A Center City High-Rise Condo Filled With an Art Collector’s Treasures

See inside an art collector’s high-rise condo. Photograph by Halkin Mason Photography

The challenge Meg Rodgers faced when working on this Center City condo wasn’t simply designing. It was editing — namely, the homeowner’s extensive collection of art, artifacts, antiques, textiles and furniture, acquired through decades of world travel. With her team, Rodgers, principal of Marguerite Rodgers Interior Design, started by cataloging each piece and then collaborating with the client — who was downsizing from a suburban spread — to determine which items would be integrated into the new home.

“The first thing was to understand the significance of different pieces. Even during our process, she just kept collecting,” Rodgers explains, “so creating a space that allowed things to shift and move was an important part of it. It was as much about designing as it was creating a moveable exhibit of all of her things.”

Rodgers maintained a neutral palette, so that each room can be a foundation for whatever items shift in and out of it, from rugs to artwork. But not every piece in the home is moveable, including the carved wooden doors from India. Far too massive for the building’s elevator, these had to be hauled up 17 floors by four men and a pulley system. The end result? A grand moment of permanence in a space designed for constant change.

“The home is a testament to a life spent traveling and creating. It embraces this life well lived. The amount of artistry and craft and skill that is represented here — it’s almost like a museum.” — Meg Rodgers, designer

Photograph by Halkin Mason Photography

Living Room

A carved wooden mask the owner found in Sri Lanka hangs above the fireplace. Below is a canoe model from India that Rodgers and her team fashioned into a bench. A duo of Constantini Design chairs upholstered in Holly Hunt suede faces a Nakashima-inspired burled wood coffee table from the Marguerite Rodgers Collection.

Dining Room

Rodgers worked with Philly-based custom furniture company Groundwork Home to create the live-edge dining table, which is surrounded by Thos. Moser dining chairs. A custom Quasar Holland light fixture is a focal point of the room, especially at night.

Photograph by Halkin Mason Photography

Hallway

The homeowner brought back a door frame and a set of carved sapele mahogany doors from India, and Rodgers and her team worked to seamlessly blend them into the building’s modern construction.

Photograph by Halkin Mason Photography

Bedroom

In the master bedroom, a curated mix of pieces belonging to the owner is artfully arranged. All pillows throughout the house were created from her collection of textiles and tapestries.

Published as “Cool and Collected” in the February 2020 issue of Philadelphia magazine.