A Very Modern Attitude

“Attitude is a little thing that makes a big difference,” said Winston Churchill, no doubt referring to both individuals and their interiors. Living proof of Winnie’s wisdom: Donna Mackinley, a divorced mother of two whose altered perspective enabled her to challenge the limits of old boundaries — personal and architectural. Apropos to the start of her new post-divorce adventure, Mackinley wanted a fresh design reality that would transcend the confines of her typical suburban colonial as well as her own strict traditionalist roots.  “I was looking for something totally different, comfortable but not cluttered with yesterday’s life,” explains Mackinley. “I felt a new, more peaceful environment could help me grow in the way that I live and the way I experience where I live.” 

A desire to reinvent is precisely the brand of challenge that fuels the collective imagination of the Fury Design, Inc. team.  In a radical departure from both the home’s unremarkable exterior and Mackinley’s deeply entrenched style parameters, Eric Rymshaw, Jim Fulton and Josh Thibault created an environment that is sleek, modern and minimalist—as well as warm and soothing to the soul. “It is fun to juxtapose different schools of architecture and décor,” notes Eric Rymshaw. “I don’t bring a set of preconceived ideas to a project, so I can help motivate the client to leave their comfort zone and try something unfamiliar and daring.”

In typical Fury fashion, the drama begins as you walk in the door. “When you come in the front door, you can see almost every room in this house. Your first impression is the wonderful sense of openness and flow,” notes Rymshaw. “The second impression is the great pieces that greet you in the foyer and tell you immediately this is a house of quality.”

Further inside, an ambiance that is chic, calming and shaped by, well…shapes. An architect by training, Rymshaw tends toward the geometric. But don’t even suggest the “T” word. “I don’t like themes,” he says adamantly. “Just because you use some things that are circular like a table or pillow does not mean everything in the room has to be a circle. We tried to include an interesting mix of geometry in the main living area.”

That main living area, originally two separate rooms, is now a single fluid space, an illusion facilitated by a unified color palette of soft neutrals and the newly designed see-through fireplace. “We got rid of a really ugly ‘pseudo Pennsylvania farmhouse gone mad mantle piece’ and converted the fireplace between the two rooms into a see through,” explains Rymshaw. “We added French limestone and framed the whole thing in a more modern accent panel that wraps around the entire space to pull it together.” Voila, a multifunctional living area, its purpose intentionally vague. “This plan is not about every room having a specific function,” emphasizes Rymshaw. “The whole main floor is designed to be used by everyone for any occasion. Whether Donna is having a cocktail party or the kids have friends over, there are no dedicated spaces.  All the rooms talk to each other. You’re never out in the cold.”  It is the antithesis of formal and stuffy, just what Mackinley ordered. “This house is perfect for the kind of casual entertaining I prefer now,” she says. “It allows you to take a cocktail from room to room, so it makes it more fun.”

Grown ups are not the only ones who have fun in this house. Per Mackinley’s instruction, Rymshaw, et al., created a special recreational area on the lower level for her teenage son and daughter. “It’s a fabulous personal lounge with a bar but we didn’t want it to look like a bar where alcohol is consumed, so we designed a ‘Milk Bar,” enthuses Rymshaw “We went to the ‘Got Milk’ website and the kids each picked out their favorite character with a milk mustache to hang on the wall.” It is always important for children to feel they have a voice in their living conditions, says the designer, but critical in a situation where they have been uprooted because of divorce. “This is not the first time we’ve dealt with this type of circumstance and it is really essential that kids feel as if they are part of the process,” he observes. “They may not have actually chosen the chartreuse fabric, but they knew that Mom was acknowledging them and considering their feelings.”     With its glamorous black bamboo floors, shades of gray that ooze tranquility and a panache that is quiet and understated, this family’s new home supports not only mom’s quest for serenity, but also her desire to surround herself with fewer, more meaningful possessions. “I think after you go through any difficult period, whether it be death or divorce or whatever, you kind of reevaluate your priorities,” muses Mackinley, who has decided that home is where the art is. “Personally, I love art and want to be surrounded by pieces that speak to me. I think contemporary settings offer the right backdrop for my taste. Although I love traditional, I guess I feel I’ve been there, done that.”

Surely Andy Warhol would have approved. As the late pop art icon once said, “They say that time changes things, but you actually have to change them yourself.”  With a little help from Fury Design Inc., Donna Mackinley did just that.

Susan Pevaroff-Berschler lives in Bryn Mawr, PA.