Hip Quotient
By Tara Behan
Photos by John Lewis Published March 24, 2009 at 01:55 PM
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Homeowner Dallyn Pavey snuggles with a furry friend in her favorite chair.
When Dallyn Pavey moved to Radnor’s Rebel Hill two years ago, she knew exactly what she wanted for a housewarming gift: an Eero Saarinen Womb Chair. It had to be red—just like the one her parents owned when she was a little girl. Now, the pod-shaped piece and its matching ottoman command a prominent space in the living room of Pavey’s townhouse.
Next to the chair is another Saarinen original—a pedestal side table with a marble top. On it, a two- sided picture frame shows Pavey as a baby perched in her beloved chair. On the flip side: an image of her mom as a young woman, sitting on the same piece.
Growing up in Narberth, Pavey was surrounded by work from the likes of Saarinen, Charles and Ray Eames, and Harry Bertoia. All are showcased in her new home. “My last place was mid-century modern,” she says. “So my mother started passing pieces of furniture down to me.”
Pavey wanted to maintain that clean, contemporary aesthetic in Rebel Hill. “The furniture from this period is more like pieces of art or sculpture, rather than just tables and chairs,” says Pavey. “Some are displayed at the Museum of Modern Art.”
Among the holdovers from Pavey’s childhood: a surfboard table designed by the Eames in the early 1950s. The books neatly stacked on it reflect the three loves of her life: food, music and architecture.
Pavey runs Dish Public Relations, representing chefs and restaurants in the area. Before that, she was in music industry management, with such clients as the Hooters and KISS. “Working with rock stars and bands is the same as working with chefs and restaurants,” says Pavey. “It’s the same skill set.”
Another of Pavey’s living room highlights is a Bertoia Wire Diamond chair, its mesh construction hailed as a classic mid-20th-century design. Hanging above the Italian Cassina couch are two Andy Warhol lithographs. A Mirro Medallion collection of vintage 1950s aluminum serving pieces is displayed on a contemporary open shelving unit not far from a bubble-top Sears Silvertone turntable from the same era.
Soaring 20-foot ceilings make the living room feel larger than it is, and three levels of windows on either side of the fireplace allow for plenty of natural light. The openness grabbed Pavey’s attention when she first toured the house. “I didn’t want to move into something that felt like a box,” she says. “This is very loft-like for the suburbs.”
The living room’s ample natural light and soaring ceilings give it a loft-like ambiance—its urban vibe enhanced by an Eero Saarinen Womb Chair, an Eames surfboard table and other mid-century furnishings.
Pavey’s townhouse is one of only a few in the development with a kitchen that opens to the living room, the two separated by a breakfast bar. Taking it a step further, Pavey added a horizontal pass-through between the kitchen and the dining room. “I love to cook and entertain,” she says. “No matter how many people are here, they’re always hanging out by the kitchen.”
The kitchen features cherry wood cabinetry and sleek, silver hardware accented with stainless steel appliances. Red is used throughout the home—even in the vintage Dansk pots atop the stove.
A George Nelson clock is among the many mid-century modern pieces that enliven the kitchen. Made in the late 1940s, the whimsical timepiece—with its 12 balls representing numbers—is one of Nelson’s most iconic designs. In lieu of bar stools, Pavey chose high-top chairs similar to the Saarinen Tulip chairs in the dining room.
To supplement the pieces from her family, Pavey has collected many things while traveling. She’s also had some success on eBay. “It’s fun having a house decorated in a certain era, because you’re always on a search for cool stuff from that time,” she says.
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An interior shot of Blackfish in Conshohocken
Sea bass at Blackfish
