Photos by Rebecca McAlpin
After years of designing offices, Stacy Thorwart took her talents to renovate her Wynnewood home. She now owns her own design firm.
For most of her working life, Stacy Thorwart designed offices. When she and her husband bought a Wynnewood house in need of updates, she became her own client in a new venture designing lovely, livable residential interiors. There’s seldom an ideal time for tackling a major renovation. Thorwart had a toddler and a baby on the way. The COVID-19 pandemic was in full swing, creating a shortage of labor and materials. Delivery of a custom feature window was delayed, setting back the project three months. “But it was worth the wait to keep the design intact,” she says.
The heart of the renewed space is a light and airy kitchen that feels larger than its footprint by virtue of being open to a spacious dining area. “Taking down the wall between the kitchen and dining room meant there’s no longer that defined formal space for dining. But it was worth it for day-to-day living,” says Thorwart.
Wainscoting and bold wallpaper give the dining area a feeling of elegance for entertaining. In the kitchen, a farmhouse sink, a subway tile backsplash and white Shaker cabinets create a vintage vibe in keeping with the house, a circa-1940 center-hall colonial. Looking ahead to the kids doing homework in the space, Thorwart designed storage in the peninsula for laptops and school supplies.
In the living room, a pale palette sets a tone of charm and freshness. A plush steel-blue sofa anchors the space, and a tufted leather bench serves as a cocktail table. Built-in cabinetry flanks a bay window, and a club chair beside the fireplace is upholstered in a muted animal print, a hip riff on tradition.
Thorwart now heads Saturday Interiors, her own design firm. “I’ve always been passionate about interior design,” she says. “I’m so glad I took the plunge.”
Related: A Main Line Designer Gives This Vacation Home a Cheerful Revamp
