Haven: Living the high life in the city

For three decades, the views that Tom and Sue Carroll enjoyed year-round were of Victorian Cape May: sun, sea, sand, and tourists in spring, summer, and fall, and a far quieter scene in winter.

As the owners of an inn, the Mainstay, the Carrolls were dedicated to pleasing others, and their lives were defined by dawn-to-dark responsibilities.

As Sue explains, they were all about the inn's rhythms. In fact, her 1997 book is titled Breakfast at Nine, Tea at Four.

The Carrolls opened the inn in 1971, then moved it to a nearby location in 1976, keeping the name intact. Tom's impressions were chronicled in the book Cape May: Images of a Seashore Resort, which he wrote with photographer Michael Biggs in 1992.

"It was probably 80 percent fun and 20 percent serious work," Sue says of their innkeepers' life.

But in April 2007, the couple decided it was time for a change. They made a big one and bought a one-bedroom condo at Hopkinson House on Washington Square. In 2012, they upgraded to three bedrooms.

"We loved the Society Hill area of Philadelphia, and we wanted to see how city life would be," says Tom, a former officer in the Coast Guard.

As it turned out, the change was exhilarating, and the building's location suited their desire for an urban experience that allowed them access to the city's cultural attractions and amenities.

They also made a decision they say they've never regretted: to hold on to a Cape May residence purchased in 1986 and enjoy it as a second home. They split the week between the houses.

"We love both places," says Sue, a former teacher. "And in summer, especially, we really do have the best of both worlds."

Today, their city home is graced with many of the pieces lovingly chosen for the Mainstay. With a mix of antiques and a few nods to modernity, the space is welcoming and warm, but it also has a certain dignity in its details. It's a finely tuned aesthetic that's elegant without an ounce of pretension.

Against neutral dove-gray walls with a hint of pale blue in the expansive living room, the Carrolls have found a home for the treasures they lived with and loved in Cape May.

A handsome 19th-century secretary desk graces one wall. A custom-made bookcase houses their library and some treasured accessories.

"A Cape May carpenter and I built the bookcase together," says Tom, noting that the couple found its wood (tiger maple) at an Amish lumberyard in Gap, Pa.

"It comes apart in five sections, which is how we managed to get it into this building," he notes.

Traditional sofas and a wing chair are anchored by a lush rug that echoes the gentle gray-blue coloration of the walls.

The Carrolls love fine woods, and in the dining room their tiger maple table and chairs reside against a backdrop of elegant William Morris-design wallpaper, imparting a classic look and feel to the space.

Tom's collection of English canes and walking sticks provides delightful accessories in the condominium, and nearly every lamp and painting has a story behind it.

"So much of what we have was with us back at the Mainstay," Tom says. "We're amazed that these pieces seem to fit into an entirely different, and very much smaller, home."

A favorite room is the study, perfect for watching TV, working on the computer, and tackling household details.

Though art of all sorts abounds, from a magnificent seascape to favorite portraits that remind the well-traveled couple of places they've visited, some of the best views are the ones that the Carrolls enjoy at every turn.

"Looking out at the city still amazes us," says Tom, noting that one of their delights is a patio from which they can survey the skyline, a river vista, and the sweep of urban life.

Several years ago, the couple splurged on a magnificent mosaic table at a Cape May show home that is now a highlight of their patio space.

And their city-and-seashore existence has become one of the bonuses of this stage of life.

"We can go to a play or a concert in the city, or we can . . . drive a little over an hour and remember why we fell in love with Cape May so many years ago," Tom says.

For Sue, the good news is that in neither place is there the obligation to serve breakfast or tea on a schedule.

"And that," she says, smiling, "I don't miss a bit."