Carroccia married into the house, so to speak. Bach bought it in 1992, back when he was a bachelor newly embarked on his own architecture career.
"It was 460 square feet, a good place for one person," he says. "It was exposed to lots of light, and I bought it pretty cheaply.
"Then we married, and there were two, then three, and now four people living in the house." (Annaliese is 11, and Caroline is 8.)
These days, Bach works for HGA, a health-care design firm, and Carroccia heads her own firm and teaches part time at Moore College of Art and Design.
When the couple-plus-two eventually reached the point of admitting that the house was too small, they enlarged it, adding 400 square feet, give or take.
From the outside, the house still looks small. But once you walk in, that's easy to forget: The living room seems quite accommodating.
Across from the door, a 33-inch television sits in the cavity of the fireplace. The couple's smiling daughters beam at a guest from the screen saver.
At the other end of the living room, a traditionally decorated sitting area - love seat, chair, table and lamp - create the illusion that the room is larger than its 12-by-12-foot size. Everywhere is framed artwork by Annaliese and Caroline.
Two small mahogany desks and chairs - acquired from the old Divine Lorraine Hotel on North Broad Street - stand near the white-curtained windows. Yet nothing seems crammed into the space.
"One of the main principles I have in making a small room look larger is to make sure furniture is not too large. . . . We threw out a lovely sofa that filled up the living room and replaced [it with] the love seat and chair, both comfortable but smaller," Carroccia says.
"I also like to have lots of mirrors around and make sure walls are a muted color, even if the room includes lots of color in the furnishings."
