This Artist and Designer’s Philly Rowhome Has Awesome Gallery Walls
“My house and I found each other when we needed each other most,” begins Mitch Wiesen, an artist and designer. “Back in 2018 I met a girl, we fell in love, and we decided to move from South Philly to Kentucky. A few years and a whole lot of heartbreak later, we were staring down an impending divorce.”
“The day we decided to end things was the last day any tears fell for that failed marriage — I immediately opened my laptop, typed in zillow.com, and applied for three rowhomes in South Philly, sight unseen. The home I’m in now was one of those three rowhomes. And when I arrived 10 days later, the house welcomed me (and my air mattress) with open arms.”
The home, which Wiesen shares with cats, Fish and Grandpa, is located in South Philadelphia’s East Passyunk. “Some friends disparagingly call my neighborhood ‘The Cheesesteak District’ due to its close proximity to two warring cheesesteak spots, Pat’s and Geno’s, which are adored by tourists and despised by locals in near equal amounts. (Personally, if I’m looking for a quick walk and a great steak, I’m going to Cosmi’s, and I’m ordering it ‘wiz wit.’),” Wiesen admits.
Wiesen currently works as a senior designer at the employee-owned agency Truth & Consequences, and is the founder of the small font foundry, Deli Fresh Type Co. They’re also an adjunct professor in typography at the Tyler School of Art & Architecture, as well as a “community taught tattooer, freelance illustrator, occasional printmaker, wannabe interior designer, and a long-time lover of overly lengthy lists.”
And when it comes to the rowhome and its design, they completely threw themselves into “loving this old house. I ripped down the cheap vinyl wall mural of misty mountain trees in the second bedroom. I cleaned, and I caulked, and I painted, and I replaced old rusty hardware, and the house and I settled into loving each other.”
Wiesen admits that the house needed “a pretty serious helping hand” when they first moved in. “Most rooms could be improved with some scrubbing and a fresh coat of paint, but the bathroom was in need of the most help by far. It came with off-white ’80s tile; rusted-over light fixtures; mismatched hardware made of brass, chrome, wood, and plastic; and, best of all, a blue ’50s tub.”
Resources
ENTRY
Card Catalog — Jinxed, Philadelphia
Talavera Tile & Tin Mirror — The Antique Warehouse, NJ
M.A. Hadley Ceramic Horse Plate — Crazy Daisy Vintage (permanently closed), Louisville
Horseshoe Catchall Dish — Fleur De Flea, Louisville
Candle Holders — Yesternook Vintage, Louisville
Ceramic Hand — Goodwill
Wood Magazine Holder — Fillmore Vintage (permanently closed), Kansas City
Tortoiseshell Vase — Goodwill
Floral Arrangement — Fruitcake Flowers
Arched Floor Mirror — Facebook Marketplace
Green Metal Bucket — Retrospect Vintage, Philadelphia
Checkered Beni Ourain Rug — BoujaadcarpetsArt
LIVING ROOM
Leather Sofa — Poly & Bark
Utility Cart Side Table — Retrospect Vintage, Philadelphia
Red White & Blue Roller Skate Case — Retrospect Vintage, Philadelphia
Orange Nesso Lamp — Etsy
Ceramic Thumbs Up — The Neon Flea, Louisville
Amber Glass Ashtray — Yesternook Vintage, Louisville
Berber Moroccan Rug — CarpetsAbdelhadi
Coffee Table — Refurbished FBMP
Teak Tray — GreatHouse, New Jersey
Porcelain Hands Ashtray — Stickball, Philadelphia
Billiard Ball — GreatHouse, New Jersey
Marble Canister — FBMP
Amber Jars — FBMP
Dalmation Box — Seek & Find, Louisville
Gold Grinder — Sackville & Co.
Crochet Blanket — Oddballs Nifty Thrift, Florida
Green Velvet Cantilever Chair — FBMP
Milk Crates — FBMP
Locker Room Bench — FBMP
Chrome Cube Pipe — Laundry Day
Nemadji Pottery — FBMP
Buster (taxidermied chipmunk) — by Sarah Jane Moore
Black Grecian Bust — Jinxed, Philadelphia
Blanket Rack — Chick’s Discount Saddlery
Bar Sconce Light — FBMP
Antique Philco Radio — FBMP
Shelves — Handmade
Select Glassware — Tim’s Picks, Cincinnati
Spirits, Syrups & Bitters — Art in the Age, Philadelphia
ART:
No Smoking Enamel Sign — Stickball, Philadelphia
Small etchings — Unknown Artist, Mexico
Pointing Wooden Hand — Thunderbird Salvage, Philadelphia
“M” Marquee Letters — Fleur De Flea, Louisville
World Peace Weaving — Gaudmother
Industrial Safety Pin — FBMP
“Super” Car Ornament — Stickball, Philadelphia
Nelson Eye Clock — Lifted From My Mother’s House
Brass Cowboy Hat — Velvet Goldmine, Chicago
Painting of a Woman Reclining — Made by Me
Star face etching — Made by Me
TI-O-GA Feedbag — Joys Antiques, Pennsylvania
Have A Nice Day Tray — FBMP
Antique Sock Stretcher — Stickball, Philadelphia
Kandinsky Needlepoint — Made by My Great-Grandmother, Ida
Portrait Photograph — My Great-Grandmother Ida
Pen Drawing of a Tree — Made by My Mom
“One Day Dry Cleaning” Sign — Obscura Antiques (permanently closed), NYC
Small house weaving — Brownsville Antique Center
Flower Vase Painting — Made by Me
45 LP — Found in the bottom of an FBMP dresser
Lou Rawls Poster — Antique Village, Long Beach Island
Rodeo Pennant — Vice & Graft, New Orleans
Paintbrush — FBMP
Giampolini Back Patch — Squirrel Vintage
Ladies Sign — Vice & Graft, New Orleans
DINING ROOM
Saarinen Tulip Dining Table — Jinxed, Philadelphia
Heywood Wakefield High School Chairs — FBMP
Cowhide Rug — FBMP
Mid-Century Credenza — Love City Vintage, Philadelphia
Woven Bamboo Tray — Yesternook Vintage, Louisville
Cylindrical Vase — West Elm
Flower Arrangements — Fruitcake Flowers
Ceramic Vase — Urban Mining, Kansas City
Wall Mount Vinyl Storage — Hudson HiFi
Record Player — IKEA
Amp — FBMP
Large Ceramic Hand — Low Timers, New Orleans
Nemadji Pottery — FBMP
Miller’s Pretzels Tin — Jinxed, Philadelphia
Iron Hand Curtain Tieback — Eyes Gallery, Philadelphia
Open Weave Curtain — VntgStylStore
Texas Weiners Signs — Found
Light Bulb Pendant Light — ChezlManouche
KITCHEN
Butcher Block Table — FBMP
Fincken Etching Press — Shelley Thorstensen
Shelves — Handmade
Wall Caddy — A Four Foot Prune, Philadelphia
Enamelware — A Four Foot Prune, Philadelphia
Graniteware — Tickled Pink Antique Mall, Louisville
Colorful Soup Crocks — Goodwill
Wiesen’s Bakeshop photograph — My great grandfather’s bakery, with the family outside, taken sometime in the 1920s
Firesafe Cabinet — Ebay
Obey Poster — by Shepard Fairey (Purchased with my Bat Mitzvah money in 2009)
Chrome and Leather Stool — Yesternook Vintage, Louisville
School Lockers — FBMP
Marquee Sign — FBMP
Donut Shop Sign — Antique Village, Long Beach Island
Bachman Pretzel Tin — FBMP
Rug — A Four Foot Prune, Philadelphia
Stainless Serving Cart — Fantes Kitchen Shop
Nelson Bubble Lamp — My 11th Birthday Gift
BEDROOM
Moroccan Bench — Eyes Gallery, Philadelphia
Vintage Disco Ball — FBMP
Brass Birdcage Stand — FBMP
Night Table — FBMP
Terra Cotta Linen Sheets — Amazon
Olive Linen Duvet — TheUrbanShopping
Antique Ersari Rug — AltinRugs
Dresser — FBMP
Marble and Brass Vintage Knobs — ThisThatBackThen
Diehl Fan — Love City Vintage, Philadelphia
Flower Arrangement — Fruitcake Flowers
Ceramic Vase — Urban Mining, Kansas City
Floor Lamp — FBMP
Bentwood Chair — FBMP
Embroidery — Retrospect Vintage, Philadelphia
Hand Clip — Eyes Gallery, Philadelphia
Landscape Painting — by Jenna Howell
Wooden Shelf — Amazon
Artwork Above Bench — Made by Me
OFFICE
Green Watchmakers Desk — Thunderbird Salvage
Tubular Stool — Betsu Studio
Zine Rack — Displays2Go
Floor Lamp — FBMP
Daybed Frame — IKEA
Quilt — 80s Crate & Barrel
Wood Machinist Cabinet — FBMP
Kids Camp Trunk — FBMP
Rug — FBMP
South Philly Dives poster — Made by me
Record Sticker Poster — Made by me
Remaining Risograph Posters — Sunroom Monthly Flyers Club
BATHROOM
Shower Curtain — West Elm
Bath Mat — West Elm
Mirror — Amazon
Shelf — Amazon
Light Fixture — Lowes
Towel Ring — Lowes
Towel Racks — Lowes
Toilet Paper Holder — Lowes
Sewing Cabinet — FBMP
Cuban Poster — Unknown, purchased in Cuba
Bathing Woman Art — Unknown Artist, Mexico
Thanks, Mitch!
This tour’s responses and photos were edited for length/size and clarity.
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