Classic Style With a Modern Twist in Chestnut Hill for $1.525M
This Georgian Revival classic exudes that understated elegance Chestnut Hill is known for. Owners who like to mix things up a little gave that elegance a dash of the here-and-now.
18 Laughlin Lane, Philadelphia, Pa. 19118 | Photos: Michael Brock via The Sivel Group, BHHS Fox & Roach Realtors
There are two kinds of wealth in our area: there’s money, and then there’s MONEY.
MONEY shows off its fabulousness through conspicuous displays of over-the-top grandeur. In the hands of MONEY, even modest center-hall Colonials go for baroque with all sorts of lily-gilding.
You’ll find concentrations of MONEY in a number of Main Line communities — no need to name them, you already know which ones they are.
Chestnut Hill, in contrast, is filled with money. The upper-crust folks who live at the top of Philadelphia prefer to keep things dignified and reserved.
In contrast to those exercises in ostentation out on the Main Line, they live in places like this most serene 1920s Georgian Revival home just a few blocks’ walk from the shops and Regional Rail stations at the very top of Chestnut Hill.
Foyer
Sure, these people like to show off their refinement and good taste too. But, as the owners of this house have done, they do it quietly and with panache.
Living room
In updating this home to meet the demands of modern life, they took care to let its essence shine through, as in the quietly breathtaking two-story foyer. Likewise, the living room, with its vaulted ceiling and large Palladian window overlooking the backyard, gives off a sense of repose.
Dining room
Yet they also tossed in a little of the modern where it made sense, as in the dining room.
Kitchen
Likewise, the recently redone kitchen places modern objects of desire like a restaurant-quality range and hood in the context of neo-Colonial domesticity.
Den
Master bedroom
Wood-burning fireplaces in the living room, den and master bedroom speak to this 20th-century home’s 18th-century roots.
Its third-floor guest suite, on the other hand, recalls nothing as much as that rec room you played in when you lived in a 1950s rancher, only with classier furniture.
And speaking of guest suites, one of the four other second-floor bedrooms has its own separate staircase and outside entrance, making it a perfect in-law or au pair suite.
Backyard and rear elevation
The backyard has been transformed into a delightful space for outdoor relaxation and summer entertaining thanks to the addition of a flagstone patio and a pool.
The choice, then, is yours. You can go for the flash in order to let everyone know you’ve Arrived, or you can choose this gracious home and let them know you’ve arrived in style.
THE FINE PRINT
BEDS: 6
BATHS: 5 full, 1 half
SQUARE FEET: 4,918
SALE PRICE: $1,525,000
18 Laughlin Lane, Philadelphia, Pa. 19118 [Jennifer Rivella | The Sivel Group | BHHS Fox & Roach Realtors]
