Full Circle

A couple marks its return to the Main Line with a Shaker-style beauty.

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Stacy Dutton and her husband, Mark Cunneen, were introduced to the Main Line as graduate students at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School back in the 1980s. While many of their classmates remained in the area and set up house in the suburbs, their careers in finance took them to New York. More than 15 years later, Mark’s transfer to Berwyn brought them back to the area they so admire. “I love Philadelphia, and I love the Main Line,” says Dutton. “It’s such a beautiful area. I’m envious of the people who settled here right after school.”

Although the couple appreciates historic homes, they decided on new construction while house hunting back in 2005. She’d been through the process before with a home in New York, so the idea of new construction wasn’t daunting. And the roster of acclaimed builders and architects on the Main Line made the decision even easier. They chose Chip Vaughan’s Shaker-style, Spring House custom home, choosing a property on a quiet street in Villanova. Another perk: “This area is so affordable compared to the home prices in New York,” says Dutton.

Of highest priority for the couple: a library that could double as a home office. Dutton had definite ideas on how she wanted the space designed. She refrained from putting in a fireplace, opting instead for a surplus of floor-to-ceiling shelves. “My emphasis was more on functionality rather than fireside chats,” says Dutton. “My husband and I are big readers, and we have lots of books.”

And Dutton knew the exact linear footage required to house all their books. “They thought I was asking for too much space,” she says. “But I was able to fill every shelf.”

And since both she and her husband would be using the room, the decor had to be cozy without being too masculine or feminine. Dutton had the advantage of bringing in an interior designer whom she trusted implicitly—her sister, Christina Dutton—to consult on every decision. Based in Washington, D.C., Christina works on residential home design with clients throughout the East Coast. “My sister helped me with my last home in New York,” Dutton says.

It was Christina’s idea to marry crimson cashmere drapes with the Williamsburg Blue paint on the library walls. The colors were pulled from a Serapi Persian rug on the floor. Along with a couch and two side chairs in Brunschwig & Fils fabric, a custom-made Heart Pine desk completes the room. “It came out exactly the way I wanted it to,” says Dutton. “My husband and I fight over who uses this room.”
 

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