PRIVATE QUARTERS

Homeowner often works to spruce up rooms or try out styles.

Nathan and Whitney Durham purchased their 1932 home in 2013. Some additions to the home had already been made, including an owner’s suite, an expanded kitchen and a screened-in porch. The Durhams updated the space to match their style, and, as an interior designer, Whitney is often working to spruce up a room or try out a style.

“I’m always seeing new things, new products, new fabrics, new furniture lines — those kinds of things are always popping up, and of course I’m always wanting to swap out and update,” said Whitney, owner and lead designer of Whitney Durham Interiors. “It is kind of ever evolving. I’m always changing and updating.”

While some of the Durhams’ home style and decor is often in flux, some key themes are reliable standards.

“I’ve always been drawn to color. So that’s always been a consistent vibe,” said Durham, who has decorated her family home with pops of blue and her guest suite with coral walls. “It adds interest and character. It makes me happy,” said Whitney.

Whitney also likes to emphasize mixing old and new and high and low. Her living room is decorated with antique mirrors and a vintage zebra hide right next to new sofas from Ellenburg Chair Company, and the sunroom mixes a flea market piano bench and Shumacher window treatments.

Overall, with her clients and her own home design, Whitney likes to focus on joy.

“Your home should make you happy when you walk through your front door and be filled with carefully curated pieces that have meaning to you,” she said.

The built-in bookshelves in Nathan and Whitney Durham’s Atlanta home are likely not original to the 1932 home, but they give the space a warmth that the Durham family appreciates. Whitney, the owner and lead designer of Whitney Durham Interiors, loves decorating with books, so when the Durhams bought the home in 2013, the shelves were an appreciated decor opportunity. The wood-burning fireplace is filled with firewood when not in use to give the space some organic texture, and above the fireplace hangs a painting of Nathan and Whitney’s two sons, painted by Elaine Burge.

REYNOLDS ROGERS TEXT BY SHANNON DOMINY/PHOTOS BY Nathan and Whitney Durham gave their kitchen a few updates after they moved in 2013. They kept the black granite countertops on the perimeter of the kitchen, but they switched the island counter for white quartz. They also updated the backsplash with a classic white subway tile, and added vintage Turkish runners from Knotted Turkish Rugs for some warmth on the floors.

One wall of Whitney and Nathan Durham’s bedroom is filled with 20 pieces by Kayce Hughes and framed by Express Framers. Whitney picked each piece for its own aesthetic, and she loves that they also function as one large art piece when grouped. The table lamps that frame the bed were passed down from Whitney’s maternal grandmother, who bought the vessels on a trip to South America and used them to create lamps.

About five years ago Whitney and Nathan Durham decided to enclose the screened-in porch of their home to create a sunroom where the family could gather. A custom area rug from Myers Carpet and a vintage Turkish rug from Parviz Oriental Rugs are layered to give the space warmth, and a custom sectional and swivel chairs by Ellenburg Chair Company provide ample seating. A space that used to be a window is now open to the kitchen.

Schumacher Birds and Butterflies fabric makes for whimsical window treatments in the guest suite of Nathan and Whitney Durham’s home. Three framed pieces of abstract art by Christina Baker from Anne Irwin Fine Art hang above the toilet, and on the counter is a rollicking floral painting by Erin Gregory, also from Anne Irwin Fine Art.

LEFT: In March 2020, Nathan and Whitney Durham installed a pool in their backyard and worked with landscape architect Graham Pittman to design the space and create a pool cabana.