August 27, 2021 By Jessica Cherner Architectural Digest
Ken Fulk’s highly sophisticated interiors—often swathed in colorful hand-painted wallpaper and decorated with a mix of centuries-old antiques and custom contemporary pieces—are almost instantly recognizable to anyone with an appreciation for design. “I do strive hard not to have a signature look, but there is an obvious DNA to the things that we create that makes the spaces easily identifiable.” His most recent endeavor that serves as a shining example of his design philosophy? The ’Quin House, a members-only social club that opened this summer in Boston’s famous Back Bay neighborhood. Founders Sandy and Paul Edgerley brought on Fulk as the creative director, handing him the reins for every formative element of the coveted spot on Commonwealth Avenue, from the logo to the paint colors, and of course, the magical, transcendent interiors.
And for this six-story Gilded Age masterpiece, which spans four restaurants, six lounges, three bars, eight guest quarters, a roof deck, a fitness and wellness center, and a series of private event spaces, Fulk’s driving force behind the design was more of a feeling than it was a specific aesthetic. “For me, it’s more about spaces that have evolved. In other words, they don’t seem to feel like they just suddenly appeared; they look as if they’ve subtly adapted to a more contemporary landscape without losing its historical roots,” Fulk notes.
Though few interiors experts can master the delicate harmony between vintage, antique, and contemporary pieces as well and as effortlessly as Fulk does, he had good historical details—an impressive art collection, ceilings with elaborate plaster crowns, and extravagant alabaster columns—that came with the late 19th-century building on his side. “It’s great to have that tension between the original elements and the contemporary ones we added. It was a big responsibility to create something that feels aesthetically relevant at its core,” Fulk explains.
Although the ’Quin House was a heavy lift when it came to implementing a more contemporary approach to the interiors, Fulk made a concerted effort to conserve as much of the original details as possible. In the grand reading room, which features two fireplaces on either end and a massive Calvin Coolidge portrait, he preserved the ceiling’s elaborate crown moldings, putting his own twist on them, in typical Ken Fulk fashion. They were originally a heavy white plaster, but over the years, from the fires brewing beneath the mantles and the years of cigar smoking, they had taken on the deep brown color they are now. Fulk admits, “I actually preferred it dark, so we repaired the crown moldings and had them glazed in wonderful rich mahogany color.”
Another one of what used to be the Algonquin Club’s preexisting features that heavily influenced Fulk’s creative direction? The late 19th- and early 20th-century classic American paintings that he inherited with the building. Fulk turned to curator Kate Chertavian to find incredible works and ultimately build a collection that would include everyone from Andy Warhol to Picasso, Rodin, and Kehinde Wiley.
Fulk suggests, “The extremely curated art program is an integral part of this big building.” And it’s quite clear upon walking through the stately entrance, where guests are greeted with Rodin’s Penseur, Petit Modèle. That said, the 250-plus-piece art collection is only a piece—albeit a significant piece—of the complex puzzle that connects the old with the new.
Though Fulk is hardly a stranger to the stylish panache of the world’s most decadent social clubs (he also designed the interiors of The Battery San Francisco back in 2013), there’s something special and almost pure about the ’Quin House because it’s infused with so much historical authenticity.