In The Pink

In designing a Massachusetts home, Mary McGee fearlessly breaks boundaries, whether she’s energizing Georgian-style rooms with a high-wattage palette or incorporating vivid patterns from her new line of African-made textiles.

- Celia Barbour

First off, let’s talk pink! It’s hardly a traditional choice for a suburban family house.

MARY McGEE: My client loves clear and pretty colors, and pink is her absolute favorite. In the living room, I made it feel rich and sophisticated by using deep shades of raspberry, then I introduced graphic black-and-white patterns and art, like the Richard Serra charcoal drawing over a sofa. The combination makes the room feel edgy and modern as opposed to sweet or feminine.

CELIA BARBOUR: And yet the house’s architecture is anything but edgy.

My clients love design, but family comes first—they have four kids, and they wanted a big, happy home that would feel grounded in history. We renovated this house in Wellesley, Massachusetts, in the Georgian style and gave it classical moldings and proportions.

And then you offset that with the interior’s vibrant design.

When you have these really serious rooms, it’s nice to bring in things that are a little more fun, to introduce a chic, hip vibe. For instance, the living room’s Plexiglas table feels young and fresh, and the transparency helps to balance out all the color in the room.

Throughout the house, you use decor as a counterweight to the architecture.