The Art of Interior Design by Demi Ryan

The house of Demi Ryan Interiors Design Firm‘s principal designer Michelle Murphy is a canvas for her love of layered textures, abstract impressionism, and luxurious livability in spring 2024 issue of Charleston Home + Design Magazine.

In the family room, sofas custom- made of Kravet’s high-performance Krypton fabric allows for real life to happen here without the worry of damage. Similarly, the living room’s swivel chairs from Arteriors are also fabric protected for a sense of relaxed luxury. For her surprising pop, floral graffiti wallpaper hits the mark.

A champion of abstract impressionism, Michelle’s designs exude visual interest and artful texture. Many rooms in her home have been hand-painted or decorated with original works of art for a more personal feel. For a practical place to store fabric samples, Michelle designed custom closet doors with a chevron patterned wood overlay painted a rich black color. She considers animal print neutral, so the cheetah-shaped brass hardware makes a distinct statement. Because all of the other doors in her home are white, this contrast creates a pause in a playful and unexpected way.

“It’s modern, luxe, boho, glam, with a little bit of rock n’ roll,” she says.

Michelle’s signature starting point? Begin with one room and work from there. In her home office, she drew her initial inspiration from the grand-sized ottoman. “I work best when I’m being creative, and I like to spread out. I used an incredible 72-inch dining table to serve as my desktop/war table. This layout and design allows me to move all of my plans around to see how they all work together,” she says.

In the “manland”, Michelle’s design unfolds as each layer reveals itself naturally to the eye. Michelle tells us, “This room sets the tone for clients when they walk up to my office. I started with the black wood wall in the back of the room and used reclaimed barn wood on the ceiling with a custom paneled wall. I love the juxtaposition of modern meets old-world.”

The mural begins on the ground floor, as if beckoning guests naturally up the stairs. When planning this space alongside her muralist, she mentions, “I wanted it to feel like you’re in a lounge that’s smoky and sexy.” Black trim on the windows made the space feel finished even without curtains and allowed this design to maintain a more masculine vibe.