Amidst the turbulent world in which we live lies the opportunity to create our own personal sanctuary… a respite and retreat for ourselves and our families. Carley Summers Design is a full service interior design studio born out of the belief—and firsthand experience—that home has the potential to inspire healing, safety, hospitality, and growth. The spaces she designs, rooted in the stories and authentic identities of her clients, are built on and for meaningful connection.

Carley founded her namesake studio following years of capturing the narratives woven through homes as an interior photographer. However, Carley’s appreciation for design—the origins of her calling—can be traced back to her time in rehab, where she was given a space of her own for the first time after being homeless. Before she became an internationally renowned designer and photographer, Carley suffered from alcoholism and addiction, spending nights in jail, the emergency room, and rehab. As someone who celebrates recovery today, she knows firsthand the importance of a warm and inviting home. Carley uses her life experience and her craft to ensure that the homes she photographs and designs are comforting, healing spaces to live and grow in. Carly and her team see interior design as an opportunity to cultivate a deeply personal sanctuary that acknowledges our own history and embraces our present.

Carley is also the author of Sacred Spaces: Everyday People and the Beautiful Homes Created Out of Their Trials, Healing, and Victories.  It contains a gorgeous collection of her photography collection, featuring home interiors and profiles of the people who have transformed these spaces into sanctuaries.

Sacred Spaces takes readers on a beautifully photographed journey inside fourteen homes, from North Carolina and California to Canada, France, and Morocco, as Summers uncovers the vulnerable stories behind each one: a mother who uses her kitchen to heal her son with food, a woman who found her sanctuary after overcoming childhood abuse, and more. She even offers a tour of her mother’s home and her own. Along the way, each section identifies a type of space that people have created, including:

• The Foundational Home, which features those who have created spaces on a solid foundation for a lasting legacy
• The Wandering Home, which highlights people who were lost in life, lost in travels, but never lost in their home
• The Cathartic Home, which showcases people who realize that when they cannot change the outside world, they can change the inside of their homes to bring comfort through renewal and restoration

This collection is a balm for those seeking refuge in a world fraught with struggle and heartache. Through stories of brokenness, hurt, and healing, Sacred Spaces invites readers to dream of the home that will set them free.

The Max Collection by Carley Summers for River & Bord
Carley and her team have also collaborated with River & Bord, a purveyor of luxury, American-made furnishings to produce a line of modern heirlooms. Each one is inspired by furniture sketches that were hand drawn by Carley’s grandfather, Max, more than 60 years ago. These are timeless treasures designed to last a lifetime!

Let’s take a further look at her exquisite portfolio!

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Carley Page Summers (@carlaypage)

Thank you, Carley, for sharing your incredibly story, we pray it inspires many!

To see more of the beautiful work by Carley Summers Designs, please visit carleysummers.com and follow @carlaypage on Instagram for ongoing inspiration. Her book, Sacred Spaces, may be purchased here.

Photography courtesy of Carley Page Summers