This Pennsylvania home started out pretty standard. It was part of a new development by Toll Brothers in Blue Bell, a suburb of Philadelphia. “Blue Bell was recently named one of the best places to live in the US as it offers the perfect balance between small-town charm and vibrant city life,” says interior designer Rasheeda Gray. Her firm, Gray Space Interiors, was tasked with adding a bit of “everyday opulence” to the otherwise builder-grade-basic home.

“Our clients spent a year in Chile as ex-pats for work after completing their new build,” she tells us. “While away, they commissioned our team to design and customize their home to reflect their personal style and travels. The vision? Transform a standard new build into a custom, well-traveled home for everyday living.”

She set to work on the living room, dining room, powder room, and the space that would receive the biggest transformation, the study-turned-speakeasy. “Our client had an open study off the living room and came to us with the idea of a hidden door but needed our expertise to execute and further define it into a space that spoke more to their lifestyle,” Rasheeda shares. “During our discovery process, our team discovered that our clients like to entertain. We enclosed the study with a pair of built-ins that double as hidden doors to the new speakeasy!”

The powder bathroom also received a special update with Mitchell and Black’s moody “Boulder Beach” wallpaper, adding drama and texture to the small space “Fun fact,” Rasheeda adds. “Our clients have traveled to Boulder Beach in South Africa, which made it that much more special.”

For readers looking to upgrade their own builder-grade homes, Rasheeda suggests one easy enhancement: custom trim and ceiling wallpaper. “The dining room is the first room you see as you enter the home, and our goal was to elevate it and make it special,” she explains. “We landed on a handmade semi-metallic wallpaper called Bibana Gold by Anna Hayman in the UK for the tray ceiling and custom wall trim on an accent wall. We kept the client’s existing dining table and layered in some custom art to complete the space.”

By getting to know her clients and carefully implementing thoughtful upgrades, the once builder-grade home is now anything but basic.