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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 on scaling down the feel of the home’s expansive rooms, combining lighter finishes with dark, textured details, and creating spaces for family life and entertaining.
Brittany and Benjamin Hakimfar renovated their Philadelphia home after moving from the West Coast to Pennsylvania, where Brittany grew up, adapting its expansive rooms for family life, entertaining and quieter activities. In a Livingetc feature, Brittany said the project centered on creating a more intimate feel through a mix of pale oak, rich woods, stone, clay finishes and darker, patterned surfaces.
The house needed relatively little structural work, according to the report, but its generous proportions shaped the renovation. Rather than foregrounding the home’s size, the couple wanted a layout that encouraged gathering and offered distinct places for family time, reading, music and retreat. The report does not provide the home’s address, renovation budget or a project timeline.
Brittany, an interior designer who founded Far Studio with her husband, described the new interiors as a blend of understated finishes associated with her work in Los Angeles and a moodier palette suited to the East Coast home. The project includes a custom steel-and-glass front door to bring in light, black zellige tile, plaid and tonal wallpaper, clay wall finishes and dark accents alongside white oak and lighter neutrals.
The family’s kitchen and family room serve as everyday hubs, while a bar near the dining room supports entertaining. The report also describes a library that doubles as a music room, a charcoal-toned attic den made from an unfinished attic, and an all-black bathroom with a steam shower. The Hakimfars’ children, Liv, nine; Leo, seven; and Lex, three, are part of the household.
A Large House, Reworked for Daily Life
The project illustrates a specific design challenge: making an expansive house feel welcoming without relying on major structural changes. The Hakimfars’ approach, as described by Livingetc, used furniture, surface treatments and room-by-room contrasts to give different areas distinct purposes and moods. That matters for a family whose home needs to accommodate both shared routines and individual moments of quiet.
The renovation also connects the family’s move with a change in the home’s character. Brittany said returning to her home state was significant for the couple, and the design brings together light, West Coast-influenced finishes and darker materials she chose for the Philadelphia interiors. The source presents this as the owners’ design direction, not as evidence of a broader housing or renovation trend.
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From Dark Interiors to Layered Finishes
Brittany told Livingetc that the house’s original interiors were so dark they felt “medieval.” She said she wanted to change every surface, replacing heavy window treatments and monotone rooms with a more varied combination of finishes. The report describes the resulting palette as alternating between brighter rooms, including the entry and a coffee-and-cream sitting room, and more enveloping spaces such as the gray-blue library and charcoal attic den.
Those choices were made in a home Brittany also uses as a setting for family life and entertaining. She said the couple enjoy hosting guests, and the bar was designed to be both a visual focal point and a practical addition. The attic, formerly unfinished, became a place for the couple to relax after their children are in bed. These details are based on the owners’ account in the Livingetc profile; the source does not independently document construction methods or assess the renovation’s cost.
“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 Costs and Timeline Not Reported
The Livingetc feature does not state when the renovation began or was completed, how much it cost, or whether the work required permits. It says the home required little structural work but gives no detailed construction scope. The report also does not specify the property’s size or location within Philadelphia.
Descriptions of the home’s atmosphere, function and design aims come from Brittany Hakimfar’s account. The source does not include separate comment from Benjamin Hakimfar, the contractors, or an independent assessment of how the renovation changed the home’s value or performance.
The Home Now Serves as a Family Base
The report presents the renovation as a completed home project, with the family now living among the spaces they designed. Hakimfar told Livingetc that the house offers both a welcome for guests and a refuge for the family, and described the neighborhood’s changing seasons as part of its appeal. No future renovation phase or follow-up milestone is given in the source.
Key Questions
Who renovated the Philadelphia home?
Brittany and Benjamin Hakimfar renovated the home. Brittany is an interior designer and co-founder of Far Studio, according to the Livingetc report.
Why did the couple focus on making the house feel smaller?
The home’s expansive proportions made intimacy a design priority. Hakimfar said the layout was planned to support gathering as well as reading, music and quiet retreat.
What materials and colors feature in the renovation?
The reported palette combines white oak and light neutrals with darker details, including black tile, rich woods, clay finishes, patterned wallpaper and dramatic stone.
Did the project involve major structural changes?
The Livingetc report says the home required little structural work. It does not provide a full construction scope or details about permits.
How long did the renovation take, and what did it cost?
The source does not give a total timeline or budget. Hakimfar said the project took years longer to finish because she sometimes redirected carpenters to other jobs, but she did not specify dates or costs.
Source: rss
