By Barry Wise Smith
Photos by Joan Allsopp
Julie Terrell never planned on being an interior designer. She graduated from Birmingham-Southern College with a degree in Art History and went on to get her master’s degree from the University of Alabama with plans to get her PhD and be a professor.
“But I saw how limiting that could be,” Terrell says. “You might spend your entire career studying obscure 16th Century monastery art, and you’d go to conferences with the same people and discuss the same things over and over again. I figured out it wasn’t what I wanted to do.”
But the problem was, Terrell wasn’t sure exactly what it was she DID want to do. In 1998, she took an internship at Southern Accents Magazine, a high-end interiors and lifestyle magazine from the publishers of Southern Living. “That was my introduction to interiors,” Terrell recalls.
A few years later, as she and her husband Jimbo were going through a kitchen renovation, Terrell became interested in the language of design. Working with her cabinet company, she realized she had a vision for what she wanted, but she didn’t have the vocabulary to communicate that to the professionals on the project.
Terrell realized this might be the thing she wanted to do, so she enrolled in the Southern Institute of Design at Virginia College where she set out to learn the business side of interior design. “I learned how to draw, use AutoCAD, and got a broader understanding of the design business,” Terrell says.
With two small children at home, Terrell took her time getting through the program. “I did the program slowly while my kids were in mother’s morning out or at night until I had the skill I needed to be successful in this business,” she says. She finished the program in 2010 and took an internship with Cindy Cantley at Cantley & Company, a high-end cabinet company and design firm.
That same year, Terrell went out on her own opening Julie Terrell Interior Design. “I learned so much through experience,” Terrell says. “And sometimes, I learned things the hard way. I’ve learned the business as I’ve gone along and developed a clientele over time.” Terrell just hired her first full-time employee—a friend and former client—to help with the business.
Terrell describes her design aesthetic as rooted in tradition but with modern and contemporary elements mixed in. “I love that each project is different, and I like complex projects where I start from the beginning and work all the way through in every phase of the project,” she says. “I love to collaborate with architects and solve problems.”
Three recent projects—the renovation of an historic downtown building, design of a cottage at the lake, and the redesign of a family home in Mountain Brook—stand out as some of Terrell’s favorites. “They have been different, but I’ve learned so much,” she says.
As for the lake house, “I love to do second homes, she says. “There’s so much more of a relaxed approach. It’s where people go to relax and enjoy their families and down time, so it has a lighter feel to it. It’s fun making sure the houses have what they need but also making sure they will be enjoyed and lived in.”
While Terrell has a very traditional design process—what she enjoys most is incorporating her clients’ personalities and preferences into her designs. “Designers have a two-prong job, making things functional and making things pretty,” she says. “You want to use beautiful colors and fabrics, but you also have to make sure the doors swing correctly and that switches and outlets are located correctly. I truly enjoy the full scope of the project.”
And with her background in art history, art always plays a big part in Terrell’s designs. “I always want to incorporate artwork into a space,” she says. “I find a lot of inspiration from art. A favorite recent project was helping a client build their art collection. I love projects where people invest thoughtfully into their homes. I love creating beautiful things with my clients.”
Julie Terrell’s Top 5 Style Picks:
- Stripes
- Textures
- Sculptural forms in design
- Books, books, books
- Historical elements through furniture and art—“I gravitate toward including Asian elements.”
