A Peek Behind the Tofani Door of One East Passyunk Rowhome
Re(work) Architecture & Design gave the rest of the home a mostly mid-century aesthetic.
Photography by Rebecca McAlpin
Tofani doors — known for their decorative glass panels and distinctive window shapes — have been a hallmark of South Philly rowhomes since the early 20th century, when Philly craftsman Arthur Tofani started churning them out at his neighborhood mill. As residents and business owners in East Passyunk, re(work) Architecture & Design’s Sary Em and Eric Heidel share an appreciation for these local treasures — and so did their clients, a couple who had been splitting time between Brooklyn and Philadelphia but decided to make this city their forever home. They tasked Em and Heidel, a wife-and-husband team, with a complete reimagining and nearly full-gut renovation of their just-purchased East Passyunk rowhome — except for the Tofani door.
So the designers amplified the original front vestibule — “a great space for wallpaper or a fun color,” says Heidel — then went mid-mod for almost everything else. They leaned into geometric patterns, wood paneling, and an earthy green (plus a little pink) color palette; they also dug out the basement, expanded the third floor, and added a roof deck. But the spirit of the home remains, thanks to that door and its keyhole motif — the first thing you see when you enter, and the last thing you see when you leave.
Living Room & Vestibule
A pair of vintage chairs from the client’s grandmother were refinished by Guy’s Upholstering in East Passyunk. Em and Heidel also added white oak built-ins from Kensington-based T.K. Lynch Joinery. For the vestibule, the designers chose a frog wallcovering, Arte’s Les Grenouilles de Chavroches, and painted the space with Benjamin Moore’s Thousand Oceans. Northeast Philly’s David Albert Stained Glass Studio replaced a small pane of glass in the transom.
Kitchen
The open-concept first floor features an eat-in kitchen lined with cabinetry by Hunting Park’s Doyle Design in white oak and painted wood. The designers sourced the soapstone counter from Renaissance Marble & Granite in Blackwood, New Jersey, and the zellige mosaic backsplash from Center City’s Joanne Hudson.
Bathroom
White oak and brass Workstead sconces were paired with Zia Tile’s Alabaster White and Kelp Forest wall tiles. T.K. Lynch Joinery built the white oak vanity, with a London Sky quartzite counter from Renaissance Marble & Granite.
Basement
To make their vision — what Em calls “an old-school South Philly basement bar with a Twin Peaks twist” — come to life, the designers brought in a custom bar by Doyle Design, wall paneling in white oak, and checkered Armstrong VCT flooring.
Published as “Making an Entrance” in the April 2026 issue of Philadelphia magazine.
