Debby Gomulka on Historic Preservation and Modern Living

Historic preservation sits at the center of Debby Gomulka‘s design practice. Described as an award-winning designer, philanthropist, and preservationist, she draws on art history and the history of buildings and culture to guide her work.

In a 2025 CEOWORLD profile, she said that art and culture are woven into her designs so they can be applied to modern day living. That sentence captures her method: respect what a building has been, then make it work for how people live now.

She has also served on the boards of the Bellamy Mansion Museum and Preservation North Carolina, according to the CEOWORLD profile. Those roles place her inside the organizations that protect historic buildings, which gives her restoration work a practical grounding that goes beyond style.

Her firm, Provenance Lee Interiors, offers historic property restoration alongside full-service residential design. Clients who own older homes can pursue historic home restoration without giving up the comforts expected from contemporary interiors.

The firm’s featured projects, including Fontenay Place and the Julian Price Estate, give prospective clients a way to see how that philosophy looks in finished rooms.

The practical benefit is that owners of older properties gain a partner who treats age as an asset. Instead of stripping character from a building, her stated method is to understand its history first and then adapt it, so the finished interior feels both authentic and livable today. It is a measured philosophy that keeps the best of the past in view while allowing each project to meet the practical needs of a modern household.

On her personal site, she describes a goal of blending preservation with modern luxury while honoring sustainability. Together, these statements portray a designer who sees historic preservation and contemporary comfort as complementary rather than competing priorities. Her Pinterest boards offer a visual look at the inspirations behind that outlook.