Fireplaces and globe lights, hunter green wainscoting and oxblood Chesterfield banquettes, oodles of dog paintings, and yards of floral-patterned carpets. Philadelphia’s The Dandelion has everything in place to signal “English pub.” This two-story, 135-seat space is the latest effort by restaurateur Stephen Starr and his design team to craft a familiar atmosphere that stops just shy of kitsch. For LA-based designer Shawn Hausman of Shawn Hausman Design, that meant a “great scouting trip to England to get a real understanding of the design vocabulary.”

Hausman and his partner, Jessica Kimberley, returned laden not only with furniture like wooden benches and wheelback chairs, but also architectural salvage reclaimed from British pubs that had gone out of business. “What we found drove the design,” says Hausman. “We came back with five mantelpieces, and all of the paneling came from England, as did the bar backs and cabinetry.” The authenticity stems even to the high-gloss European paint and vintage-patterned wallpapers that cover the walls.

The Dandelion’s architecture, too, is notable, lending itself to the comfortable, home-like atmosphere that the team was aiming for. A bar and casual dining room occupies the ground floor of one of two buildings that local architect Richard Stokes melded together for the project. The ground floor of the second building houses a fireside lounge and communal dining table.

Upstairs, a series of rooms unfolds, including one that recalls a sunny Victorian parlor-all white and mint green-and several with more traditional pub atmospheres, such as the “Man’s Best Friend” room, pulsating with dog arcana (figurines, books, cartoons), and another that bears an equestrian theme. “The buildings’ bay windows allow for several of what we call ‘snugs,'” says Hausman, of spots where just one table fits in the alcove.

“The idea is that regular customers would find their particular favorite space and request the same seating every time they come,” he concludes.