Just three years into the business, Brandon and Julie Joiner hired Buck to design their Woodside Village apartment. At the time, ULAH Interiors + Design was a one-man-show, but 2019 ended up being a big year for the budding brand: it was the year Queer Eye filmed two seasons in Kansas City and featured ULAH on several episodes. It was also the year Buck hired his first interior design employee. The popularity of the retail store—and the TV series—rapidly accelerated the growth of his design business.

“Early on, 80 percent of my clients came from relationships built at the store,” Buck says. “Now, it is probably half of that, with most of our jobs coming from referrals or repeat clients.”

Julie and Brandon are some of those repeat clients. When the couple started planning a family, they knew a move was imminent. So, they hired Buck once again to design their new home’s interior to better accommodate their growing household.

Buck’s vision for the home was modern but comfortable, mixing casual and elegant for a sophisticated yet livable home for the family. For this 3,600-square-foot new construction home, Buck selected all the interior finishes, designed the custom cabinetry in conjunction with Square One Studio and helped select exterior finishes such as the stucco color.

One of Buck’s signature moves is to accent predominantly white-walled homes with dark, moody areas—and this house has several such spaces. The powder room, media room and guest bath are primarily black and relatively isolated. Hence, the transition from a bright-white space into a dark room with a different—perhaps sexier—vibe is sudden. The open kitchen is black as well, but because it is open to the adjacent white rooms, the mood of the space spills over into the other areas. The black doesn’t feel claustrophobic or drab; it provides a bold yet sophisticated contrast to the rest of the living spaces. The natural wood tones of the millwork soften the space, the organic materiality balancing the sleek bronze, glass and stone surfaces within the design.