In an iconic scene from The Wizard of Oz, Dorothy leaves her transported Kansas farmhouse (filmed in black and white) and opens the front door to find a world of brilliant Technicolor. Everything shimmers. She steps outside with absolute wonder reflected in her large, brown eyes.
The effect of entering the home of Mignon Durham is similar. You feel as if you’ve been whisked to some magical realm, filled with beauty and color and art.
But the lady of the house? She’s very real. Petite and poised, with a warm smile and an adorable Cavalier King Charles Spaniel in her arms (Clancie — a rescue, who is also a hospital therapy dog), she offers a cup of hot cider before walking you through her remarkable residence.
Art is everywhere. Fine art. Folk art. Glass art. Ceramic art. Fiber art. It is a lovingly assembled collection that Durham has amassed over several decades. “My collection really tells the story of the Penland School [of Crafts] in the 1980s and 1990s. The body of it is because I was involved with the school during that time [as Chairman of the Board],” she says. “These are all my friends. I can’t see the pieces of work without seeing the person who made them.”
To establish a home for herself — and these many “friends” — Durham purchased a sloped and forested three-acre parcel of land southeast of Asheville. “The east and west slopes were restricted as no-disturb zones, so, with the restrictions and the creek, we ended up with only a sliver of land to build on,” she explains. She presented this challenge to Robin Woodward of Blue Ridge Energy Systems: an energy-efficient structure with plenty of ambient light, lots of walls for her art, and all on one level.
“It was a narrow site, and the site access ran to the south,” Woodward recalls. “We wanted south-facing windows, so I came up with the concept of a saw-tooth roof structure, and she immediately jumped on it.” Durham’s family was in the textile industry and she was familiar with the design, utilized in textile mills of the late 1800s to bring consistent light to the factory floor.
Triple-pane clerestory windows, treated for high-level UV protection and set high on 16-foot walls, provide illumination while controlling the passive-solar heat impact on the interiors, keeping them shady and cool in summer, but filling the space with sunlight in winter to warm the colored concrete floors. A geo-thermal heat pump and heat-recovery system keep the temperature and air quality at optimal levels. Photovoltaic roof panels (deftly hidden from view) generate most of the structure’s electricity.
“Robin spent a great deal of time in the design and planning stages,” notes Durham. “He even built a 3D model, which helped me to visualize the placement of the furnishings and the art, among other things.”
An experienced curator, Durham had recently culled her collection down to her most treasured pieces, but realized that the skills of a professional interior designer would aid her in establishing a sense of order, continuity, and warmth in the context of her home, rather than that of a gallery.
Krista Washam LaBlue knew just what was needed. “The architecture called for simple and modern lines,” LaBlue observes. My first mission was to introduce furnishings that had personality — fabrics with clean lines and a folk-art inspiration that also brought nature into the equation. I didn’t want the fabrics to take a back seat to the artwork. I wanted them to be able to hold their own.”
“I’ve always loved color,” notes Durham. “I needed Krista’s help to give me access to the more neutral tones.” Neutral, yes, but certainly not dull. LaBlue deftly blends pattern and texture to create a sense of vibrancy without overwhelming other elements in the space.
“I don’t believe that a room can have too many focal points, but they have to be arranged so that some take precedence,” LaBlue explains. “If you try to pull too much together and give it all equal prominence, you’ll lose the essence of the room. You have to create comfort for the [viewer], so they know what they’re supposed to look at. You need to lead the eye through the room.”
With this in mind, LaBlue also assisted in fine-tuning the placement of the art. “It needed Krista’s fine touch to create the vignettes,” says Durham. “If I felt that the overall impact wasn’t what it could be, we repositioned the works to create the ‘wow’ factor,” LaBlue agrees.
As the interiors were taking shape, Nancy Duffy of Muddy Boots was designing and arranging the surrounding landscape, integrating natural and man-made elements into a pleasing whole. “Most of the art within the house, I brought to the site,” Durham explains. “What was a great joy for me was creating the sculpture garden … that’s all new art, arranged for optimal viewing from the rooms of the house and appropriate in the context of the outdoor space. Nancy has done a masterful job.”
The grounds, the house, and the interior appointments come together as a cohesive whole, both functionally and aesthetically … a world unto itself. “I’ve built several homes in my life, more out of passion than training,” Durham observes. “This house represents 30 years of what I’ve learned from working with professionals like Krista and Robin and Nancy.” Likewise, her passion for encouraging and nurturing artists has resulted in a living space that vibrates with joy, beauty, and color.
Not quite as easy as clicking one’s heels and repeating, “There’s no place like home” — but in the end, the result is the same.