DIY Efforts Vary a South Philly Row House

Using intelligent DIY procedures, Craigslist bargains and substances from big-box shops, interior design bunch Percy Bright and Tara Mangini have fashioned a gorgeous custom made style due to their three-story, early-20th-century row house in South Philadelphia.

They utilized laths to create a rustic wood accent wall, repurposed vintage green theater chairs for a trendy row at the kitchen and salvaged 400 ft of molding from an abandoned school, all for a cursory look which reveals just how far smart thinking and elbow grease could proceed.

in a Glance
Who lives here:
Percy Bright and Tara Mangini
Location: South Philadelphia
Size: 1,900 square feet; 3 bedrooms, two bathrooms

Sara Bates

An iron bed occupies a corner of a studio on the third floor of the home; it is dressed in a combination of vintage finds and pieces from HomeGoods and Target, the couple’s go-to combination for a personalized appearance at a reasonable price.

While bamboo flooring on the first level were exposed when Bright moved in — he fulfilled Mangini just as he was finishing up the renovations — he had to eliminate wall-to-wall carpets and layers of paint to uncover the first flooring on the second and third levels, a project that he estimates cost approximately $1,000 and a couple of weeks of his period. “The staircase got fresh treads and risers, and arid times were more in winter,” he states.

Bed framework: Brimfield Antique Show

Sara Bates

Bright assembled this his-and-her desk using salvaged butcher block from an abandoned North Philadelphia school. A clothesline involving the windows displays the couple’s collection of postcards, photos and thank-you notes from customers.

Sara Bates

In addition to decorating their home jointly, Bright and Mangini, shown here, own an interior design firm together called Jersey Ice Cream Business, as well as a vintage furniture store. “We get bored very easily,” Mangini states.

Sara Bates

Mangini took the wall text (a play on “mistakes and most”) from habit notecards she was able to create and market during the couple’s Etsy store.

“It felt like the perfect match for a studio,” she states, “where mistakes and aches are happening.”

Sara Bates

To create this graphic wall treatment off the kitchen Bright cut waxed freezer paper to about 550 circles over 2 days; he subsequently summoned them on a white wall and painted the wall a hand-mixed light gray.

The few scored the row of vintage green theater chairs off Craigslist.

Sara Bates

Bright spent about $15,000 remodeling himself. The renovation included all-new appliances, a sliding door, cabinets, counters and tiles. In addition, he eliminated a dividing wall between the kitchen and a small dining room.

Cabinets, hardware, countertops, appliances: Ikea

Sara Bates

Sink and walnut butcher block countertops: Ikea

Sara Bates

The few used classic white subway tiles from Home Depot from the kitchen. “A unique tile can really make a difference, but if you are on a budget, going with a classic tile from the hardware store isn’t anything to be ashamed of,” Mangini states. “It always seems fantastic, and you can save yourself a couple hundred to a couple thousand bucks which you could put toward something else which really does need the cash.”

Subway tile: Home Depot

Sara Bates

Front room has a temporary installation. It retains the couple’s many vintage pieces while they decide whether to turn the room to an appointment-only showroom for their business enterprise or a formal dining room.

“That is a gorgeous space that hasn’t found its true calling yet,” states Mangini.

Sara Bates

Though it looks authentic, the room’s beautiful molding isn’t first; it is the invention of Bright, who sanded, trimmed, painted and installed 400 ft of walnut basecap molding from an abandoned school in North Philadelphia. He did the whole space for approximately $500 in paint and caulk expenses.

Sara Bates

Bright added a smoky custom-mixed gray into the room, which was formerly “horrible red,” he states. He left the fireplace surround unpainted for comparison.

Stacks of vintage books fill the fireplace.

School lockers: Brimfield Antique Show

Sara Bates

A vintage U.S. map purchased for $50 in a Philadelphia flea market, a handmade coatrack and a salvaged wood bench adorn the home’s entryway.

Sara Bates

This stained glass door is first to the home, which was built in the early 20th century.

Sara Bates

In less than a day, Bright installed thin strips of wood, known as laths, that he had gathered during the renovation process to create a rustic wall in the guest bedroom. “You can’t beat free stuff,” he states.

The iron bed, dresser and bedding are vintage.

Sara Bates

Chalkboard paint creates a custom “background” design in the guest toilet.

Light fittings: Progress Lighting, Home Depot

Sara Bates

After finding that the framing on the front part of the house wouldn’t adapt a new door, Bright utilized the planned replacement to create this unique headboard from the bedroom.

Door: vintage, ReStore

Sara Bates

After eliminating a closet system along the main bedroom wall, Bright was left with nothing but cracked plaster. Rather than patch the wall, he chipped away the plaster to expose the brick.

Area rug: HomeGoods

Sara Bates

He then updated the remaining walls in the bedroom using custom plaster work.

Sara Bates

Bright made these yellow fixtures from ceramic sockets and cloth-wrapped cable. “We often struggle with finding light that we have a strong love for, so making our own is often the solution,” he states.

Cabinets: Ikea

Sara Bates

This heirloom dresser, from Bright’s grandmother, is one of the only pieces in the main bedroom which the couple didn’t create themselves.

Door: vintage, Provenance Architecturals

Sara Bates

Intelligent states it cost approximately $6,000 to renovate the main toilet, such as $1,000 for a plumber to tap into the cast iron drain stack.

The homeowner saved a great deal of money by doing the majority of the work himself. He estimates he spent between $30,000 and $40,000 on substances, hiring doing and help various outside jobs. That includes $1,500 for cement and rebar for a deck trellis and crops, and $6,000 for a rooftop deck and stairs.

Light fittings: Illumine, Home Depot

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