The house is noted especially for its spatial organization and for the ventilation and natural lighting provided by its unusual window and shutter configuration.

A kitchen of wood and copper was created for the house by Wharton Esherick, a nationally known craftsman and artist.

[1] Its copper and wood kitchen was created by Wharton Esherick,[2]: 11  a nationally known craftsman and artist who was also her uncle.

Most of its front wall is occupied by a built-in bookcase (Margaret Esherick was a bookseller)[3] that reaches up to the horizontal window at the second story.

The adjacent servant space is a thin communication strip that contains the front and back doors plus the two balconies above them, all of which are set in alcoves.

At the far left of the house is the remaining servant space, occupied on the ground floor by the Wharton Esherick designed kitchen, a utility room converted into an adjunctive kitchen space and a half bath, and on the upper floor by a bathroom, laundry area and closets.

Because there is no glass behind the shutters, they are kept closed in winter, creating a high wall that provides a sense of protection against the weather.

They also reach from the bottom of the house to the top, and they can be opened and closed in any combination, creating an elaborate set of possible connections between indoors and outdoors.

[11] A renovation of the Esherick House in 2016 was recognized by three awards: Preservation Achievement Awards from the Chestnut Hill Conservancy & Historical Society and the Preservation Alliance for Greater Philadelphia, and a Citation of Merit from Docomomo, an international organization that works to protect modern architecture.

During the renovation, the kitchen was updated by installing modern appliances in the adjacent utility room, and the insulating ability of the building's windows was increased while retaining the look of the wooden shutter system.

The renovation was carried out by k YODER design in collaboration with people who were knowledgeable of the work of Louis Kahn and Wharton Esherick.