Douglas C Davis & Associates is a residential design and interiors firm focused on highly customized projects.
Over the course of his 20 year career, Doug has designed hundreds of residential projects of every size from New York to California and all across the Southeast. Headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama, Doug is joined by a diverse group of design professionals who bring their unique skills and experiences to every project the firm undertakes.
How did you start your company and what’s your favorite part of what you do?
Our firm was founded 9 years ago this month. In 2020, my business partner retired and we re-branded as Douglas C Davis & Associates. I love the opportunity to design highly personalized and detailed homes and interiors for our clients — and I’m lucky to be joined by the absolute best team of designers. We address every aspect of a project inside and out, starting with floorplans, elevations and details and then moving into full interiors, often including artwork accessories, even dishes! We don’t take projects that don’t address both architectural design and interiors because I think it’s really important that the “bones” of a space be right before we start thinking about decoration.
Describe your style in one sentence.
I strive for our work to be timeless, personalized to our clients’ tastes and needs and approachable.
When purchasing for your home, where should one invest and where should one save?
I’m a big believer in purchasing real art…even if you can only afford small pieces at first. Art is something that can be with you for a lifetime and adapt as you move homes and grow into different stages of life.
Photography by Jean Allsopp
When designing a room, where’s the best place to start?
I’d advise coming up with a furniture plan for the whole space first. Decide what size sofa will work, what the layout of chairs will be, how big of a rug you’ll need. With a good plan to follow you can add in pieces over time but still have the final direction in mind as you work.
What’s your advice when purchasing an investment rug?
Buy the biggest rug you can afford…a good 8x10 or 9x12 can stay with you for years and through many different houses — a living room rug at one house, and maybe in a bedroom at the next.
Photography by Jean Allsopp
Your three go-to paint colors.
Farrow & Ball ’Strong White’
Benjamin Moore ‘Grant Beige’
Sherwin Williams ‘Urbane Bronze'
What design rule do you follow?
I try really hard to avoid trends. Timeless, classic design truly stands the test of time. Find a magazine from ten or twenty years ago and notice which items still appeal to you now versus what things were “of the moment” when the room was photographed, and you’ll see what I mean. An antique rug, an English arm sofa, or a brass reading lamp are just as stylish today as they were decades ago.
Where do you find your inspiration?
Instagram of course provides quick daily inspiration, but nothing inspires like travel. Seeing new places constantly gives me new ideas.
Photography by Jean Allsopp
