By Design

by Patricia Cove As the holidays approach, we all begin to formulate our holiday decorating plan. Most of us take a mental inventory of decorations past, remember the broken lights and lost ornaments of last year and make a last minute dash to replenish our stock. With that, our decorating is complete. May I suggest […]

by Patricia Cove A room is composed of many things: floors made of wood, ceilings of plaster, walls of raised panels. Most people experience a space by visually absorbing what may be hung on those walls, the styles of the furnishings resting on those floors, or the lighting fixtures hung from the ceiling. There are […]

by Patricia Cove With the holidays approaching, it is a natural time to start thinking about gift-giving, and the idea of shopping for those gifts. A lot of us remember a time when purchasing items involved a trip to the main street of town, or a small strip of stores along a highway, or, starting […]

by Patricia Cove Modern. Traditional. Contemporary. Transitional. These are some of the words used to describe interior design over the past decades. We have seen a pendulum swing from historically accurate interiors to sleek, minimal spaces, and there are legions of style supporters on both ends. When one style is popular, the other falls out […]

by Patricia Cove It used to be that kitchens were near the bottom of the list when it came to the most important rooms in the home. They were so insignificant, in fact, that they were relegated to the basement, if they were inside the home at all. Stoves and ovens were large blocks of […]

by Patricia Cove Being a traditionalist at heart, I guess I am a stickler for “the rules.” You know the ones I mean: not wearing white after Labor Day, the man walks on the street side of the woman, the not-so-popular “rules of grammar” and the even less popular “rules of etiquette” that just seem […]

by Patricia Cove Chestnut Hill is blessed with many individuals who study, research and advocate for the preservation of historic buildings. Shirley Hanson and Nancy Hubby, two preservationists and founding members of the Chestnut Hill Historical Society, now the Chestnut Hill Conservancy, have written a wonderful book called “Preserving and Maintaining the Older Home.” When […]

by Patricia Cove Like political movements and automobiles, interiors do not always stand the test of time. They can be lost to months and years of neglect or left to face the cruelties of age and deterioration. Abandoned and forgotten, they become ghostly shells of their former grandeur; and there they remain, waiting, hoping and […]

by Patricia Cove Color, pattern, texture, balance, proportion and scale. These are elements that play a major role within the design profession. And a good designer is able to combine these elements into a cohesive, comfortable and attractive space – one that a client is thrilled to claim as her own. Sounds easy, right? If […]

by Patricia Cove Chestnut Hill has the honor of holding the title of National Historic District, one of only a handful within the city of Philadelphia. The honor is given by the United States Department of the Interior after a thorough inventory of a community’s significance in American history, archeology, engineering, culture and, most notably, […]