The first thing you notice as you drive up to the McDonalds’ Park Cities home is that it stands apart from its neighbors. Nestled deep into a scenic lot, the cream-colored brick house with broad windows is the only modern manse on the block. But the clean and simple exterior with an unadorned but manicured lawn is just a small piece of the bigger picture that lies inside the home built by SMU alums Scott and Melissa McDonald.
Completed seven years ago, this home to the family of four is a product of Melissa’s and Scott’s personal philosophy: keep it simple. The couple, who met just streets away at SMU, remained focused on their objective of “owning and managing our home, not allowing it to own us,” says the mom of two girls, Alexis, 16, and Julia, 12. In fact, a manageable home was so essential to the couple that the original plans for the house were downsized to accommodate the family’s desires. “We didn’t want to be burdened by the cost, time, ongoing maintenance and decorating,” explains the Longview native. “Keeping it simple and organized frees us up to enjoy it more.”
How simple, you ask? Peek into the airy kitchen (the “gathering place,” according to Melissa), and you’ll see just how organized and straightforward the McDonalds kept the design, making it functional for their family and super easy to casually entertain guests. Countertop appliances, glassware and dishes are hidden behind cabinet doors on a wall separating the kitchen from the dining room. The white center island is uncluttered, save for the white iMac that sits at the end of the bar along with healthy bites (such as hummus, carrots, pita chips, raspberries and grapes) for guests to munch on.
Despite the crisp white walls, clean surfaces and stainless steel appliances, there’s a genuine warmth to the sleek home. The kitchen houses sentimental artwork by both Julia and the architect’s daughter, Melinda Buie (a fellow Longview native). The two “cow” portraits whisk Melissa’s thoughts to the ranches back home, as does the natural light billowing through the windows in every room of the house.
The kitchen opens to the living room—another hangout place for the family and their friends. Even though there’s a designated TV room for the girls upstairs, they prefer to be in on the action with the rest of the family downstairs. And although artwork hangs above the fireplace and on the adjacent walls, perhaps the most intriguing aspect of the room is the couch. Covered in a parachute material, the L-shaped couch, which once belonged to Melissa’s father, was purchased from the Design District 30 years ago. The uncommon upholstery material is extremely kid friendly, inexpensive and durable—perfect for a family’s high traffic living room.
White, white, everywhere white—but how do they keep it that way? They used the same eggshell shade in (almost) every room of the house (with the exception of Alexis’ shocking yellow and Julia’s calming lavender rooms). So getting rid of fingerprints is a sweep—literally.
It’s not until you climb the stairs and reach the resident artist’s bedroom that the white walls begin to blush. In Julia’s lavender room, her personal artwork graces stark white shelves that sit across the room from her black chalkboard wall, adorned with sketches left by visiting friends. In a corner sits her dad’s brown leather Eames lounge chair from his college days, a nice juxtaposition to the soft lavender shades and textures surrounding it. Just as in her older sister’s neighboring suite, connected to the 12-year-old’s room are the bathroom and closet, both with modest windows—something that was paramount to the design of the house. The McDonalds wanted a bit of the outdoors to shine through. And it does! The daytime sun shines so brightly into the house there’s no need for any artificial lighting.
As you drive away from the modern brick house, you are left with a sense of genuine warmth and hospitality … and you feel certain that, whether they are entertaining fellow alumni, Campus Crusaders or their daughter’s church group sleepovers, the McDonalds have succeeded in creating a home that’s open to everyone.
