For Buck Wimberly, interior design was always part of the plan.
Wimberly has an extensive background in interior design, with a bachelor’s degree in interior design, a master’s degree in design management and twenty-two years of work in the industry. Now he runs ULAH, a menswear and interiors store in Westwood, Kansas, with his partner, Joey Mendez, who brings a background of retail experience to the table. The two combined their strengths to curate a collection of men’s clothing and custom interior design services.
“When we started dating, that’s when the light bulbs started going off,” Wimberly says. “We kind of put our backgrounds together to create a unique shopping experience and also have a unique offering of services.”
Wimberly went to town on this Prairie Village loft and worked with the homeowners from the very start. See how he turned what was a white box into a modern space with clean lines and custom finishes.
Fireplace
One of the first things Wimberly started working on in this home was the modern fireplace, whose hard borders stand against the movement of Venetian plaster. His inspiration for Venetian plaster throughout the home came from a wall in the Bloch Building at the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art.
Entryway
“I started playing around with some different designs, and I really liked the idea of doing something with a natural wood tone over the white Venetian plaster on the wall,” Wimberly says. He designed this statement textural piece, which was then fabricated by local granite and stone maker RockTops. Halo lights hide behind the art to make it glow at night.
Wimberly’s inspiration for the moss display came after he took a plane ride with the homeowner, who pilots his own plane for business and personal travel. “The idea is that it’s almost like you’re flying over an island,” he says. “It’s like you’re looking at the topography from a bird’s-eye view.”
Kitchen
Due to ample natural light from floor-to-ceiling sliding windows opposite the kitchen, Wimberly opted for matte walnut and navy finishes on the cabinets so as not to make them too reflective. The white quartz backsplash and raised island countertop is meant to mimic calacatta marble. “We chose quartz in the kitchen because of its low-maintenance attributes since the homeowners love to cook,” Wimberly says.
The drop ceiling adds architectural interest while creating a strong focal point and drawing your eye toward the center of the kitchen.
Powder Bath
Wimberly came across this glass tile in different colors, so he decided to tastefully mix them all. “We’d already picked out our colors for the walls, so we added satin brass tones with the champagne tones and then the warm grays,” he says.
Sitting Room
Wimberly says this cozy spot off the master bedroom is where the homeowners start and finish their day.
Bedroom
The homeowners were drawn to warm gray color tones, so Wimberly incorporated this comforting palette into their bedroom. He also strategically painted walls different shades of the same color to work with the natural light streaming in.
Subtle patterns are mixed throughout the room—a plush carpet with a lustrous sheen and a slight herringbone pattern covers the floor, and no two patterns in textiles and linens are repeated twice. “If you have a linear pattern, try mixing that with a softer, more organic or round shape,” Wimberly recommends when pairing patterns.
Dining Area
The dining room table with a walnut and granite curve base was custom-designed by Wimberly. “I try not to do the same thing twice,” Wimberly says. “I’ve done a lot with forty-five degree angles, so I really wanted to try something with a curve here.”Speaking of curves, Wimberly further incorporated them into the space with a chandelier above the table. “It’s almost as if you took the idea of a flower opening up and stripped it down to its minimal lines,” he says of the fixture. The fine art piece behind it has just the right amount of negative space to sit behind the chandelier.
