The Rescuers

“[Lynette’s] immediate reaction was no — no cold, square, chrome, or glass,” Corson says. But eventually, Shaw came around. With help from Liz Cingari at Montage, they slowly started acquiring contemporary pieces, though it wasn’t always easy.

“We had to respect not only the architecture, but Lynette’s art as well,” Corson says. “The last thing I wanted was for someone to walk into her house and say, ‘That’s a great couch.'” They started with a gray microsuede sofa with thin chrome legs from B&B Italia. Then Corson swapped out the old pine table in the kitchen for a sleek, round oak piece, also from B&B Italia. More recently, they added a black lacquer Christian Liaigre console table. Every time Shaw sold a painting, they’d go to Montage to see what they could add to the mix. “Susan educated me. Before her, my furniture was ordinary,” says Shaw. “I now see that furniture is like sculpture…and paired with art, it sings.”

Today the home features a warm, eclectic, and timeless mix of pieces that work well with Shaw’s large-scale paintings, which she rotates regularly. “As the years go by, I appreciate [the home] more and more,” says Shaw. “It’s almost spiritual for me, and it’s elevated my work to a new level.”

Architect Carr, Lynch, and Sandell, Cambridge; Interiors Susan Corson Designs, Waban

Photographs By Eric Roth