Eclectic Design Elements Made This Bryn Mawr Home Into an Unorthodox Oasis
Modern touches by interior design firm Widell + Boschetti lend a playful edge to this traditional Main Line manse.
“We wanted the home to feel glamorous, a mix of old-world charm with modern elements,” said Barette Widell of interior design firm Widell + Boschetti. / Photography by Brian Wetzel
It’s a familiar story: Cosmopolitan couple has kids, their city home starts to feel cramped, and off to the suburbs they go. Bob and Shannon Heilig took this path, moving from Center City to Bryn Mawr last year with their two boys — but that’s where the same-old tale takes a twist. Their unexpected home design is anything but common. The Heiligs hired Widell + Boschetti based solely on the firm’s Instagram page (designers, take note), looking for elements that would wow guests but remain timeless — after all, this would be their “forever home.”
The turn-of-the-century colonial “feels like an oversized bed-and-breakfast,” designer Barette Widell says. “Each room has its own character.” A drawing room with a grand fireplace is airy and monochromatic, a striking contrast to its neighboring room, a dark, sexy bar lounge. “One is the champagne room; the other is the whiskey room,” Widell laughs. One-of-a-kind vintage pieces offset clean, modern furnishings throughout. The result is elegant and regal but also warm and inviting, an unorthodox oasis for the next chapter in their lives.
Living room
Classic elements like Bernhardt chairs and Elitis wallpaper are juxtaposed with a jolt of color in the form of a statement-making work by Thom Filicia for Wendover, handed on by the home’s former owner, designer Jen Fuller.
Powder room
A gold foil ceiling from Philip Jeffries sets off crane-print Gucci wallpaper in this whimsical room, which also features a rare vintage light fixture from online marketplace 1stDibs.
Foyer
Hand-painted floors are the work of Fuller. Widell + Boschetti added a vibrant art piece from Left Bank and a table from Made Goods to ground and center the space.
Lounge
Custom leather banquettes stretch across the length of the “whiskey lounge”; tables affixed to their backs make it convenient to set your drink down. During the pandemic, “It became like the club at home,” Widell says.
Published as “Habitat: Eclectic Elegance” in the August 2022 issue of Philadelphia magazine.
