HOME PORTRAIT
Serenity Found At Home
Designer Mika Durrell Works Her Magic on Homes Across the Island
By Bryn Mahoney Photography by Jared Kuzia
Mika Durrell sits across from me, her elbows resting on the edges of a wooden conference table. The table is beautiful. It’s stained black with tapered legs, both simple and elegant.
It was created on Chappaquiddick by Collins Heavner of Marshal Farm Woodworks. The table is covered in loose piles of fabrics. There are eclectic patterns, vibrant velvets and mohair’s to name a few. This was my first glimpse into the world of Able Moraine. It was a glimpse into the very beginnings of something unique. The simple black and white palette of her office interior allow for the many beautiful finishes to be on show, and I can see how she pulls from the different shelves; with every material you could imagine. There’s terra cotta, marble, linen, reclaimed wood, hand troweled plaster samples, colorful stains, paint swatches, little cards of fringes, and decorative embroidered tapes. They’re all ready to be plucked and paired with each other, in infinite arrangements.
The space we’re sitting in was initially rented to her by Nancy Dole and Carlo D’Antonio. The space was not officially for rent at the time. Nancy’s husband was using the space as a showroom for his beautifully made furnishings and objects. “Nancy and I were engrossed in conversation, almost immediately, and before I knew it Carlo was quietly moving his furniture out of the space and into his truck”. The couple were already on the same page and Able Moraine seemed like the perfect fit for the space. It represented a pillar of creativity and independence.
“I naturally feel an obligation to support women, especially here on this Island, where we all can taste and feel the suppleness, of this place, yet many of us can barely grasp it, or struggle on a daily basis. The Island lacks a community of professional women. If you are a career woman and mother, you stick out like a black sheep, you are judged, you are one of a few.”
She felt inspired to support young professionals, to be able to be a part of the island year-round community, and to enjoy the Island she loved so deeply. “It felt like an obligation to the Island, it felt like an obligation to my heart”, she said.
“I built the team with highly qualified and experienced designers. We didn’t have time to ease into anything. We all had to show up ready to design and execute.” Mika wanted to surround herself with a team that was well equipped, bringing expertise, knowledge and professionalism to the table to help build the firm from the ground up.
Shortly after getting settled in her new studio space, she learned that clients from her last employer were given the option to work with her independently under her own entity. Considering the relationships that were already built and her desire to help her pre-existing clients complete their homes, she dove off a cliff and rapidly grew her business. Shortly after this, the COVID storm hit, and the residential interior design industry flourished during the pandemic. Many were safely perched inside their homes with limited access to the outside world. They were staring at the walls and rooms surrounding them. Without travel or social activities, many felt the itch to re-decorate or re-vamp their spaces. In addition, many living in urban or heavily populated areas, sought refuge on the island or other beautiful remote areas, purchasing new homes and abodes that needed attention. These dual anomolies thrusted Able Moraine into another phase of growth and expansion. Mika welcomed the projects and many of her designs have since been featured in many publications including, Architectural Digest Italy, Harper’s in her West Tisbury Studio Bazaar, House Beautiful, New England Homes, Cape Cod Life, Elle Decor France, Modern Interiors Boston, House and Garden, Beautiful Home and many more. A quick glance through her gallery of work and you can see why.
Her ability to create beautiful spaces extends beyond any one specific design style. Whether modern, classic, or eclectic, Able Moraine can confidently create the ideal space for any client. Mika describes herself as a genuine collaborator. She truly listens to her clients’ interests and needs in order to create a unique environment that they will love. It is at the heart of Able Moraine to keep craft and trade alive and integrated in her designs. “The home should feel lived in, it should feel human, it should be used, and gathered in. I think of all of our vendors and makers, installing parts of themselves into the spaces, leaving behind an energy and spirit that just lives in the air of the space.”
Mika has a deep appreciation for artists, specialty fabricators, people of craft, wallpaper installers and painters She is known and sought after for her unique ability to weave talented makers’ work into her projects.
When Mika sees a simple space or fixture, she effortlessly elevates it whether it be with a stunning metal shower enclosure, a copper fireplace mantel, layered limewash, meticulously hand hung wallpaper, tiles handmade and installed to emphasize their character. leather braids hand woven around a stair handrail or blown glass light fixtures filled with the breath of their artist.
In a world that seems to be so systematically homogenized, it’s pursu feel like much more than a sum of their parts. The peace that an artisan experiences when creating these custom pieces translates and permeates the space. It’s these moments which she creates throughout her homes that leave such lasting impressions. Though she shies away from claiming a specific design style, here lies her subtle signature.
As Mika describes these projects, I’m hooked by the image of linen drapery lightly blowing in the wind, graciously hiding the motorized Lutron shades behind them. “I like to hide the mechanical, technical aspects of the home behind layers of texture and material, so your home feels like a home and not an airport, or hospital.” I could have listened to Mika discuss her projects and the way she infuses serenity into each space for hours. But there’s more to Able Moraine, and Mika graciously shared her experiences as we sat in the studio, the perfect setting for open expression.
Our discussion covered many layers of life here on the Island. Mika immediately admitted that she has recently survived the most difficult 4 years of her life. She is just re-emerging into the world, steadily, and cautiously. She started Able Moraine in the fall of 2019. She made the difficult decision to leave a prestigious Architecture firm in which she was the Director of Interiors, to go off on her own. One of the main motivations for beginning her own business was to have more balance. She was looking to break free from the 9-5, allowing her more time with her daughters, and the freedom to truly express herself as a woman, a mother and a designer. To own her own design firm would mean true freedom and sovereignty.
Only one year into Able Moraine, Mika endured a divorce. Dissolving the partnership turned into a blindsiding battle, a fight for her entire life’s creation, her daughters, and her career of 20 years, everything she had worked so hard for. As she juggled for many years, a full-time obligation to the legal system, running the business, and being a single mom, she constantly looked for the silver linings. She saw opportunities for her team to step further into their roles, to have more autonomy and independence.
Through this process, she realized that even though she didn’t mind awarding more opportunity to her team, she felt estranged from projects and clients. She learned that the one-on-one relationship with her clients was crucial in the design process and something she missed greatly. Being involved in every aspect of a project from the beginning to the end was important to her, but she knew she had to let go and be flexible at the time. She had to trust those surrounding her to stay afloat.
“Summer of 2022, I pulled into the parking lot of my office, and tears just poured out. I saw it then, what was happening.” She saw that Able Moraine was not going to be able to sustain the team she had grown, and loved, so dearly. “Rapid growth is a known threat to a new small business, and I felt like I saw its shadow looming over us. It was heartbreaking, it has been heartbreaking. I feel it was the most profound, poignant heart break I have ever experienced in a myriad of ways.”
She now looks back with gratitude, she knows that the universe provided her with exactly what she needed, whether she liked it or not. Today, the business is in its truest form, allowing Mika freedom, balance and the chance to work directly with her clients.
“Honestly, the most important thing to me is to work with good people, kind people, that are curious and excited about the art of creating their space”. She adds that this is achievable with any budget. Being imaginative and creating within constraints often yields the most beautiful, creative solutions.
For the first time in her life, she isn’t exactly sure what this next chapter looks like, but she remains optimistic, and open. She is grateful for all that she has survived and all she has fought for the past 4 years. She aims to balance her life as a mother, a business owner, and as a confidant to women, experiencing injustice on this Island.
“Sometimes, the dark, brings you to the light. Just as you use contrast in design to accentuate or expand space. Grit shows you who you truly are, just as texture brings depth and feel to a space. Surrender gives you serenity, just as neutral tones create calmness in a home. Survival shows you how you want to live, and what is most important, just as your home is your most coveted safety nest.”
To find out more about Able Moraine Studio located at 1076 State Road,West Tisbury Studio: 203.291.9525 on Instagram: @ablemoraine For all inquiries regarding Mika Durrell’s design services and to view a complete portfolio, visit AbleMoraine.com