THE GREAT INDOORS: A vintage collection worth OMGing over

POSTED: Monday, April 16, 2012, 3:00 PM

Reporter Meg Augustin takes you inside some of Philly's most fab dwellings to showcase our city's unique grasp on design and architecture.

When Veronika and Bryan bought their 1920s Chestnut Hill twin six months ago, the third-grade teacher and her engineer husband scored a quiet retreat from city life that allowed them to show off their vintage finds and work on their carpentry skills. The home didn't need much work structurally, but upon moving in, the couple immediately set out to build some of their own furniture. The first project was a farmhouse table — a feat many young homeowners wouldn’t dare tackle. Using pre-cut lumber and a simple chisel, they pieced together a gorgeous ash table with two benches that became their pride and joy.

For Veronika, however, there are many joys in her new home. When not teaching, she antiques, collecting covetable treasures like the ’60s Highlights posters that hang in her hall and a mass collection of vintage heels. To keep track of all her finds and share them with others, she writes a blog by the name of Tick Tock Vintage, a webspace that doubles as a “how to” on antique salvage and vintage shopping. She garnered plenty of experience growing up in Pennsylvania Dutch country, where she developed an affinity for rustic, country living and Amish accents, just like that well-built farmhouse table or the plethora of hex signs she’s collected from old barns and country estates.

“My style is pretty eclectic,” she notes. “I tend to buy larger items in neutrals and then look for little pops of color to add throughout the house.” Her color-scheme planning is evident. The light-filled living area remains neutral with her mid-century Lane coffee and bar tables, as well as handmade Scrabble-esque throw pillows. But greenery and a large eBay-found vintage map add a shock of color. Similarly, the kitchen and dining area use pops of turquoise glass and flower imprints to brighten up clean whites. Upstairs, the bedrooms are softer, with pastel quilts and bright, antique signs. And one guestroom holds Veronika’s OMG-worthy array of vintage heels. One black pair is set apart on a vintage school desk simply for their story: Upon finding them at a local flea market, Veronika found over $3,000 stashed in the original shoe box! That same room works in girly accoutrements like Veronika’s straw-hat collection, an antique dress form, various jewels and baubles, and even old horse show ribbons.

The couple’s bedroom, which was previously the third-floor attic space, is a calm oasis that brings in rustic touches from their past. Above the large, wooden bed hangs a found Poconos sign that reminds them of their former home in the Pennsylvania hills. At the end of the bed sits a unique bench made from a knotted log. “My dad made that,” Veronika says. “He was hiking in Canada, thought it looked cool, and carried it ... all the way back to camp.” The legendary log sat in the family garage for years before Veronika had him make it into a bench for the couple’s new home.

The new house is a perfect, charming space for the couple. But for Veronika and Bryan, a perfectly finished home is no reason to stop adding to it. Building on their lifelong collection, the their new space welcomes new and old decorations as well as the chance to work together, building a home one farmhouse table at a time.

(megan.augustin@citypaper.net)

Photos by William McEwan

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Featuring everything from event roundups to concert reviews and sex talk, City Paper's Critical Mass is a space for off-the-wall coverage of Philly's A&E scene.

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