Next to the former United Methodist Church in East Falls, The Rectory was once abandoned and in disrepair. The historic 1890s structure has been lovingly restored and reimagined; transformed from a crumbling shell into a warm, layered home that reflects the studio’s core design values: sustainability, resourcefulness, and soul.

Every element in The Rectory tells a story. Much of what fills the space has been made, thrifted, or passed down, each object and material chosen with purpose. Light plays a key role in the design, with custom windows and panel curtains shaping the mood of each room throughout the day. A wood-burning stove anchors the living space, offering both physical warmth and a sense of gathering. And at the heart of the kitchen, a counter-to-ceiling pot rack nods to Val’s past life as a restaurateur, blending function with memory.

The Rectory is more than a home, it’s a lived-in laboratory for the ideas that shape Studio IQL’s work. It’s a place where good design doesn’t mean perfection, but presence. Where history, utility, and emotion combine to create spaces that feel genuinely lived in and deeply personal.