Haddon Heights, New Jersey

A Home Reimagined for Living, Creating, and Staying

This project began with something more meaningful than a typical renovation.

After her father passed, Janice returned to the Haddon Heights home she knew so well—this time as its steward. The goal wasn’t simply to update it. It was to transform it into a place that reflects who she is today, supports how she lives, and allows her to remain here comfortably for decades to come.

At its core, this project is about continuity—of memory, of place, and of life evolving forward.

The Opportunity

The existing house carried emotional weight, but functionally it fell short. Spaces were confined and disconnected. Natural light and breezes were limited. There was no meaningful connection between the living areas and the rear yard. The attached garage constrained both the plan and the site.

Most importantly, the home did not support Janice’s curiosity—her need to create, collect, and live with art in a way that felt present and visible in everyday life, or her connection to the landscape through gardening.

What it did offer was something more valuable: a familiar setting within a walkable Haddon Heights neighborhood, and a small front porch where she and her father once sat, watching the world go by.

That moment became the foundation for everything that followed.

Designing for an Artist

Janice doesn’t just collect art—she creates it. That distinction shaped the entire design approach.

The home was reimagined as a living gallery, where art is not placed onto walls as an afterthought, but integrated into the architecture itself.

• Walls are composed and proportioned for display

• Circulation spaces expand to become places of pause, not just movement

• Vertical and horizontal surfaces are intentionally designed for artwork

• Light is controlled and layered to support both viewing and making

The stair hall becomes a central moment—where space opens both vertically and horizontally, and clear glass railings allow art, light, and life to move freely through the home.

This is not a house with art in it.
It is a house shaped by art.

A Porch, Reconsidered

The screened-in front porch is the emotional heart of the project.

While rear porches are common, placing one at the front—where it engages the street and neighborhood—required careful study. It had to feel intentional, not applied.

The solution draws directly from memory.

The original house had a modest screened porch—something Janice and her father loved. That experience was reinterpreted and elevated into a defining architectural element: a place to sit, read, and remain connected to the rhythm of the neighborhood.

It is both deeply personal and quietly civic.

Preserving What Matters

Not everything needed to be new.

One of the most meaningful decisions was to preserve and reintroduce the original front door—carefully refinished and set into the new location as a bridge between past and present.

It does more than provide entry.
It carries memory forward.

Aging in Place, Without Compromise

From the outset, the home was designed to support long-term living—without feeling clinical or constrained.

The primary suite is located on the main level and connects directly to both interior and exterior living spaces. Doors align to allow the home to open fluidly—from bedroom, through the house, and onto the porch.

Key strategies include:

• Single-floor living capability

• Zero-threshold shower and adaptable bathroom layout

• Generous circulation spaces for ease of movement

• Visual connections that maintain engagement with the home and landscape

These decisions are subtle, but essential—ensuring the home remains supportive as life evolves.

Reworking the Site

Local zoning required the removal of the attached garage—a constraint that became an opportunity.

By relocating the garage to the rear, the design:

• Restores the side yard and improves access

• Creates a meaningful transition from driveway to home

• Opens the rear façade to light, views, and connection to the landscape

Outdoor spaces were equally considered.

A raised planter aligns with the rear terrace—designed so that gardening, something Janice enjoys today, remains accessible in the future.

Architecture in Context

Haddon Heights is defined by variety—homes of different styles that share a common scale and rhythm.

Rather than replicate historic forms, the design interprets them.

The home draws from Craftsman and Cape precedents—massing, rooflines, and proportions—while expressing them with a more refined, contemporary clarity.

The result feels familiar, but distinctly of its time.

The Result

What began as a modest renovation became something more complete.

A home that:

• Reflects the life and work of its owner

• Honors the memory of what came before

• Supports aging in place without compromise

• Engages the neighborhood in a meaningful way

Most importantly, it allows Janice to live exactly how she wants—today and into the future.

Thinking About Your Own Home?

Projects like this don’t start with a style.
They start with understanding how you live—and how you want to live next.

If you’re considering a renovation or new home in Haddon Heights, Haddonfield, Moorestown, or the surrounding South Jersey area, we’d welcome the opportunity to talk.

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