Cornerstone Project Pittsburgh Cover of House Beautiful May 2025
We have some very exciting news to share — our Pittsburgh Tudor Revival project is on the cover of House Beautiful!
The May/June 2025 issue features the story "When a House Has a Young, Colorful Soul" by Kate McGregor, with photography by Max Kim-Bee and styling by Lucy Bamman. To be chosen as the Cover Designer for this issue is such an honor.
The Brief - When we first met these clients, they gave us what might be the best design guardrails ever: no round, opaque lighting and no powder blue. That was it.
The home is a 1901 Tudor Revival just outside of Pittsburgh, built for a family of three. The original owner had a varnish company, and he brought in a team of Italian woodworkers to handcraft the most incredible varnished millwork throughout the entire house. All that history was still there — the elaborate trim, the stained-glass windows, the old-world details that make you fall in love with a historic home.
Our job was to figure out how to preserve that soul while making it feel lighter, younger, and more vibrant for the way this family lives now.
Starting With Art- Apart from a full renovation of the kitchen and the bar (a must for the husband, who is the cofounder of Bero nonalcoholic beer), this was mostly an aesthetic transformation.
We started with the art the clients already owned and loved. Then we laid out all the wallpapers and fabrics they were drawn to and moved them around like puzzle pieces until the right combinations clicked. It's one of my favorite parts of the process — letting the pieces tell us where they want to go.
The Tea Room - The first room we finished was the tea room just off the entry. It's the only room in the house where we painted the trim, and it has the most beautiful crown molding that perfectly frames what we did on the ceiling.
We found a purple botanical wallpaper that the client loved, but it felt too busy for all four walls. So we put it on the ceiling and wrapped the walls in an eggplant grasscloth instead. It's cozy, a little moody, and such a lovely place for a quiet moment.
The Bar - The old butler's pantry is now a bar, and it's one of my favorite spots in the house. We painted it a bright purple-blue and added mirrored tile and cobalt cabinets right next to the original stained-glass windows.
I love that it feels like a bridge between old and new — the historic windows with the fresh, saturated color.
Living Room - For the living room, we needed something light with a graphic pattern that could hold its own against all that wood paneling. We designed a custom carpet with Rug & Kilim, and layered in Romo wallpaper and draperies, Andreu World ottomans and dining chairs, Keilhauer armchairs, and an Arteriors chandelier.
Thank You - Kate McGregor and the whole House Beautiful team. Max Kimbee for the gorgeous photography, Lucy Bamman for styling, and to our amazing clients for trusting us with this 1901 beauty.
You can read the full feature in the May/June 2025 issue on newsstands now.
Sources: Stark carpet, Romo, Andreu World, Keilhauer, Arteriors
Read the full article:HouseBeautiful.com
See the Project: Cornerstone