A 1990s Bucks County Home Gets an Art-Filled, West Coast-Inspired Makeover

Interior designer Timothy Summers Bailey’s Bucks County home makeover / Photography by Nicholas Venezia

You might expect to find a traditional farmhouse at the end of the winding dirt road that leads to interior designer Timothy Summers Bailey’s home; after all, the house is situated on 15 acres in the heart of Bucks County. (The privacy is what drew Bailey and his husband to the Solebury property in the first place.) Instead, you’ll find a more formal, modern manse — a 9,000-square-foot space that the couple transformed from a dated disaster built in 1991 to a serene, light-filled oasis.

“It was a mess, horribly laid out, with six spiral staircases,” says Bailey, who worked as an interior designer in L.A. for 10 years before launching his own firm, Solebury Design, in 2014. “I started with a relaxed, transitional style with some West Coast and mid-century modern influences.” Though much of the residence is swathed in creamy off-white tones to provide a neutral backdrop for the couple’s vast art collection, Bailey expertly wove in splashes of high-shine glamour (plenty of brass and luxe velvets) and moody drama (a room cloaked floor to ceiling in deep navy). “There’s a little bit of a bohemian feel to the furnishings,” he says. “It’s an eclectic mix.”

Dining room

Standout pieces — like vintage Milo Baughman chairs reupholstered in a jewel-toned velvet and a gilt black walnut sideboard by John-Richard — give this space mid-century modern style. The painting is by Portland artist Barbara Sternberger.

Study

Bailey turned what used to be a two-story library (accessed by a spiral staircase) into a cozy retreat with a fireplace and wet bar. The paint color is Benjamin Moore’s Newburyport Blue.

Kitchen

A mix of textures and materials lends visual interest: a Venetian plaster range hood, a Carrara marble backsplash and countertop, and a stained white oak island. Wesley Hall’s custom bar stools add a graphic punch.

Foyer

On the second floor is the couple’s collection of impressionist landscapes from the New Hope School, an early-20th-century painting movement for which the area is famous. A piece by Philly-born artist Corydon Cowansage hangs below.

Published as “Art Class” in the March 2025 issue of Philadelphia magazine.