A New Orleans Hotel Inspired This East Passyunk Rowhome Makeover
With a purple kitchen and lush floral wallpaper, this Michelle Gage-designed abode brings some Southern hospitality to South Philly.
Colorful florals in the dressing room and bedroom of this East Passyunk rowhome makeover / Photography by Brian Wetzel
When a former client contacted Michelle Gage to see if she was interested in breathing new life into a tired East Passyunk rowhouse she was ready to purchase, the Chestnut Hill interior designer immediately agreed. Here was a client with a genuine appreciation for design — one who wanted the two-story, 2,300-square-foot property to have polish. “She grew up in New Orleans and wanted the house to look like a boutique hotel there called the Chloe,” explains Gage, who incorporated several pieces from the owner’s former home into the new jewel-toned aesthetic.
There were a lot of factors to consider within the narrow space to make the home feel like a luxe boutique hotel.” — Michelle Gage
A planned face-lift was scrapped in favor of a full gut renovation. Gage says she really had to consider the transitions between rooms on the first floor: “The line of sight extends from the front door to the kitchen in the back. You can’t make the patterns too bold when you see six rooms at once.”
The primary bedroom
There’s nothing garden-variety about the two-tone florals in the House of Hackney wallpaper, with a bedspread from the same designer. Gage worked with Urban Loft for the window treatments.
The dressing room
The designer’s favorite room was created as part of a new bedroom suite (complete with a custom coffee bar!). The owner’s existing Villa & House dresser and chair and vintage chandelier and rug were incorporated into the space. Gage sourced the mirror from Anthropologie.
The kitchen
Purple reigns — by way of Benjamin Moore’s Nightfall Sky — in the kitchen, which was gutted and fitted with custom cabinetry by Philly-based Steven Kumpf Woodworks.
The lounge
Interior designer Michelle Gage had to consider the transitions between rooms on the first floor of this rowhome makeover.
The dining room was reimagined as an inviting lounge, decked out in Brunschwig & Fils wallpaper and with Benjamin Moore’s Blue Nose for the custom built-ins framing the center doorway. The rippled detailing of a Selamat credenza softly complements the oversize portrait that hangs above.
Published as “Habitat: Southern Hospitality” in the May 2024 issue of Philadelphia magazine.
