From dark accents to vintage touches, this Bryn Mawr project was expertly completed with smart details and a grounding color palette.
The moody office is painted in Farrow & Ball’s mahogany hue
THE PROJECT
Aft er purchasing a new-construction home in Bryn Mawr during the summer of 2021, one young couple looked to Far Studio (farstudio.com) to transform it into a home. “They’d initially seen our work on Instagram, which is always so interesting because I feel like that is how we get a lot of jobs these days, and it’s just so amazing how the industry has transformed,” explains Brittany Hakimfar, founder of the interior design firm. Warmth, texture and durability were at the heart of the clients’ goals, who also had two sons at the time (the wife became pregnant with her third child during the project).
The custom black marble table makes a statement in the dining room
THE DETAILS
“They were really drawn to the California-like aesthetic and the idea of lighter interiors with an East Coast vibe,” Hakimfar explains, noting that the clients had moved to the area from San Francisco for work. Luckily, the Houzz- and House Beautiful-featured interior designer had an excellent canvas to work with thanks to high-end finishes that the builder had chosen. “It needed that warmth and texture,” she says. This all started in the foyer of the home, which makes a statement with a large, custom black steel-and-glass-paned door. White oak herringbone wood floors add dimension. Because this space was so large, Hakimfar opted to fill it with a Crate & Barrel (crateandbarrel.com) black plaster entry table flanked by two vintage stools. “Part of our signature is in some of our styling, where we mix a lot of these vintage and found objects with some newer pieces,” she explains. This was integrated throughout the home. Straight through the foyer is the great room, where custom millwork with white oak shelves provided more storage and viewing spaces for art and knickknacks. Here, a custom sectional sofa was designed with performance fabric so that it could withstand the wear and tear of the family’s daily life. Similar to the rest of the home, a neutral color palette adds a serene touch with pops of color in pillows, art and accessories.
Hakimfar chose a custom sherpa fabric for the bed in the primary suite
Headed into the kitchen, a simple yet organic design takes shape thanks to pendant lights from Rejuvenation (rejuvenation.com) and custom black-painted floating shelves that anchor the dark island. Texture was added through the mosaic tile backsplash and quartz countertops, as well as the white plaster hood. Nearby, a cozy breakfast nook invites intimate family meals under the giant Palecek (palecek.com) woven jute light fixture. Darker accents that started in the kitchen make a larger moment in the nearby dining room, where a large custom marble dining table is complemented by a custom credenza from Los Angeles and a Visual Comfort Lighting (visualcomfort.com) chandelier. “When I do these dark, dramatic colors, I always love to do the ceiling, the walls, the trim and make it feel like this jewel box wrapped in color,” Hakimfar says. A similar method was implemented in the nearby office, which was painted in Farrow & Ball (farrow-ball.com) mahogany. A floating walnut desk adds a warmer touch, while a Crate & Barrel leather sofa from the Shinola collection makes work-from-home days that much more comfortable. Headed upstairs, all of the bedrooms were given a well-deserved makeover, including the baby’s nursery, which the wife chose to not see until coming home from the hospital. “The clients didn’t know the gender of the baby and so they entrusted us to find out the gender and then surprise them,” Hakimfar explains. “It was crazy that we knew and they didn’t. We installed the nursery probably a month or two months before she delivered, and she never once went in the room.” Inside awaited a timeless nursery for the little girl, featuring a Stokke (stokke.com) crib and an Anthropologie (anthropologie.com) daybed. Of course, the couple’s two little boys also deserved a place of their own in the playroom, which Hakimfar decked out in yellow swivel chairs from West Elm (westelm.com) and a doodlelike wallcovering from Schumacher (fschumacher.com).
Another moody moment presents itself in the bathroom with a black soaking tub.
THE RESULT
“They were absolutely shocked,” the interior designer concludes. “We had them leave—they went away for the weekend—when we did the whole install. And when they came back, I think that they were just blown away.”
DESIGN DETAILS
1ST DIBS
Coffee table, office
ARHAUS
Coffee table, great room
ARMADILLO
Rug, primary bedroom
BALLARD DESIGNS
Stools, kitchen
FARROW & BALL
Hague Blue, dining room Mahogany, office
RUGGABLE
Rug, playroom
Photography by: STYLED BY KRISTI HUNTER
