DESIGNER TULA SUMMERFORD’S CLIENTS WERE NOT the most typical, as they had already lived in their home for a decade and had gone through different iterations with designers along the way. But when the homeowners saw her work in the Raleigh Design Showhouse, and then once more in a neighbor’s beautiful home reveal, they were confident that she would be the ideal partner to bring a final sense of cohesiveness and completeness to their home.
The couple had spent two years looking for a residence— casting a net in the 2008 housing crisis made it an arduous journey. Finally, however, they landed in the right place at the right time when they viewed a home just after a contract on it had fallen through. “When we looked at it, we loved the house through and through,” the homeowner recalls. “Everything from the unique front door to the private courtyard and fountain, the open family and kitchen area to the expansive back yard. We fell in love.”
Ten years later, post toddlerhood, post puppyhood, the homeowners were ready to bring everything together in a combination of modernity mixed with traditional. In addition, they needed someone who could work with them from the ground up on a contemporary pool house and landscaping design in the backyard. Having seen Summerford’s work, they knew she could execute it with precision.
“This project went really smoothly because the home was already in excellent condition; it just needed to be warmed up and brought together,” Summerford says. “And the addition of the pool house was a fun bonus.”
Summerford began designing a new dining room, and everything flowed from there. Though the clients proclaim they like to play it safe, the group easily agreed that an overall monochromatic feel of grays, black, and white could be highlighted with textural layers and patterned fabrics. A papered ceiling in the dining room dials up the edge when suspended above a black lacquered table and black chairs with silver fabric, for example.
And so it went. Fabrics and wallpapers were used strategically to repurpose pieces and rooms as the design progressed, combining old and new elements, like Lucite with velvet, trims with lacquers. “We love the way it’s transformed and improved our home,” the homeowner says. “By the time quarantine kicked in, we were thrilled to be ‘stuck’ in these new and beautiful rooms in our home.”
In the living room, a favorite of the family, two neutral sofas are casual and comfortable, yet dressed up when surrounded by wallcoverings in a gold-toned pattern. “The light is always inviting in this room,” the homeowner says. “And I’m surrounded by objects I love: the baby grand piano—a Valentine’s Day gift from my husband—the beautiful pastel portraits of our children, and a commissioned painting of the Tchefuncte River, which I grew up on in Louisiana.” The vintage chandelier that takes center stage was relocated from the foyer and finds an even better home in the living room.
The master bedroom is a contemporary white-on-white design for maximum reflectivity, a perfect opportunity for the adjoining pool and pool house to segue into the home. Double doors in the bedroom open up to the pool patio and house, the only entry point, making this room a room of requirement; a stunning one. “This room is calm in the chaos,” Summerford says.
“The pool house is extraordinary,” she continues. “The clients were open and flexible, and the result is a sharp Art Deco look that flows beautifully from the house to the outdoors.”
The black-and-white space is bright and dramatic at once, with a small kitchenette for convenience and lounging couches for in-between swims. The yard has come a long way from the time of purchase and is now a haven that gives the family a backyard getaway in the midst of a pandemic.
“When we bought the house, we uncovered so much of the backyard we’d not seen when we looked at it initially,” the homeowner explains. “In addition to a few hidden gems found in the ‘natural area,’ the courtyard had an overgrown garden with a contemporary-style bench made of thick shiny granite that sat on two rocks under a towering arbor. In its place, we’ve added a fireplace that integrates seamlessly into the courtyard wall, and we have filled part of the garden with flagstone for additional seating.” They also removed twenty-two Leyland cypress trees to open up the space and brighten the overall area by the pool and gardens.
“If a room, or, in this case, a home, is done well inside and out, it will stand the test of time,” Summerford says. “An organic space grounded in tradition will always be beautiful.”