Architectural Digest: July 2016

A Traditional Memphis Colonial Gets a Modern Transformation

Written by Craig Kellogg | Photography by Alyssa Rosenheck | View Article

Though a traditionalist at heart, Mississippi native Sean Anderson never thought much about crystal chandeliers. The self-taught interior designer made his own home mellow and masculine, leaning heavily on rustic wood and industrial elements. But client Muffy Turley, who traces her lineage through New Orleans, sought something lighter and more eclectic from the designer for her family’s home in East Memphis, Tennessee.

“We hoped to achieve a touch of relaxed glamour,” Anderson says. “Muffy will be in heels and leather pants one day and a romantic white silk shirt, with her hair pulled back, the next.” In pursuit of a more feminine look, the designer set to work softening Turley’s 7,000-square-foot center-hall Colonial, gutting the first floor and installing a new kitchen and pale whitewashed plank pine flooring throughout.

Though not even 20 years old, the house is trig and symmetrical. “It’s very traditional, so I didn’t feel the need to go too far out of the box,” Anderson notes. Which is not to say he hesitated to update colors and simplify the architecture with a subdued palette and a serene mix of heirloom chandeliers and other antique furnishings.

Over the better part of a year, Anderson shopped for the home’s less-trafficked rooms, looking for romantic accents that could be reupholstered—or pulling existing pieces in the house into the spotlight. “They went unnoticed where they were,” he says referring to artwork that found new life in different rooms. When it came to fresh furnishings, overall vibe proved more important than provenance. Anderson perused local boutiques as well as national retailers like West Elm and RH Modern. “She wanted contemporary touches throughout,” he says. Thanks to the designer's curating eye, the home achieves a classic, upscale look that feels anything but old-fashioned.