Don’t we all love to travel back in time? The year was 1986, and my interior architecture and design firm was in its infancy. I had transformed a small guest room in my apartment into mission central, and was telling anyone who would listen about my grand endeavor.

Living and working in Chestnut Hill had always been a dream of mine. It was the historic architecture and village character of the community that drew me in as a very young girl while visiting my grandmother from a small town upstate. After college, I would peruse the Chestnut Hill Local, seeking out a carriage house or large estate that had been converted into apartments, just so I could live in Chestnut Hill. It was a challenge, because just like today, many were seeking out its charms.

At the same time, I was watching a new building going up at the corner of Germantown and Willow Grove avenues. I learned that it was being built by the Woodward House Corporation, and was called “East Willow House.” It wasn’t “historic,” but the apartments were sunny and spacious, and after meeting Quita Horan and her parents, Charles and Elizabeth Woodward, I knew this would be my home. That decision transformed my life.

Little did I know at that time, that the Woodward family had built and maintained a huge majority of historic real estate in and around Chestnut Hill. Each Woodward family member was intrigued by my burgeoning business, and Quita set up a meeting for me to see their most recent project: the adaptive reuse of the Krisheim estate, the Woodward family home. To preserve the historic structure, the Woodwards had decided to convert it into 12 apartments. They asked me if I would work with them in the transition. Of course I said yes, but being a little naïve, I had no idea what an honor and a privilege this was to become.

Young architects and designers take a big risk when going out on their own. Being a creative bunch, they rarely consider that along with “designing” there are boring things like accounting, public relations, and the necessity of keeping your name visible. At the same time the Krisheim project was getting underway, I learned about a fundraiser for the Chestnut Hill Community Association called the “Art and Design Showhouse.”

Showhouses were a huge draw throughout the ’80s, ’90s and even into the 2000s. They were an opportunity for designers and architects to take on bare spaces within vacant homes, and transform them into spaces of their own design, without client constraints. Prospective participants had to submit a portfolio showing examples of their work, and prove to a committee that they were up to the challenge. I desperately wanted to complete a room, which ironically was within the Eleanor Houston Smith House in East Falls. Eleanor Houston Smith being a cousin of Quita Horan.

Not having a portfolio, I made my pitch to the design house committee, and shockingly, was assigned a second-floor bedroom. It was the ’80s, remember, and I was on a strict budget, but I found the perfect chintz (at $15.00 a yard), covered in Mario Buatta-inspired cabbage roses, with a coordinating stripe to match. A magnificent English antique store called Fair Maids and Mahogany, located a half a block from my apartment, had recently opened. The owner eagerly offered to loan me a magnificent mahogany chest, highboy, grandfather clock, a striking John Singer Sargent-inspired portrait, and several antique accent pieces. The room was an ’80s extravaganza.

The showhouse was opened to the public for four weeks, and to gain as much momentum as possible, I made every attempt to be present to talk about the space, its contents, and the Woodward Houston family. I can honestly say that being part of Krisheim’s adaptive re-use and the event honoring Eleanor Houston Smith became two of the most integral and momentous events of my career.

This year, I am celebrating 40 years in business. I am honored and humbled that the community welcomed me and provided the possibility of living and working within such historic surroundings. I have not completed any Mario Buatta-inspired rooms lately, and I am not certain if cabbage roses will be making a comeback, but every new project stems from those early days and the serendipitous opportunities that came my way!

Patricia Cove is principal of Architectural Interiors and Design in Chestnut Hill, and can be reached through her website: patriciacove.com.