Winter 2016 house
by Beth Buxbaum
After Kevin and Christine Edmonds were married, they lived in a trendy, up-and-coming Center City Philadelphia neighborhood in Old City. “We rented a loft apartment with huge ceilings, a fireplace, and a 10-foot wide by 40-foot long deck that made our place the best place to entertain in town,” Christine says. Enamored with the vibe and the local spots for food and entertainment, they were young and loved a good party, especially when they hosted them.
They remained city folks until they decided to relocate to mitigate Kevin’s commute to work. Kevin and Christine bought a single family home in Lansdowne, a Dutch Colonial, where they stayed for eleven years.
In 2001 Kevin was offered a job in the Newtown area. It was time to move again. “We were excited to look for a house in Bucks County,” says Christine, “but the housing market was so brisk that if we didn’t move on a property right away, it was gone.” Taking this into consideration, they chose to rent a small house in Newtown so they could be closer to the market area where they were prospecting. One day their realtor called. “I found your house, bring a check, this is the house that was meant for you,” she exclaimed. As soon as they walked into the living room, Christine and Kevin were sold. “We both love the character of old houses,” Christine says, “and it was an easy walk into Newtown. And it was a great party house,” she adds.
This 1911 Arts & Crafts Dutch Colonial that became their home had lots of character and lots of space for gatherings: grand and intimate. The Arts and Crafts architectural styling was a 19th century movement to revive handicrafts. One of the founders, William Morris, wanted to conserve the craftsmanship of pre-industrial society. Architectural elements inspired by this movement were incorporated into the Edward’s house, which was built of all natural materials, designed with built-in cabinets and lighting and embellished with several fireplaces and porches, as well as exposed beams. A little history about the house became available when it was on the Newtown Historic House Tour. The house was built by David J. McClanen and was considered to be “a new frame house of modern architecture.” The description goes on to say that the “brown-cedar shingled Dutch Colonial, with gambrel roof, was built for Russell Richardson, M.D., a graduate of Harvard Medical School.” Richardson’s medical practice was in Philadelphia where he resided with his family. This Newtown house was built as a summer residence. The house was named “Archways” to reference the high open arches accenting the large open porch on the south side of the house. Christine notes that the original wrap-around porch was incorporated into the indoor floor plan years before they owned the property.
With an appreciation for all these architectural elements, Kevin and Christine were ready to make this house their home. One factor was evident, the house needed a lot of work. “We needed to replace electrical, the roof, update bathrooms, refinish floors, waterproof the basement and redo the kitchen,” Christine lists. Starting with simple aesthetics was their plan.
“I wanted to get started on the fun things, like ripping off old wallpaper and borders and redoing the kitchen,” That plan took a turn after a major rainstorm the first week they lived there. “The basement flooded with an inch of water,” Christine adds. To their dismay, the biggest first project was a French drain and sump pumps in the basement. “For the price of a fully loaded Honda Civic, we had an eight-inch trench dug around the perimeter of the house, and a mass of chicken wire and plaster and sump pumps and a guarantee that things would stay dry. So all the fun stuff had to wait. We already had spent more on the house than we could really afford,” she continues.
After recovering from that project they painted the interior. With the cosmetics out of the way the next series of projects included a new roof, all new electric, the installation of central air and refinishing all the floors. Kevin was handy and was able to do some parts of the work. He and his brother demolished the bathrooms and then they brought in professionals to do the renovation. Both bathrooms have custom cabinetry by Tim Cashman Cabinetry. Next to be renovated was the kitchen in 2006. Christine describes how the old kitchen had a pegboard makeshift sink base, no counter space, tired 1960s linoleum backsplash and floors, drop ceiling and tiny windows, no cabinets or storage space. Not your ideal kitchen for a couple who love to cook and entertain. At the top of the requirements list were features to enhance their entertaining abilities.
Jim McAuliffe, of McAuliffe & Carol Architects in Newtown, did the kitchen design for their new farmhouse kitchen and John Gemmi of Gemmi Construction executed the plan. “John worked some serious magic,” Christine adds, “where Dutch doors appeared, soapstone countertops wrapped around a deep farmhouse sink and a hundred old glass panes were salvaged to build a glass-backed butler’s pantry.” Done mostly in white and black, with white custom cabinetry and black soapstone countertops, this space’s tie-in feature is the checkerboard flooring done with a mix of crema marfil limestone and honed black granite. “We wanted it to be really dull, like the old floors in Italian country homes,” explains Christine. To infuse more natural light and add a cozy eating area, this seating area was created along an exterior wall. “We had a slightly decrepit porch that was listing off to the side and that is now the breakfast nook, where we are always sitting,” says Christine. She explains that they kept the same footprint, but made it part of the kitchen. This nook is a favorite gathering spot for family and friends.
Kevin and Christine always loved to entertain in their home. Having the space to do that was essential to how they wanted their home to be. “We always were happy with a big crowd,” adds Christine, “we would host the after parties, after the parties were over, and we’ve hosted a ton of huge family gatherings over the years.” Last year she had 29 for Thanksgiving. From large gatherings to house guests for a short weekend to months is a normal occurrence in the Edmonds home. “Half my family lives in Austria so there are always neighbors of friends of cousins coming to spend a month which becomes a summer,” she adds. Much of the early activity consisted of gatherings with the Edmonds children, Harrison who is now 26 and lives in Breckenridge CO and their daughter Adrienne, who just turned 23 and is a fine art major at the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn. Christine describes how when their kids were younger they would host a Taco Tuesday, where anywhere from 4 to 18 teenagers gathered for the weekly meal. These weekly meals were a way to get to know their children’s friends and maintain an open and welcoming atmosphere in their home.
Several other living spaces were also conducive to gathering and entertaining throughout the house. Years ago the living room was extended into an open porch on the far right, giving the room numerous windows with good light. There is an inglenook fireplace with Mercer tile in the corner of the living room which connects to another fireplace in the dining room. This is a cozy spot to spend a winter afternoon with family and friends. There is an art room, which was created off of the living room and was part of the transition of the porch to the enlarge living room. “Both Harry and Adrienne have painted or drawn most of what hangs on our walls,” explains Christine. This space was set up as Adrienne’s art studio. “She is prolific and I need to figure out what to do with the 200 paintings and drawings I have of hers,” she adds.
For some solitude and relaxation, there is the library lined with books and the Edmonds’ music collection. For informal and formal dinners, the dining room has been the venue for many gatherings Sometimes the parties overflow to the outdoor spaces. In 2006 they added the deck and stone patio on the back of the house. “Once we did this our summer parties got better,” says Christine. The garden bluestone walkway, patio and walls are made of Bucks County stone and were designed by Jim, Karen and Dana of Waitkus Design Group.
Whether inside or out, this home has been infused with a distinctive styling of comfort and function. Earthy wall colors and rich wood tones accent the interior living space. Christine has filled the interior with a combination of old and new, shabby and modern, serious and whimsical. “We always preferred something with a bit of history/patina, and maybe even some minor flaws, to something fresh out of a big box home store that is upholstered in fabric you really don’t want to touch,” she continues. Christine is a co-owner of the Trove Decor in downtown Newtown. She started Trove Decor about 10 years ago with her partners, focusing on reupholstering one-of-a-kind vintage furniture pieces in modern fabrics. “Think grandma’s old wing chair, an aging parlor chair or a Victorian curvy sofa given new life with an interesting fabric,” she adds. Her vision of updating and transforming furnishings to give the room a new look was her approach in her home. “I believe that the combination of old and new helps prevent your home from looking like a colonial era installation or something too stuffy and serious. You’ve also got to have a little injection of whimsy and humor,” she adds. Christine has accented rooms in the house with unique and artsy items. Strolling from room to room, you are struck by her interesting sense of style, the unexpected, like the two-foot-wide terracotta eyeball or a giant papier mâché hand. Her personality and sense of style add another dimension to the spaces.
During the holidays she spruces up the house with groupings of pine cones along mantels, window sills and shelves and strings garlands, aglow with tiny lights, on the staircase banister. Christine is again preparing for the holidays, looking forward to welcoming another season with friends and family.
Beth S. Buxbaum is a freelance writer from the Philadelphia area.