The spellbinding style of Summer Thornton is part fairy tale whimsy, part high drama, and uniquely her own. We take a deep dive into her imaginative process.
Southern Home (SH): When did you realize you had a passion for interiors?
Summer Thornton (ST): My first design memory is selecting wallpaper for my childhood bedroom with my mother. My parents started building our house when I was two, and I loved being on the construction site with them as a toddler. When I was a bit older, I visited the miniature rooms at The Art Institute of Chicago and was enthralled. I think this was the first sign of what my future would look like. When I was a preteen, my parents kindly let me redecorate my bedroom and bathroom. From there, I began redesigning every room in the house.
SH: Last time we spoke, you had lots of projects in the works. Are there updates on those?
1. We began our beautiful office renovation that year and are finally finished. It was a major labor of love. We bought and renovated a late 1800s Victorian building in the Lincoln Park neighborhood a few blocks from our home. It is now a light-filled and pretty space to work. I love it.
2. We were also working on a stunning early-20th-century home in San Francisco’s Presidio Heights neighborhood, which we will be completing this fall. No detail is left undone in this home, including the closets. It is a master class in beauty, attention to detail, and patience. My favorite part is the primary bathroom slabbed in green malachite.
3. We just finished building our dream vacation house in Sayulita, Mexico. It is pretty in pink! I’m crazy about this house, and the entire process of building it was an adventure.
4. We also finished an old Victorian farmhouse that year for the most lovely family.
5. We have been working on a private club in New York City that is well underway now and slated to complete later this year.
6. We finished a house in the North Shore of Chicago that is the perfect family house for new grandparents and all their extended family. It is classic and timeless.
7. We began a modern beach apartment in the sky in Florida and are scheduled to complete it next year. It is an explosion of color and fun, perfect for family trips to the beach!
SH: How do you describe your style?
ST: I try not to claim a style, because I love trying new things. I live to explore new worlds and influences. In general, though, I am in favor of maximalist interiors that express a certain joy and personality.
SH: You always seem to create really dazzling entries. How do you approach them?
ST: Entries are a big deal and one of my favorite rooms to design. I love introducing people to the world we’ve created, and it always starts at the entry. I love a bold floor or a beautiful wall covering to make a strong first impression.
SH: What’s your process for fashioning a design scheme for a new client?
ST: This can totally depend on the client and their level of involvement, but I like to start with a story and a mood. From there, we find images to tell that story and create that mood. After we have established the story we are telling or the mood we are creating, we dive into fabrics and palettes, which is my favorite place to start. From there, we think about materials and so on.
SH: I see you’ve been working a lot in the South. Are there certain things that you have to put in a Southern house that aren’t necessary in other regions?
ST: The South is all about charm, and I love that. Charm is one of my favorite elements of a great interior. Charm and lots of monogramming! I’m not a monogrammer myself, but it is fun to learn how important it is culturally in the South and to employ it excessively!
SH: Has your taste evolved over time?
ST: Of course, I think if your taste isn’t evolving, you aren’t learning. It’s not always clear how it is evolving until you look back on what you have created and can see the through lines and how they change over time.
SH: I hear you have an obsession with fluted details.
ST: I always think homes should have a balance of classical architecture and modern elements. It keeps traditional work fresh and helps modern work remain timeless. One way I’ve seen that coming to life is through fluting details. The contemporary take on fluting finds the feature breaking out of its historic shell. No longer solely made of stone or reserved for the exterior of a home, I’m now seeing fluting in an array of colors, paired with unexpected materials and fitting in with a plethora of styles. Some curve in and some curve out, but no matter the orientation, each adds a rippling effect to the room it’s used in.
SH: What are some design elements you return to again and again?
ST: I love certain eras, primarily Victorian, Art Nouveau, Art Deco, and 1970s glamour. I return to these influences frequently. I also return to certain colors: soft pinks/peaches, plums, cinnamon colors, sky blues, and minty greens are always favorites. I gravitate toward marbled ceilings, lacquered ceilings, applied paneling to add architecture, herringbone or chevron floors, checkerboard floors and patterned floors in general, built-in bookcases, active and colorful marbles, vintage lighting, richly colored mohair, and wool draperies.
Lightning Round
