A Philadelphia landmark, The Touraine was built in 1917 as a residential hotel designed by Frederick Webber.
Since then, the property has maintained much of its historic feel with features like original moldings, leaded glass, oak floors, hand-carved mantels, and classic gargoyles that decorate the walls.
The Penthouse at the Touraine, on the other hand, was constructed on top of the roof in the seventies as a personal residence of the Touraine’s owner at the time, who went with a Southwestern-style design theme— drastically conflicting with the historic nature of the Touraine. When the Touraine’s current owners came to us asking for a complete renovation of the incongruent space, we understood why.
The Penthouse view from the south
They wanted something cool, classic and contemporary with great views of the skyline. To us, this meant creating a clean design that utilized exposed structural elements to create an overall visual interest while keeping the interior space light and airy.
We started by re-designing the first floor to maximize the living areas that take advantage of an incredible wrap-around terrace with picturesque views of the skyline. We then added an entire second floor to boost the overall space.
The result is a fully-rebuilt 3,200-square-foot two-bedroom, two-bathroom Penthouse with 1,900 square feet of outdoor space on top of The Touraine itself.