Interior Designer Whitney Durham went bold when completing her fab bathroom for the Southeastern Showhouse. Custom mosaic floors and the softest towels make this boys' bathroom one the whole family will envy.
Tell us about your journey to interior design.
Interior Design and decorating have always been an interest of mine for as long as I can remember. Growing up, I was always decorating, rearranging, and styling my own bedroom and friends bedrooms. My mom has a natural eye for decorating and owned her own interior decorating business for many years. I have been told, I inherited her natural eye for design! One of my favorite past times growing up, and still is, is frequenting antique shops and flea markets for the perfect pieces to mix into my design projects to give the space a more curated feel. After I graduated college, got married and my youngest child began Kindergarten, I was encouraged by friends and family to start my own Interior Design and Decorating business. I established Whitney Durham Interiors in 2013 and have not looked back since! I have been blessed with a very organic flow of referrals and added two amazing team members to my company in recent years. It is a true joy to be able to do something that I love on a daily basis for such special clients.
Your style in a few words:
Fresh, Colorful and Curated
Your forever inspo:
I am always inspired by the work of Summer Thornton, Ashley Whittaker, and Celerie Kemble.
You recently completed an amazing bathroom for the Southeastern Showhouse and included some special Weezie pieces. Can you give us a glimpse into the process of bringing this beautiful space together?
I based my bedroom and bathroom design around the floor tile that was custom designed for this space through Renaissance Tile and Bath. This is a new mosaic tile they recently launched that comes in a wide array of colors. I decided to match the green in the floor tile to the paint color on the trim. This floor tile read youthful and masculine to me, so I decided my showhouse bedroom and bathroom were going to be designed for an early teenage boy. With that in mind, I painted the walls and ceiling in the bathroom a lighter shade of blue to not compete with the dark blue shower wall tile, but also give some contrast to the all white vanity. I love mixing in layers, textures, new and old pieces, and high and low price points in my designs. The vanity rug gave a natural texture to the floor and added a layer of warmth. The mirror is a vintage find from a local antique shop that added a fun, playful feel over the more streamlined vanity. All of the accessories are vintage and the artwork on the bamboo easel by the sink is by Laura McCarty and artwork under the taxidermy is by Sally King Benedict. I love incorporating touches of black and white into all of my designs, black adds a layer of sophistication even in this playful boys’ bathroom! Of course, we can’t forget the fun Weezie monogrammed towels in your taupe wave pattern! It pulled in the perfect touch of neutral and the “wave” played off the vanity mirror shape so well!
Before you go…
What are you reading?
I’m constanting reading through design and decorating books for tips, tricks and inspiration for current and future projects! A few of my recent favorite design books are…. Summer Thornton’s Wonderland: Adventures in Decorating, Ashley Whittaker’s The Well-Loved House: Creating Homes with Color, Comfort, and Drama, and STYLE COMFORT HOME by Andrew Howard.
Who are you following?
Some of my favorite instagram feeds currently are @Schumacher1889, @chairishco, and @mollybsims for great fashion & hilarious mom tips!
What’s next?
I am currently finishing up some final details of a few recent projects in an Atlanta high rise, a Milton renovation and Buckhead home before having these projects professionally photographed. Having two boys home from school over the summer, I try to slow my work pace down a little bit during the months of June, July and August and then will pick it back up in the Fall with a few new and exciting projects on the books! I have 10 and 12 year old boys and realize my time with them is flying by…while I am still somewhat “cool” in their minds, I want to travel and relax with them this summer.
Recent interiors splurge:
I recently splurged a one-of-a-kind, hand-painted pair of lampshades by Sally King Benedict via Edgar-Reeves Lighting and love them!! I put the shades on a pair of Circa Lighting Buffet Lamps which sit on top of a Serena and Lily grasscloth console table in front of a really large colorful abstract painting by my talented friend, Elaine Burge.
Recent interiors steal:
The cute, woven seagrass rug in the showhouse bathroom was a Target find! Shhhhh, don’t tell! ;) Sadly, it's no longer available.
Thank you, Whitney! You can shop Whitney's towel picks here, and if you're itching for more inspo, check out our recent interview with designer Molly Basile!
