Visit Our Latest Project, A Designer Showcase
The designer showcase benefits The Sunday Breakfast Mission of Wilmington. The Kensey Johns House is being offered for sale; do not miss your opportunity to see this historic home in person during a short-time Showcase period.
A Gala Event is planned to celebrate the opening of the Designer Showcase on Friday, September 25th from 6-9pm. The Gala will include house tours, refreshments and a silent auction. Tickets are $50 by advance sale only. Join us for this unique opportunity to meet the designers and artisans in person and support the Sunday Breakfast Mission.
Open for Public Tours: On Saturday, September 26th the house will be open for public tours and will continue to be offered Thursday – Sundays, 11am to 4pm through November 8th. House tour tickets will cost $20, with proceeds benefiting the Sunday Breakfast Mission.
Special Events: The fully decorated Kensey Johns House will be available for special events during the Showcase time period of September 26th – November 8th. Please contact The Sunday Breakfast Mission at 302.656.8542, extension 170 for more information about reserving the Show House for your next event.
The Kensey Johns House is a New Castle Landmark at Fourth and Delaware streets that was built in 1823-27 and was recently donated to The Sunday Breakfast Mission. This three-story home has 5,600 square feet of living space, accommodating 6-9 possible bedrooms and other possible uses. The home features 12-foot ceilings, crown molding, multiple windows offering streaming sunlight, and cozy fireplaces that that bring character and potential to the whole. Outside beautiful gardens surround the home, and a charming brick carriage house and slate patios complete the look.
Key features that our team incorporated include:
Brandywine Meets Banksy!
The world-renowned British graffiti artist Banksy was not the first person to use graffiti to send a message while remaining anonymous. Believe it or not, right here in the Kensey Johns House, built in 1823-27, we discovered secret messages left long ago by former tenants. While renovating this beautiful historic building we unveiled “historical graffiti”: names and messages of love, etched into the glass of the windows or bricks of the walls, most likely with the help of a diamond ring worn by the anonymous authors. The study showcases photographs of these “echoed voices from the past” taken by Michael J. Emmons Jr. of the PhD Program in Preservation Studies, University of Delaware. His research focuses on historical graffiti, uncovering the hidden lives of past generations. The images are exquisitely curated by Rodney Pratt of Rodney Pratt Framing & Gallery, Newcastle. We are grateful to Delaware Furniture Exchange, Jamestown Painting, Specialty Finishes, G&R Electric for their support of the local community by their generous contributions to this project.
The First-Floor Grand Hallway…
Features works of art curated by Rodney Pratt Framing & Gallery, New Castle, and includes works by Rick Hidalgo, Cathie Meighan, N.C. Wyeth, Sara Rose, Donna Cusana and Sean Faust. All works were expertly framed by Rodney Pratt.
The Heart of the Home, the Kitchen…
A classic, European-style kitchen which blends perfectly into this Georgian house. Simple, utilitarian and functional, this kitchen emulates the historic feel of the home while incorporating modern convenience and functionality. Floating shelves allow the cook to access multiple utensils quickly, keeping everything accessible and within reach. Decorated with a coastal vibe, this kitchen makes cooking up a storm feel like a breeze! We incorporated reclaimed wood from the original structure into the fireplace wall to lend a historic, rustic touch to this 1920s-style farmhouse kitchen. The beautiful custom-woodworked kitchen cabinets were generously donated by Ed Turulski Woodworking. We would also like to thank Dipold Marble (counter tops), Tile Market, Old World Tile, Specialty Finishes, Jamestown Painting, G&R Electric and Delaware Furniture Exchange for their significant contributions to this beautiful kitchen. Art by Donna Cusano and N.C. Wyeth is charmingly curated by Rodney Pratt of Rodney Pratt Framing & Gallery, Newcastle.
Southern Screened Porch…
This completely reconstructed and renovated porch boasts a “haint blue” ceiling, which in both Southern and Colonial tradition is used to ward off evil spirits or “haints,” protect from invasion by spiders and wasps as well as serving a harbinger of good luck. This southern porch showcases a festive, autumnal dinner party theme, in perfect timing for the harvest season. We would like to thank Specialty Finishes, Jamestown Painting, G&R Electric and Delaware Furniture Exchange for their contributions to this charismatic Southern-style porch. The team has a harvest/autumnal inspired dinner party planned for this grand porch — be sure to stop by!
Learn more about our powerhouse team:
Jamestown Painting the largest painting and wall covering contractor in the Mid-Atlantic Region lent their expertise to the team. They are located in Newark, Delaware and can be reached at 302.454.7344
Specialty F
inishes contributed carpentry, finishing work and rebuilding the porch.
Ed Turulski Custom Woodworking, Inc. of Wilmington, Delaware and can be reached at 302.658.2221
Delaware Furniture Exchange, located at 675 Dawson Drive in Newark, Delaware donated much of the furniture used in the kitchen, office and porch design.
G & R Electric of Townsend, Delaware donated electrical labor and fixtures for the entire house. Contact them at 302.354.2008
The Tile Market of Delaware donated the classic white subway tile that we used in the kitchen.
405 Marsh Ln, Wilmington, Delaware. 302.777.4663
Olde World Tileworks LLC (Newark/Wilmington) installed the subway tile for the kitchen. 302-407-5552
Hawkins & Sons Inc. donated all the appliances shown in the home to help us complete the staging of the space.
Appliance • Sales • Service • Parts
Located at 400 New Road in Elsmere, Delaware. Telephone: 302.998.1010
Rodney Pratt Framing & Gallery LLC Rodney lent his talents to the team by curating the art for the first-floor grand hallway and artfully directing all the framing. Rodney Pratt specializes in beautiful custom framing and his shop can be found in Historic New Castle. Find them at 204 Delaware Street, in Historic New Castle, Delaware. Telephone: 302.438.6545
Dipold Marble & Granite donated the stone counter tops. They have two locations in Delaware:
New Castle 302.324.9101 and Rehoboth Beach 302.644.4227
Purchase tickets to the Gala Event or the Historic Old New Castle Designer Show House Tours.
Learn more about the Historic Old New Castle Designer Show House on FaceBook.