33 E Chestnut Ave, Merchantville, NJ 08109

Six and a half years ago, this c. 1868 Victorian began a top-to-bottom restoration. Today it's the house you slow down for on the Merchantville bike path: a black exterior, deep porches, and the kind of restoration that only happens when the person doing it also lives there. Morning light streams through the original tall windows, complemented by southern exposure. Coffee on the front porch before the neighborhood wakes up. A kitchen built around an Italian range, opened up under architectural and engineering guidance so the whole first floor breathes. A walk-in closet with its own Carrara marble island. A dining room anchored by a backlit, antiqued-mirror bar built by a Fishtown glass artisan. Checkerboard marble underfoot, solid wood doors with Emtek hardware throughout, and lighting planned intentionally room by room. The bones came first. A complete rewire in 2020, knob-and-tube removed, new 200-amp service and panel, fully permitted. The front porch was rebuilt that same year;...