When I first met Debby Gomulka at Sullivan's Fishcamp on a beautiful June evening, we didn't spend much time talking about fabrics or paint colors.

We talked about stories.

Not the kind framed on a wall, but the ones quietly tucked inside a home. The grandmother's dining table where every Thanksgiving has been served. The painting collected on a once in a lifetime trip. The worn pine floors that have welcomed generations through the front door.

That's what makes Debby different.

As founder and principal designer of Provenance Lee Interiors, she believes every home already has a story waiting to be uncovered. Her job isn't to replace it. It's to discover it, honor it, and thoughtfully write its next chapter.

It's a philosophy that feels especially fitting on Sullivan's Island.

This summer, we've celebrated 250 years of history through the people and places that have shaped this remarkable community. Debby's work reminds us that history isn't only found in museums or monuments. Sometimes it's found in the homes where families continue to make memories.

"Every project is a journey of discoveries, waiting to be peeled away one layer at a time," Debby says. "Historic preservation projects often uncover something unexpected that informs the entire design."

That curiosity has taken her from restoring grand nineteenth century estates to creating deeply personal coastal homes throughout Charleston.

Rather than beginning with trends, Debby begins with conversation.

She asks about family traditions, favorite places, heirlooms, collections and the moments that have shaped her clients' lives. As she walks through a home, she notices the artifacts that tell a family's story. A piece of artwork collected abroad. A stack of well loved books. A handmade quilt. A weathered photograph.

"That's when the stories come out," she says.

Those stories become the blueprint.

Color palettes, furnishings, architecture, antiques and textiles are layered together not simply because they are beautiful, but because they belong.

Debby calls it designing in layers.

A family's past. Their present. Their future.

For Sullivan's Island homeowners, that philosophy feels right at home.

Our Island has always attracted artists, writers, musicians and families whose homes become part of their legacy. Here, houses are often passed from one generation to the next, evolving while never losing the character that made them special in the first place.

Whether restoring an historic property or designing a new coastal retreat, Debby believes every project should respect its surroundings.

Original windows. Timeworn wood floors. Handmade details. Quirky architectural features that tell us how people once lived.

Those aren't obstacles to overcome.

They're opportunities to celebrate.

Even in newly built homes, she looks outside as much as she looks in. The marsh, the dunes, the changing light and the surrounding landscape become part of the design language. Instead of chasing trends, she creates spaces that feel collected over time. Comfortable. Personal. Timeless.

Her work has earned national recognition, including appointments and leadership roles in historic preservation and design organizations, but listening remains her greatest design tool.

Because beautiful homes don't begin with furniture.

They begin with understanding the people who will fill them.

As our Island continues to evolve, Debby reminds us that thoughtful design is about more than aesthetics. It's about stewardship.

When we preserve the stories of a home, we preserve a little piece of the Island itself.

And perhaps that's the most beautiful design decision we can make.