This Tulsa, OK home is perched atop a hill on a main thoroughfare—so its renovation drew much attention. “The amount of times people asked me, Sooo…what are you going to do with that house?! It was humorous,” interior designer Emily Davis laughs. Luckily, the homeowners had a vision and trusted the experts they had engaged—which included Emily’s firm, Emily Davis Interiors, and architect Tom Neal.

The family had relocated to Tulsa from Texas with their three school-aged children in tow. “They looked for the right home for a while before purchasing,” Emily recalls. “The home needed to meet many needs in order to be home base for a busy, modern family.” Style-wise, they were wanting to embrace a different style than they’d used in previous homes—one that would feel true to the spirit of the house itself. 

It was a full gut renovation, bringing the house down to the studs to rework the layout. Emily was involved with both the renovation and the decor, and due to the age of the 1970s structure and the fact that the exterior underwent extensive changes, they weren’t beholden to any style. “The home feels cohesive, but hopefully you can’t put your finger on just when it was built or renovated,” Emily explains. 

The entry sets the tone with a marble floor tile that makes a bold statement as soon as you enter. “We went with more of a gray and white vs black and white to make it a bit softer,” the designer says. “The edges of the tile are ‘pillowed’ to give it a reclaimed feeling.” Throughout the house, she relied on a similar ‘light and dark’ approach—there are plenty of dark-hued walls alongside light and airy textiles and natural stone.

Luckily, the inspiration came easy. “They love New Orleans and have family there,” the designer shares. “So, everything from the bayou mural in the living room to the mosaic tile in the laundry room is a nod to the city. It just conjures a feel good for them…and isn’t that what home is really all about?”