An Ardmore Home’s Dreamy Second-Floor Renovation
Just wait till you see the closet.
/ Photography by Brian Wetzel
Creating inviting but practical spaces in older homes can take a bit of design prowess. (Let’s face it: They lived a little differently 100 years ago!) So when tasked with reinvigorating the second floor of her friend’s century-old colonial home in Ardmore, Rupam Patheja, principal designer of Gladwyne’s Ru and Co. Interior Design, knew she had to look at the big picture.
“It was obvious to me that they needed to rethink the way the space was laid out, particularly the primary suite,” says Patheja, who took cues from the first floor (which another interior designer had updated a few years prior) and kept the entire family, including the couple’s elementary-age kids, in mind. In the primary suite, she knocked down walls to create two ample walk-in closets. In the son’s and daughter’s rooms, Patheja focused on playful choices that could mature alongside them.
And for a flourish? Statement wallcoverings. “The idea was to make all the rooms feel special,” says Patheja. “Adding a wallpaper that felt unique gave a freshness to each area.”
Closet
Patheja wallpapered the ceiling with Rebel Wall’s Poppy Meadow Rainbow for maximum impact. Montgomeryville-based Closet Works made the custom cabinet. The floral-inspired light from CB2 and a radiator slicked with Sherwin-Williams’s Ruby Shade are punchy touches.
Son’s bedroom
Chicoutimi Wallpaper’s Bien Fait print pairs well with Benjamin Moore’s Luck of the Irish, used for the trim. A Lulu and Georgia platform bed provides versatility as the boy gets older.
Laundry room
A narrow linen closet was transformed into a second laundry room — simply for convenience. Thibaut’s Central Park wallpaper adds personality to functional elements like Delta’s Trinsic Collection faucet.
Daughter’s room
The built-in nook, by Buono Construction in Phoenixville, delights with dog-shaped drawer pulls. The window treatments and cushions are by Bucks County’s Avant-Garde Designs.
Published as “Fresh Take” in the May 2026 issue of Philadelphia magazine.
