Interior designer Hannah Dee was only halfheartedly scanning real estate listings for a new home when a friend in the business suggested a property he figured would speak to her artistic DNA. He was correct, as Terri Akman reported in The Philadelphia Inquirer.

The Chestnut Hill address that charmed her is the product of German architect George von Scheven. He escaped the Nazis by coming to New York and eventually migrated to Philadelphia. von Scheven passed away in 2020 at age 83.

Dee walked inside the listed property and “… in about five seconds I knew this house was for me.”

There were structural issues with the one-bedroom, 2.5-bathroom home, including some water damage and a floor plan that inhibited natural light.

Nonetheless, Dee was all-in. “The original builder had combined the worlds of commercial and residential building into this very interesting modern home,” she said.

A seven-month renovation to the interior and exterior refashioned the home to her tastes and needs without blurring its original aesthetic.

“I created a very personal space where once I come home, I can just take a breath,” Dee said. “It makes me so happy.”

The full account of Hannah Dee and her Chestnut Hill happy place is at The Philadelphia Inquirer.

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Chestnut Hill is the site of many homes with distinct architectural features, as this Visit Philly video tour demonstrates.