Brewerytown homeowner finds mid-century furnishings in Philly area stores

Joshua Morrow observed a single of his beloved pieces of home furnishings even though strolling his puppy near his property in Brewerytown.

Very last April, Morrow and Charlotte, a wirehaired pointing griffon came throughout two gentlemen unloading the copper-colored couch and carrying it into a warehouse. “I instructed them I needed to get it and asked them to set it back again in the truck,” Morrow stated.

The adult men went and identified their boss, Steve Brown, who with Kenya Abdul-Hadi owns Modern Republic, a retail outlet that specializes in midcentury furnishings, artwork and tableware obtained from dwelling gross sales, auctions and flea marketplaces. In advance of they moved last yr to a showroom in Francisville, the entrepreneurs saved products in the Brewerytown warehouse.

The subsequent day, the sofa was shipped to Morrow’s third-ground seating region. Even though built in the 1960s, the smooth couch was in pristine affliction. It would be the initially of a number of items Morrow ordered from Modern day Republic, including a grey sofa and two blue chairs for his 1st-ground living place, a tallboy chest of drawers designed in Denmark for his bed room, and assorted trendy lamps and tables.

Morrow has requested Brown and Abdul-Hadi to be on the lookout for counter-top chairs to in shape underneath the island in his kitchen area.

Before getting Modern Republic, Morrow had presently acquired some trendy furnishings. His dining table with a poured concrete leading inlaid with walnut was tailor made-designed by Philadelphia craftsman Jeff Miller. Morrow hopes to have Miller make walnut benches with concrete inlays for the table.

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The “waterfall” design wood espresso table in the residing place arrived from Provenance, an architectural salvage retailer in North Philadelphia. Recycled barn wooden panels encompassing the dwelling room fireplace and masking a wall in the next-flooring stairwell also arrived from Provenance.

Morrow procured his brick rowhouse, crafted about 1905, in 2006. Because then, he has produced significant renovations.

With support from his father, Will, a retired carpenter, Morrow reworked the two bedrooms on the 3rd flooring into a bed room/sitting down place. He raised the ceiling and taken off the plaster from two exterior walls to expose the brick. He also exposed a brick wall by the blue entrance door on the initially floor. Other walls in the residence have been painted a pale blue-gray. The authentic oak flooring were being refinished.

Earlier proprietors refurbished the rest room on the next ground the place the guest bedroom and Morrow’s office are found. Grey wallpaper guiding his glass desk and orange chair is patterned with ethereal white tree branches.

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Two large photographs hanging nearby are of Charlotte sniffing a mushroom and of Sadie, a Labrador retriever who died in 2017.

Morrow had Penrose Construction in Pipersville exchange the small kitchen area in the rear of the residence with a new kitchen area in the former eating room. The renovated house features cherry cabinets, white-streaked black soapstone counters, and a tan-and-cream travertine backsplash. The new window above the sink gives mild. More than the dining table are framed botanical prints and a photo of iconic Philadelphia chef Georges Perrier.

The aged kitchen is now a mudroom the place Morrow stores his bicycle. (He does not have a automobile.) A handsome barn doorway hides the pantry closet. Other doorways lead to the basement, wherever there is a whole tub and laundry, and to the patio with a grill, outside furnishings and planters, which will be stuffed with greenery and flowers come summer time.

Within, Murrow tends a lush fern and other house vegetation from Cultivaire, a store in the community.

Morrow, 48, grew up in Lancaster and graduated from Millersville College. He is executive director of 3.14 Motion, a business with places of work in Philadelphia and Washington that recruits experts and STEM experts to operate for community workplace.

Quite a few months back though searching in Joseph Fox Ebook Retail outlet on Sansom Road, Morrow located a book by illustrator Cristina Amodeo, Canine and Chairs: Designer Pairs. It matches drawings of dogs with drawings of designer chairs whose designs they resemble.

Morrow experienced Fairmount Framing assemble and body 4 canine drawings and 4 chair drawings from the e book. The witty art, now shown in Morrow’s bed room, celebrates two of his most loved issues: canines and modern household furniture.

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