Ten years ago, author Emma Copley Eisenberg bought a 1,100-square-foot row house in Philly that needed a lot of work. “I joke — it’s not a joke — that the renovation took five years off my life,” she says. Her partner Art Phùng moved in five years later, and together they picked paint colors and merged their styles. Here’s a tour of their colorful home, with cameos by their three cats…

LIVING ROOM

Sofa: Joybird.

On a charming fixer-upper: Emma: When house hunting in 2015, I had a tight budget but was hoping for a place with original features. This house needed a lot of work, but I fell in love with the front window, the mantle, and the staircase. The floor was covered with weird vinyl tiles (these beautiful hardwood parquet floors were hiding under there). In the closet upstairs, a kid had written a poem in purple crayon! The house, as my dad would say, had soul.

On a marriage-saving sofa: Emma: When Art moved in, I had one sad little couch, and we had good-natured wars about who could occupy it and how stretched out they could be, especially with three cats. A couple years ago, we decided the situation was untenable if we wanted to stay in love. We needed a couch that our cats wouldn’t destroy and where we could both stretch out. Enter a Joybird sectional couch in performance velvet.

Paint: 36 Hours in Marrakesh from Backdrop. Top middle and right drawings: by their friend Elissa Martel. Cat portrait by their friend Steve Teare. Toni Morrison and Ocean Vuong quote prints: by their friend Jacqueline Alnes. Tiger print, by Reesa Bobeesa. Throw pillows: Ikea and Ikea.

On loving pets: Art: Before meeting Emma, I thought of myself as more of a dog person. But now I am definitely a capital-C Cat Dad.

Cat portrait: by Emma. E decor: vintage. Flag print: by William N. Copley, Emma’s grandfather. Floor lamp: Ikea.

On relaxing rituals: Emma: In our house, Friday night means making guac, taking an edible, and watching a comedy special. Trash White by Moses Storm and The Intruder by Atsuko Okatsuka are all-time faves. Plus, anything by comedians Naomi Ekperigin or Sabrina Wu.

On role models: Emma: The Grace Paley cutout was one of our wedding table toppers. I printed out photos of different authors, then glued them to glitter-covered pieces of wood. We had 16, and after the wedding, we kept Grace Paley, James Baldwin, and Carson McCullers. They’re the patron saints of our house.

On merging styles: Emma: I’m much more old-musty-books-and-American-Girl-doll-Victorian,’ whereas Art’s aesthetic leans cleaner, sleeker, more modern.
Art: It was fun for us to figure out the middle ground.

On feline family members: Emma: That’s Tofu. The grey cat is Gabriel, and the black and white one is Sesame. Before we met, I had Gabriel, and Art had Tofu and Sesame. When we fused households, we suddenly had two with matching names and one without. People are always like, ‘Tofu, Sesame…and Gabriel??’

DINING ROOM

Paint: Harvest Moon and Tanlines from Backdrop. Chairs: Article. Shelving unit: custom, similar. Pendant light: similar.

On food for friends: Art: I love doing a hot pot night. We’ll put a portable hot pot on the dining room table and ask friends to bring their favorite ingredients. I’ll make one side of the pot with spicy broth, and the other side not spicy. Enoki mushrooms, tofu skins, and Napa cabbage are faves. The most complicated part is the sauces, but I’ll just teach people how to make them.

Print of takeout container with flowers: Natasha Martin. Cat artwork: Steve Teare.

On helpful shelves: Emma: Philadelphia row houses are notoriously narrow — there is not even one closet on our first floor! We wanted to have a real dining room table and also needed storage in the dining room, so we added these shelves.
Art: It’s nice to have a place where we get to showcase all of our trinkets.

White pitcher and black and white splatter seder plate: by Emma. Floral ceramic tray: “by my ceramics teacher, Corinna Cowles.” Cookie jar: from Emma’s childhood home.

On goof-around hobbies: Emma: This cat-shaped cookie jar — named Gertrude — was in my childhood home. Not many cookies lived in Gertrude when I was a kid, but we have a vision of always keeping her full. I’ve been doing ceramics since high school, but I got back into it this year at my local studio. I like doing something creative that I don’t have to be good at. It’s also physical, and big thighs are an asset!

On a wedding memento: Art: Our wedding was such a joyous day. All our guests signed this document, which essentially says they’re committed to supporting our relationship. When I look at this wall, I’m reminded of the love that I have with Emma and the love our community has for us.

KITCHEN

Paint: Pablo Honey from Backdrop. Teapots: Art’s collection, including family heirlooms and one from Colorama. Pendant lights: Etsy, similar. Stools: Overstock.

On choosing paint: Art: I was willing to look at every single shade of a color in order to pick one, just because I’m a designer. But Emma found Backdrop. Since they’ve curated colors that work well together, we ended up getting all our wall paint from them. Row houses can be a little dark inside, so we chose warm tones downstairs to brighten it up.

On tea times: Art: I start my morning with a caffeinated tea. In the afternoon, we’ll have a tea break together, as a pick-me-up. Then in the evening, if we have people over for dinner, we’ll serve herbal tea in the living room as a nightcap.

BEDROOM

Paint: Drive-Thru Safari from Backdrop. Macrame wall hanging: Twine and Twig. Bed: CB2, similar. Wooden nightstand: Ikea.

On vibe shifts: Emma: We’re trying not to buy anything for our house these days, but instead focusing on things that change the energy of the space, like dried branches. We make candles at home using tutorials by the candle girlies on TikTok. It’s an easy way to use empty household vessels.

EMMA’S OFFICE

Paint: 36 Hours in Marrakesh from Backdrop. Chaise: Ikea. Desk: Fezibo. Heart lamp: IKEA.

On writing from the heart: Emma: I always tell my writing students to move towards whatever they’re curious about or obsessed with, whatever feels alive. In some ways, the less traditionally ‘worthy’ the topic, the better.

On inexpensive artwork: Emma: “I got into collage during Season 1 of the pandemic as a way to cope and because all the materials are easily found around the house. I still love it.”

EXTERIOR

On neighborly books: Emma: I added a Little Free Library in front of the house in 2016, since public libraries in Philly have been struggling with hours and staffing, and many public schools in Philly don’t have school libraries. The kids down the block painted it with me.

Thanks so much for sharing your warm and loving home with us, Art and Emma!

P.S. Many more home tours, and Emma’s week of outfits.

(Photos by Jillian Guyette for Cup of Jo.)