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Brittany and Benjamin Hakimfar reworked their Philadelphia home after moving from the West Coast to the state where Brittany grew up. The renovation focused less on structural changes than on making expansive rooms feel intimate, with contrasting materials and spaces for family life, entertaining and retreat.
Interior designer Brittany Hakimfar and her husband, Benjamin, renovated their Philadelphia home after moving from the West Coast to the state where she grew up, shaping its large rooms around family life and intimate gathering rather than emphasizing their scale. In a Livingetc home-tour feature, Hakimfar describes a design that combines pale oak and light finishes with dark tile, rich wood and textured walls.
According to Livingetc, the home needed little structural work, but its expansive proportions called for a different kind of change. Hakimfar said the aim was to make the rooms feel more intimate and encourage different activities, including entertaining, family time, reading, music and quiet retreat. A custom steel-and-glass front door was added to bring more light into the entry.
The design mixes contrasting materials and room moods. The kitchen and family room act as everyday hubs for the couple and their three children, while a library and music room uses gray-blue tones and an attic den has charcoal walls. Other spaces are lighter, including a sitting room in coffee-and-cream neutrals. The feature describes finishes such as black zellige tile, plaid and toile wallpaper, clay walls, fluted cabinetry and hand-finished plaster.
Hakimfar also created a bar beside the dining room for entertaining, with blackened steel and glass shelving and hand-painted brass cabinet fronts. In the attic, an unfinished area became a sitting room with a spa-like black bathroom and steam shower. Livingetc reports that the project took longer than expected; Hakimfar said she sometimes redirected carpenters to other work, extending the renovation.
How the Rooms Serve Family Life
The renovation shows how a home can be reorganized without major structural changes: here, the design response to generous proportions was to build smaller-feeling, purposeful settings for different parts of family life. That approach matters to readers considering a renovation because it shifts attention from adding space to making existing rooms work better for gathering, relaxing and hosting.
The project also reflects the owners’ move between regions through design choices, rather than treating the home as a neutral backdrop. Hakimfar said returning to her home state was a significant change for the family. The combination of lighter West Coast references and darker, more textural details gives the home a personal direction, though the feature does not establish that this aesthetic represents a broader trend.
There is a practical trade-off in the account: bespoke finishes and custom details helped create the intended atmosphere, but the designer said the project took years longer to finish. The report does not provide a budget or a full schedule, so readers cannot assess the cost or duration against other renovations.
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From West Coast to Philadelphia
The Livingetc feature identifies Brittany Hakimfar as a designer who trained under Waldo Fernandez before she and Benjamin established their interior design practice, Far Studio. The couple moved from the West Coast to Philadelphia, where Hakimfar said she had grown up and had previously worked in New York and Los Angeles.
Hakimfar described the original interiors as extremely dark and said she wanted to change every surface. The renovation replaced heavy window treatments and monotone finishes with a varied palette. She retained dark moments, but layered them with texture and contrasting materials, including velvet, wallpaper and plaster. The source presents the project as a personal home renovation, not as a construction-industry study or a report on a wider housing trend.
“Moving back to the state where I grew up, having worked both in New York and LA, was a big deal for us.”
— Brittany Hakimfar, owner and designer
Project Costs and Timeline Details
Livingetc’s feature does not give the renovation’s budget, start date or completion date. Hakimfar said the work took years longer than it otherwise might have, but the report does not specify how many years or provide a detailed schedule. It also does not identify contractors, provide before-and-after measurements or quantify how much of the home was renovated.
The article is a design feature based on the homeowner’s account and photographs, not an independent assessment of construction costs or performance. The reasons for the move are described in personal terms, and the source does not provide further details about the family’s decision or their previous home.
No Further Project Milestone Reported
The source describes the home as a place where the family now lives and spends time together, but it gives no upcoming renovation milestone or announcement of additional work. It also does not report any planned changes to the rooms or a future project schedule.
For readers seeking more detail, the main unanswered points are the renovation’s cost, the length of the work and the decisions behind particular materials. Livingetc’s feature presents the finished design and Hakimfar’s account, rather than a project update with those figures.
Key Questions
Who renovated the Philadelphia home?
Brittany Hakimfar, an interior designer and co-founder of Far Studio, designed the renovation of the home she shares with her husband, Benjamin, and their three children.
What was the main goal of the renovation?
Hakimfar said the goal was to make the home’s expansive rooms feel more intimate and suited to daily life, with areas for gathering, entertaining, reading, music and retreat.
Did the project involve major structural work?
Livingetc reported that the home required little structural work. The changes described focused on finishes, furnishing and the use of rooms, alongside a custom steel-and-glass front door and the conversion of an unfinished attic area.
What design features stand out in the home?
The feature highlights contrasts including pale oak and dark wood, black zellige tile, patterned wallpaper, clay walls and hand-finished plaster. The attic includes a black bathroom with a steam shower.
How much did the renovation cost, and how long did it take?
The source does not give a budget or exact timeline. Hakimfar said the renovation took years longer than expected, partly because she reassigned carpenters to other work, but she did not state a precise duration.
Source: rss
