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Brittany and Benjamin Hakimfar renovated their Philadelphia home after moving from the West Coast to the state where Brittany grew up. The project focused less on structural changes than on making the home’s expansive rooms feel intimate, using varied materials, darker palettes and spaces for family life and entertaining.
Designer Brittany Hakimfar and her family renovated their Philadelphia home after moving from the West Coast, using layered finishes and a revised sense of scale to make its generous rooms feel more intimate. In a home tour published by Livingetc, Hakimfar says the move back to the state where she grew up was significant for the family and shaped a renovation that balanced bright, understated finishes with darker, more textured rooms.
The renovation involved little structural work, according to Livingetc, but the house’s expansive proportions presented a design challenge. Hakimfar said the aim was to create intimacy rather than draw attention to the home’s size. The layout was planned to support entertaining, family time, reading, music and quieter retreats.
Hakimfar, who trained under designer Waldo Fernandez before establishing Far Studio with her husband, Benjamin, combined pale oak and plaster finishes associated with her time in Los Angeles with more dramatic materials. The report describes black zellige tile, plaid and toile wallpapers, clay-colored walls, rich woods and veined stone among the finishes used throughout the home.
The shared living areas include a kitchen and family room intended as everyday hubs. Other rooms have more defined moods: a gray-blue library that doubles as a music room, a charcoal attic den, and a sitting room in coffee-and-cream tones. The project also added a custom steel-and-glass front door, while the bar near the dining room combines blackened steel shelving and hand-painted brass cabinet fronts.
How the Renovation Reframed Space
The project illustrates how a renovation can change the experience of a large home without major structural alterations. Instead of treating open proportions as a feature to emphasize, Hakimfar says her design prioritized gathering and distinct uses, with rooms shaped for family routines as well as hosting guests.
The mix of light and dark finishes also reflects the family’s move between regions. The house brings together the restrained oak and plaster associated with Hakimfar’s experience in Los Angeles and a more grounded, atmospheric palette she wanted for a home in her home state. Those choices are personal design decisions, not evidence of a broader shift in housing or renovation trends.
The account also points to a practical trade-off of designing one’s own home. Hakimfar said she could pursue highly specific choices, including an all-black tiled bathroom and moss-green plaster, without persuading a client. But she also said the work took years longer because she repeatedly redirected carpenters to other jobs.
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From West Coast to Philadelphia
Hakimfar told Livingetc that returning to the state where she grew up, after working in both New York and Los Angeles, was a major decision for her and Benjamin. The report does not provide a move date or identify the Philadelphia neighborhood. It presents the house as the family’s home, where they live with their three children: Liv, nine; Leo, seven; and Lex, three, according to the article.
Hakimfar described the original interiors as so dark they felt “medieval.” The renovation removed heavy window treatments and monotone finishes, while retaining some dark areas and adding texture through materials such as velvet, fluted cabinetry, wallpapered ceilings and hand-finished plaster. The resulting rooms range from airy to deliberately cocooning rather than following one uniform palette.
The article also describes an unfinished attic converted into a retreat, with a dark mood and a bathroom featuring a steam shower. Hakimfar said she and Benjamin use the space to watch television after the children are in bed. The home tour is based on the designer’s account and photographs credited to Brian Wetzel and Anna Spaller.
“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, as quoted by Livingetc
Project Details Not Reported
Livingetc’s account does not state when the family moved, when the renovation began or ended, what it cost, or whether the work required permits. It says the house needed little structural work but does not provide a full construction scope, a room-by-room schedule or details about contractors. The publication also does not independently document the family’s move or the timeline; the personal and design details are presented through Hakimfar’s interview.
The source gives no measurements for the home and does not quantify how its layout changed. It is therefore unclear how much of the result came from furniture placement and finishes compared with other alterations not described in the tour.
The Home’s Ongoing Family Use
The source does not announce a further renovation phase or give a date for any next project. For now, Hakimfar describes the home as both a place for welcoming guests and a refuge for the family. She told Livingetc that the changing seasons are part of its appeal, describing the neighborhood in winter as resembling “a snow globe.”
Any future work, publication or changes to the house remain unreported. The immediate takeaway from the tour is how the family uses the finished spaces: shared rooms for daily life and entertaining, alongside darker rooms designed for music, reading and time together after the children are asleep.
Key Questions
Who renovated the Philadelphia home?
Brittany Hakimfar, a designer and co-founder of Far Studio, led the design of the home she shares with her husband, Benjamin, and their children.
Why did the family move to Philadelphia?
Hakimfar told Livingetc that moving back to the state where she grew up was a major decision for the family. The source does not give further details about the reasons for choosing Philadelphia or the timing of the move.
What was the main renovation challenge?
According to Hakimfar, the home required little structural work, but its expansive proportions needed to feel more intimate. The design aimed to make rooms work for family time, entertaining and quieter activities.
What design features stand out in the house?
The Livingetc tour describes a blend of pale oak, plaster, dark tile, patterned wallpaper and dramatic stone. It also highlights a steel-and-glass front door, a bar near the dining room and a moody attic retreat with a steam shower.
How long did the renovation take, and what did it cost?
The source does not give a total duration or budget. Hakimfar said the project took years longer to finish because she sometimes redirected carpenters to other jobs.
Source: rss
