Tula Summerford

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Blending new and old, past and present, interior designer Tula Summerford of Design by Tula knows how to transcend the times. Here she shares what inspires her along with what gives design its staying power.

“I look to the past for my forward-thinking projects. When I travel abroad, I look to the refined architecture, furnishings, and textiles of the old world for inspiration. I love to incorporate English, French, and Italian antiques from the eighteenth, nineteenth, and twentieth centuries in many of my projects,” Summerford says.“These pieces have been appreciated for hundreds of years andwill continue to be sought afterfor years to come,” she continues.“An antique mahogany piece placed properly in an all-white modern space not only createswarmth but balance aswell.”

“I love to use classic modern day fabrics with fresh colors and textures. Archive-inspired patterns and wallcoverings combined with modern day furnishings create an original space for a contemporary look grounded in tradition,” she says.“I believe that a room designed today would have looked good thirty years ago and it will still look fresh thirty years from now.”