It all began with a single image.
“I was Googling local designers, and I saw this picture on Trevor’s website of a beautiful bedroom with black curtains and a wood paneled wall,” recalls the client. “It was edgy and different and exactly what I was looking for. I reached out and we hit it off right away.”
The reason for this meeting was a newly purchased condo in Swampscott. Serving as both a home base for the client’s father and as a seasonal retreat for her family, it boasts glorious Atlantic Ocean views, with the shoreline just 100 yards away. However, inside, it was a white-walled blank slate, with three bedrooms and two and a half baths.
Looking to boost the condo’s style from basic to bold, the client collaborated with Trevor Fulmer, principal of Trevor Fulmer Design, to achieve a polished interior that feels natural to the ocean but not overly traditional. Fulmer welcomed the challenge, working his magic to create a contemporary, creative oasis that subtly nods to life by the sea.
“My client is way too cool for a typical blue-and-white interior,” admits Fulmer. “During our early conversations, she said that she loves the look of black and white, interesting light fixtures, and moody interiors. She wanted a black bedroom, funky bar, and cool powder room.” The designer delivered all of this and more via unexpected materials, dark tones, and bold silhouettes.
In the living room, he drew inspiration from the concept of temperamental New England weather. “I knew this space wasn’t going to represent a bright, sundrenched day,” he describes. “Instead, it evokes a feeling of dark storm clouds looming on the horizon. The sea is rough but suddenly a ray of sun shoots down between the clouds and illuminates the water, creating a dramatic and sparkly contrast.”
Anchoring this concept is the fireplace surround of Calacatta Cielo stone. The veins mimic the look of stormy ocean waves. A wall of ebonized walnut paneling with polished aluminum joints adds to the mood—the dark wood offsets the bright sunlight pouring in but is warmer in tone than a true black.
Awash in luxe linens, the sitting area is centered on a rug from Fulmer’s own Natural Principles product line. Executed in a custom color way, its abstract pattern is akin to water exploding from crashing waves. The nesting coffee table, yet another custom piece, adds another subtle coastal touch in the form of smoked glass.
The Thayer Coggin sectional and a pair of arches (one leads to the entry hall and the other tops a built-in) upend the room’s linear geometry with curves. “The shape of the condo is very rigid and rectangular. The softness of these curves helps create balance and symmetry,” notes Fulmer.
This living area is home to one of the entrepreneur’s most dramatic moments: a Bec Brittain light fixture dipping down to interrupt the envelope of a credenza. “We designed the cabinet to allow the fixture to cut through it,” he explains. “The contrasting wood grains and unexpected curves juxtapose beautifully with the sharp angular nature of the pendant. It’s one of my favorite silhouettes,” he continues. “It’s a beautiful combination of furniture and light.”
“I love this moment,” adds the client. “And because the credenza rests on an acrylic base, it looks like it’s floating; it’s so unique.”
Fulmer’s contemporary take on coastal vernacular continues in the dining area, where illuminated, bendable rope is the basis of a whimsical chandelier by Luke Lamp Co. The wavy Calacatta Cielo stone reappears in a built-in sideboard with white Shaker-style cabinets below and slate matte back-painted glass cabinets above.
Checking off the owner’s wish-list items, Fulmer elevated the existing bar with a black-and-silver wall covering by Phillip Jeffries. “It’s super textured and feels more like paneling than a wallpaper,” notes the designer. In the previously all white kitchen, he continued his customizations by adding a walnut panel on the island’s back side, designing a custom walnut vent hood, and upgrading the lighting with a row of pendants by AFX Lighting.
Of course, he delivered on his promise of a black bedroom via a standout Phillip Jeffries wall covering. The high gloss painted raffia wallpaper—a coastal-inspired material with an edge—plays nicely with the upholstered bed’s Holland Sherry fabric. Overhead, a Hubbardton Forge chandelier is suggestive of “a statement jewelry piece that my client might wear,” adds Fulmer, who admits to being inspired, in part, by her fashion.
Successfully transitioning this 2,500-square-foot condo from basic white to nautical noir was an undertaking, but Fulmer rose to the challenge. He balanced two key words—rustic and refined—effortlessly with mixed metals, organic textures, bold patterns, and sleek modern forms.
“He literally read my mind—but made it better,” says the client.