieroglyphics.” He takes commissions for murals and brand designs and logos while also producing his own work.

James and Kate decamped during the six months of construction but stopped in daily to oversee the work and troubleshoot. They moved back in this spring and report that Kieran, their general contractor from MCL Carpentry and Construction, has become one of their dearest friends.

Above: The walls throughout the upstairs floors are painted White Duck from Sherwin-Williams. The studio’s Hyllis galvanized steel shelving is from Ikea.
Above: A Flight Dining Table and Field Stools from Sundays are used for meetings with clients. The slatted wood bowling alley chair came from Stickball, the vintage store a few doors away. The new flooring is white oak, sourced by the contractor from his supplier.

Note the door: Kaminski + Pew introduced new doors with reeded glass throughout the interior to allow light to travel.

Above: James says he had long dreamed of having a proper place to clean his brushes. The Stainless Steel Work Table with Sink and Faucet is from the Webstaurant Store—”it was the most affordable thing in the house,” says Kate. Their Koala Sofa Bed enables the space to double as their living area and guest quarters.

Third Floor: Dining Area and Kitchen

Above: “We both don’t like clutter,” says James by way of explaining their custom shelves used to display a changing array of books and art (adds Kate, “since we don’t have a mantel, we plan to hang our Christmas stockings here”). Summus Studio stained the shelves to match the Sundays oak Plane Dining Table and Frame Bench.
Above: Kevin situated the kitchen in the front of the building—”he repeatedly created space where there wasn’t,” says James. The couple got their desired Reform Basis cabinets and island. They’re finished in Mushroom linoleum and topped with Caesarstone in Rugged Concrete Quartz (“we like the look of concrete but Alexis and Kevin said we’d hate the upkeep and suggested this as an alternative,” says Kate).

The Oko Mirror, a reflective art piece by Oskar Zieta, helps “soften the straight lines,” says Alexis. “We also like to put mirrors above sinks, so you see the space behind you.” The wall ovens are by Wolf. The steel range hood was custom built by Summus Studio.

Above: Kate, 34, and James, 35, are both Philly natives and met in one of her Pilates classes. Their espresso machine is a La Marzocco.
Above: Heath Tumeric tiles and a Concretti Newport basin with a Newport Brass East Linear Wall Mount Lavatory Faucet in the powder room.

Fourth Floor: Bedrooms and Bath

Above: The hall outside the two upstairs bedrooms doubles as a dressing area. The custom white oak closets give the couple plenty of storage and more closets out of the picture contain their washer/dryer. Alexis notes that the custom wooden pulls were “inspired by a set Le Corbusier designed for the Unité d’Habitation.”

“Row buildings in Philadelphia are notoriously dark in the middle,” says Kevin of the new skylights. “We added one at the top of the stair to pull light down, one in the hall closet, and one in the primary bathroom—a bathroom without a window is very depressing.”

Above: A large pulley hung on the top floor in place of the couple’s bed. The exposed beams are original—their contractor sandblasted and restained them. The Thin Metal-Frame Oversized Floor Mirror is from Rejuvenation.
Above: Inspired by a hotel sink vanity, Kate requested a place to sit and get ready in the morning. Kaminski + Pew came up with this custom design and Kate found the wavy drawer pulls on Etsy, The shades of gray tiles are White Pumice from Heath.

Before and In Progress

Above: “Decades of deferred maintenance, water damage, and general environmental degradation left the brick in rough shape,” says Kevin. “The bulk of the work was just repointing (with gentle cleaning), but a few small sections required replacement or removal and reinstallation of the brick. The mason was also able to source historic brick from the same era to patch where needed.” The sign in the window is from when Together Athletics pilates occupied the ground floor.
Above: The couple’s rudimentary living setup was inherited from the prior tenant. James looked into preserving the wood floor and tin ceiling but says they were too far gone: “there were all holes and splinters.”

The empty spaces, a basement included, provided the couple with valuable storage. During construction, they were able to receive and hold goods and materials shipments, a rarity James points out in such an urban setting.

Above: This is what James’s previous art studio, on the third floor, looked like.
Above: The start of demolition.
Above: The top floor in progress with skylight frames. “When we replaced the roof, we added exterior insulation which allowed us to expose the original beams,” says Kevin. That’s the old pulley in the corner (yes, they kept it).

More industrial transformations:

• 24-Hour Art: Jeff Feld’s Live-Work Quarters and Gallery in a Converted NYC Warehouse
• The Cool Factor: A Charcoal Factory Turned Industrial Flat in Chicago 
• Indoor-Outdoor Living in Paris: A Windowless Warehouse Turned into a Family Loft, Courtyard Included