When David and Ronni Nicole Robinson got engaged, they decided to give up the life that had them living at a resort on Martha’s Vineyard for part of the year and at a different resort in Park City, UT the other half of the year. While it was a big adjustment, being near family in Philadelphia, PA was more important to the couple. When they moved to the city, they knew they wanted to live in the Rittenhouse neighborhood, but sacrificing space would be necessary, based on cost of living. Through an ad, they found a 650-square-foot apartment listing, built in 1890. They decided to check it out, although from the pictures alone, they weren’t excited about it — but it checked enough boxes (location, location, location) that David and Ronni decided they should at least see it. “Our appointment was in the evening, and the previous tenant didn’t use much lighting, and her furniture was awkwardly too big for the place,” Ronni recalls. “I think we appreciated the history of the building the most. The building was originally owned by John Thayer, who tragically died on the Titanic. His wife and kids survived. He was the Executive of the Rail Road Company. Although it was a tragedy, it felt a little romantic, especially since we had just gotten married. We didn’t have much to go by when we decided to just take it. I returned right after the tenant moved out, to measure windows and [the] bedroom. As I walked through the foyer into the living room, I immediately noticed the large windows facing me. I was completely soaked by the sun. I didn’t even recognize the place. It truly was ‘night and day.’ At that very moment it felt like home.”
Four years later, the apartment has gone from housing necessities for both David, a wine consultant, and Ronni, an artist, to truly reflecting the couple, both together and as individuals. “We don’t really think about if this goes with that,” Ronni admits. “But I will say that our home has become more cohesive over the last year. We both are doing what we love, so our home decor reflects that. Now that I’m pursuing my art full-time our walls act as my storage. Eventually that will change, but currently I hang them in an available wall space. Having my art on the wall, functioning the way I intended, has been an important factor in my growth as an artist. When I first started, my earlier pieces were more random in their floral design. I now have more direction and I’m much more deliberate in my design. When they’re hanging on my wall I can make mental notes about spacing and layout. My new ideas feel less forced and more natural.” The couple’s living room has multiple functions: it’s also an office, studio, and dining room. “My work is very physical. I hand roll the clay, even for bigger pieces. Larger pieces take up a lot of mind space. Everything about the design of my work has to be thought of in the reverse. Working from home, it must be a place of calm. Before I can start a new piece, I have to start from scratch. I need everything around me to be in their place, otherwise it’s a distraction,” Ronni says.
Living in an old building has also proved to be a bit of a challenge, leaving Ronni to think outside the box when it comes to wall decor, aside from her own work. She shares, “Most of our walls are pure brick and plaster, so it’s very difficult to hang pictures with a nail. You will notice that we don’t have a lot of framed art on our walls. That’s how we ended up with the kitchen wall. It’s my favorite, by the way. The blue paint was already there, so I decided to tear out some pictures from two of my old botanical books and tape them to the wall. It took all of 30 minutes, but I love it.” I love the quirkiness of this sweet space and how it truly reflects Ronni’s work. —Erin
Photography by Amy Franz / @ona__ella
Image above: “This is in our living room. I like to keep bright flowers on this table. We also like to store our books in both corners of this window. Even though David is not in this picture, he is. Most of the books are his. He is a sommelier, so we do a lot of wine studying here. And right behind that vase is our dear President Lincoln,” Ronni shares.
from Design*Sponge http://www.designsponge.com/2018/01/in-philadelphia-a-home-filled-with-light-and-character.html
from Home Improvment http://notelocreesnitu.tumblr.com/post/169310140759
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