Tour an Artsy Memphis Vintage Ranch Home

Life is about passion—finding it and pursuing it. So when life in the corporate sector failed to ignite his, David Quarles IV set off to find it on his own. What he found was that he was a man interested in pursuing several passions, among them jewelry design, interior design and fitness. With so much pursuing to do, he needed the right space to do it in, which he found in an artsy midcentury ranch in Memphis, Tennessee.

Five years ago, when David moved into his home, there wasn’t much to fix. But there was a lot to do. “When I first moved into my home, it was pretty much turn-key,” he recalls. “However, you could definitely tell it was someone else's forever home, and I knew I had my work cut out for me.” The 1,144-square-foot ranch still bore signs of its previous life, including carpets and floors damaged by the previous owner’s pets. “I had a friend,” David says, “who by trade restores hardwood floors, come in to breathe new life into my floors.”

In his own terms, David describes his aesthetic as eclectic, with undertones of midcentury modern. “I love mixing textures, patterns, and colors that speak to my vibrant Afro-Caribbean American and Indigenous-American roots while tying everything together with the clean lines of midcentury modern furniture," he says. The designer’s style is on full display in his charmingly eclectic living room. “Oddly, my living room was the hardest area for me to design,” he remembers. “It wasn't until I truly determined how I wanted the space to feel and function that the design plan became clear. The inspiration for the main seating area in my living room came from the conversation pits reminiscent of the '50s through the '70s.”

"I want to enjoy beautiful surroundings,” David says. “Since I'm a lover of plants and the arts, I decided that those two elements would form the overall theme for my living room's aesthetic.” Though art is a constant presence throughout the home, the collection on display in the living room has a special significance. “All of the living room artwork is from artists native to Memphis.”