Kathryn: And today on the show, I have Julie Terrell. Julie is an interior designer in Birmingham who creates classic well-edited spaces that are rooted in tradition and reflect the personality of the homeowner. Her full service interior firm is headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama. Specializing in residential interiors and she is committed to a collaborative practice with exceptional client service.
Her work has been featured in Birmingham Home and Garden, Birmingham magazine, Southern Lady, and Style Blueprint. Julie, welcome to the show. I’m so glad you’re here with me today.

Julie: Thank you so much for having me. I’m happy to be here.
Kathryn: Oh, well, I’m so excited. I can’t wait to get started with our conversation.
So of course I know you pretty well and I’ve had the opportunity to work with you, but for those in our audience who don’t know you, can you just tell us a little bit about yourself and how you got to where you are today?
Julie: Sure. Well, I am born and raised in the South and I came to interior design a little bit later.
I did not have a traditional journey. I started with studying art history in college and in graduate school. And, I really loved that. It captured my imagination and I really enjoyed it, but kind of realized as I was going down the path that wasn’t really what I wanted to do longterm. So basically when I was about 30, and was doing a little renovation to our kitchen, not knowing a lot about the process and not having any experience in design I decided that I was curious how the best way to draw cabinets and explain that to the cabinet maker. And so literally that one experience took me down a path and I went back to school and learned how to do that.
So it took me six years and I had one small child at the time. Ended up during that six years having another and I just, I went during mother’s day out and at night and just, you know, kind of followed that interest and learned more and more. And then just kind of started down this path and I’ve been doing it for about, I guess 11 years now.
Kathryn: Okay, well, anybody that’s ever listened to the podcast before knows how much I love a good pivot and finding something, you know, giving yourself the opportunity and the option to do something different beyond college.
Right. What, you know, did you have any, misgivings or was there anything about going back to school to do this new thing with a young child? Was there anything about it that made you nervous or maybe gave you pause before you jumped in?
Julie: Yes, definitely. Well, first of all, I was older than most people at that point.
But also it was daunting to think about, and just the expense of it. I was really curious and interested but I just wasn’t sure if it would pay off. And that’s why I did not only for that reason, but I’m taking one class at a time and I just took the next class and just kind of kept going.
I didn’t commit myself at the very beginning to finishing if that makes sense.
Kathryn: Yes. So you just gave yourself the grace to take it one step at a time and not be fully committed to the point that it might scare you away from it. Right? Gave yourself some flexibility.
Julie: I did. And that actually is not ingrained in my personality. But you know my primary focus was being a mom at that point and I wanted to be present, but I really did not know what to do with myself. And I tried different things. For example, when my daughter was four months old, she was a really, really good sleeper and a good napper. And I did not know what to do with myself.
So I just went and bought a sewing machine, took the class and I sewed for a couple years, you know, things like that. So I’ve always needed something to occupy my mind and an outlet for my creativity. So this was really more just something that’s stuck and that I truly, you know, found that I enjoyed.
Kathryn: Oh, I just love that. So, you know, what’s interesting. Well, one of the interesting things about it is that it took you six years and you had one child and had another child along the way. I think a lot of people get scared about investing time to go back to school or to learn something new because they get that limiting belief.
Oh, that’s going to take too long. Right. It doesn’t matter. But it doesn’t really matter if it takes three years, like it did for me to go back to school or six years because of what all you had going. If you are enjoying it in the moment and you are doing something that you’re passionate about, that you’re good at that you really love, how else should you be spending your time? Really?
Julie: Right. And it just continued to capture my attention and to be interesting to me.
Kathryn: Yeah. I love that. So you’ve been doing this for a while now. And you started when you were 30 looking back on it. What would you tell your 20 to 25 year old self about how you should start decorating a home?
Like what would you invest in? What would you do differently?
Julie: Right. Well, I made a lot of mistakes, I would say. First of all, buy the right house. If you are in the process of, you know, buying a home, you might be renting and you know, it applies there too, but choose your space wisely. I would say that when my husband and I chose our home, we thought a little too abstractly about it.
Kind of way too down the road. Thinking about, well, this will be good for this next stage. And we ended up buying too much house. We didn’t need it. And then of course, because we stretched and bought so much, we couldn’t really furnish it. And that just kind of led to frustration because it never felt finished.
And it was just always a project waiting, you know, waiting for us. And yet we couldn’t really complete. So I would definitely say choose your home for the stage that you’re in. And, you know, don’t think too far in advance. And we don’t stay in our homes as much for as long as we used to.
We move a lot more than, you know, older generations who, you know, purchased a home and had that one home and it just carried them all the way through. We buy and sell more or move more kind of based on our stage of life. So I would just be really honest about that and pick what you can and what you can, what works for you in this stage and, and furnish it for your bigger lifestyle now.
But I would say that, in addition to buying the right house for your stage to set aside money for furnishings. I mean, you know that you’re going to need them. Don’t spend everything on, you know, the house payment, make sure to set aside some money for furnishings because they really do impact the way you live.
And it’s important to invest in some good quality pieces. Even though it’s a stretch, like maybe a good antique chest or a table, a good sofa in a performance fabric. That’ll really withstand day-to-day life. Some nice lighting, art you love, you know make a little bit of room for that.
And then mix in, you know, I love the hollow look and you can certainly mix and, you know, pieces from Ikea, Target, World Market budget items, but maybe in more trendy things. And also I think it’s important not to buy everything from one place so that it looks more interesting. And, yeah, so it doesn’t look like a store.
Kathryn: Right. You don’t want somebody walking in and thinking that they’re in the Pottery Barn showroom.
Julie: Right. Right now I will say this. Especially at the very beginning, if you don’t know what things cost, I actually think that’s probably one of your best field trips to make. Either go somewhere like Pottery Barn or West Elm, go to the website and really look at what your goals are for your house.
Say, I need a, you know, to completely furnish my living room. And make a list of what all those items are. You know, sofa, two or three chairs, a rug, a coffee table, console, art, lamps. Just making that list and pricing them at a place like Pottery Barn, which is very mid-level you can get an idea of how quickly that adds up.
And what kind of budget you realistically are working with. So even if like you’re going to furniture home at Target, it’s still gonna cost, you know, a certain amount and you have to, you have to think about that and budget for it.
Kathryn: Okay. That is so smart. See, I wouldn’t have thought to have done that, but really if you could do that on the front end, when you’re setting your housing budget, you would really be ahead of the game.
Julie: Yes because of course, you know, custom window treatments is what I usually do for clients. But if a client ever is a potential client or someone who’s ever worked with a designer before doesn’t know what anything cost, they could do that exercise themselves and decide, well, what, what can I do?
You know, should I just get someone at a show room to help me, or can I hire a designer or do I want to go that route, do I have enough to set aside for the design services as well as, you know, custom items. It just helps them to getting clarity, to know what you know what your next steps are.
Kathryn: Yeah. So then at the very right beginning, you can be intentional with exactly how you spend your money and make sure you’re spending it in the areas that are most important to you.
If it’s important to have custom window furnishings and to have all these special touches, then you might need to go a little bit smaller or a little bit less expensive on your house so that you can create the surroundings that you want to create.
Julie: That’s right. It really is all about choices.
And how do you want to live and what is important to you? And I think that answer is different for everyone. And sometimes it’s different for each of us at different stages in life.
Kathryn: Yes. So that leads me right into our question. About how far ahead should one plan your furnishings or your decor, or, you know, should you be just going slowly and investing in pieces one by one, or do you go all in and decorate the house that you’re in to be comfortable in it immediately?
Julie: That is an interesting question because I do think you think about it from the very beginning, because it really relates to how you want to live and how you want to use your home. I mean, your home should serve you. It should function for you and so it’s got a huge job to do, but you have to tell it what to do.
So you have to really know yourself and you know, what your personality is. Can I handle a long piece by piece process or do I really need to feel settled and, you know, finding the most perfect item for each spot isn’t really my personality. Like I just want it done and I want it done quickly and I want to move on.
So I think some of it is just knowing who you are, and what’s important to you. One of the things that I, you know, share with clients a lot is no matter what, you need to have a place to eat, a place to sit, and a place to sleep and take a shower. Those are, those are your activities of living that from the get go even if you’re building a house and you’re just moving into, you’re going to do it later, you still need those things. So try to get those four spaces taken care of as much as you can. And then, your secondary bedrooms or bonus spaces, you know, those can come later later, but if you take care of those regular spaces that you were going to use every day. You will feel better.
Kathryn: Okay. That’s great. So it’s more of becoming aware and mindful once again, of what is most important to you. What makes you feel good? Settled? What makes you feel like it’s your home and how do you want to go about it? Is it more important for you to begin collecting antiques one by one?
Or do you need to be done with furnishing your house so that you can move on and be comfortable?
Julie: Right. It really is a lot like design therapy. You have to ask yourself some you know, ask yourself questions that only you can answer, you know, about what you find comforting and what is important.
Kathryn: Well, you know we have started to work together on an area in my house. And I remember at the beginning, you know, a question that you asked about like, what is your style or your vibe or your aesthetic. And I couldn’t answer it. Is there a way for us to figure out exactly what our vibe is so that we can tell people?
Julie: That is a really challenging thing to put into words what your preferences are.
I definitely appreciate that, but I do think you can ask yourself some questions. And it will kind of narrow down things for you. And honestly they’re like just being truthful with yourself about how you really live. And those things will start to tell you something about yourself. For example, are you neat?
Are you tidy or are you okay to, you know, kind of have piles of things around? So if you aren’t that neat, you probably don’t want to do open shelves in your inner kitchen. And then also what’s important to you. Do you want to be able to entertain, do you have a lot of family heirlooms? Do you want something that is unique and more of a showstopper or do you just want, you know, calm and comfortable.
So I think just asking yourself questions, you know, how do you want your room to feel. I use that a lot. I think when you ask somebody that they aren’t stuck in a style question and they get to the feeling that a room can give them, like, do you want it to feel relaxed or energizing, calm or vibrant?
And then you can kind of follow that up with, you know, how much color and pattern do you like? Some people like color, but they like blocks of color, not really a lot of busy pattern. Some people like really calm, just neutrals layer the texture and, you know, they like that. So those kinds of things are really, you know, a style that are, that can help you get to your style, your preferences.
Look at lot of pictures. Sometimes you can’t really define your style, but if you can see whether it’s, you know, online or Pinterest, magazines. A lot of pictures, you can start to put things together. Like, well, apparently I like really colorful upholstery because everything I seem to, you know, be drawn to is bold and, you know, clean line or something like that.
Or apparently I like really neutral furnishings. And then I like a little bit of color with art in the pillows. Something like that.
Kathryn: Okay. That is very helpful. I like how you break it down also to how you want to feel. I think that our, you know, our surroundings affect so much how we feel. I read about a study, from two psychologists at UCLA that determined when our surroundings feel full, it can make us feel more anxious and stressed, and there are, there are several different studies connecting how we feel to our environments or our surroundings.
What would you say about that?
Julie: I think your surroundings completely affect your wellbeing. I think they’re so intertwined that it’s hard to separate and you can think about that in terms of, you know, if you go into an office building that’s, you know, super clean and modern, how that feels as opposed to going, you know, to a restaurant that’s cozy and, you know, has low lighting, things like that.
The environment affects our experience and that’s certainly true in our homes. So it is important. It is important. It’s important to get good sleep and have a good balanced life. I mean, all these things we know we should do and that we strive to do to have a healthy life, I think are our environments can support that or they can, you know, be a challenge to that. So, and it is a challenge we’re asking a lot of our homes. So it is a challenge, but I think it’s worth doing and trying to take it on because you can just really create a more beautiful and livable home that supports you.
Kathryn: And, you know, everybody’s different in how much stuff they like to see out, right? About how many knickknacks or whatever you want to call them. They can deal with, I don’t deal well with clutter. I don’t like to have too much stuff around. How does clutter affect you and how do you deal with it?
Julie: Clutter is my nemesis. It is hard, and it’s also a challenge for me. So it’s just, I’m constantly trying to declutter. So I fight it every day. I’m trying and also live in a cottage. So it is a historic cottage and I do not have a garage. I don’t have very large closets. So I am in this little micro environment where I am challenged all the time.
So having, you know, stylish and creative ways to store things or to display things that are functional, that you can still, you know, that you don’t mind looking at, is a constant challenge. But it does, I always feel better when I’m on top of it.
Kathryn: So yeah. Living in a cottage, not much storage, no garage to throw a bunch of things in.
What are some of the ways that you declutter and some creative ways to handle storage, have you found.
Julie: Well, I have found that, you know, really creatively thinking about the spaces that you have available in your home and using them and maximizing the space while, you know, letting it be functional too are important.
We have a space that it’s a historic home, so it’s not like we have a true mudroom. But we have a space that’s kind of a pass through space and that is we treat it as our catch-all as our mudroom. And so I have, I call it a tree. It’s a coat rack, but it’s kind of an organic, it’s very sculptural and interesting to me.
So when it’s completely bare, I love to see it actually I love to see it there. But, it feels more like a sculptural piece. And, and I find it to be pretty and yet it can hold so many bags and coats and backpacks, and you know, it really functions as well. I also have two very large pieces that I customized, found them at a Restoration Hardware, but then I have, a local craftsman put some antique mirror on the doors and got some really nice hardware for it. So, I’ll customize the piece and there are two of them there and they, you know, light bounces around things like that. So it brightens up the space, but when I say they hold so much stuff yeah. And you can’t see anything.
I mean, just put it in there, you know, that’s where the backpacks and the shoes and papers and just, you know, my son has one, my daughter has one. They’re large and in charge and they are really working hard for us.
Kathryn: So I love how you took something that was, you know, not completely unique and made it your own and fit with the aesthetic that you like, but they also serve a huge purpose.
Julie: Yes. Yes. Very functional. And I looked into, for, you know, we all make choices based on all sorts of things, on functionality, on budget, on, you know, how long we’re going to have that piece, you know, will we rethink how it’s used in the future. And so, as I spoke with, you know, furniture maker and got a price on it, and it was actually he that said, “Yeah, you might just want to buy that. You can get it a lot cheaper than I can make it.”
But he was the one that added the antique mirror and, you know, really helped me customize it, but, I just thought it was funny that he is like, it’s a basic box. They can do it for cheaper.
Kathryn: That’s awesome. So, you know, say a lot of our audience hasn’t ever worked with a designer before, what do they need to know going in or what advice would you give them to do ahead of time? If anything?
Julie: Yes. Well, you know, it is a very interesting process working with a designer. It’s involved, it takes time, and it’s kind of like a longterm, I mean semi longterm relationship, you know, it’s, it’s often anywhere from six months to two years. And so you’re really, it is indeed a process. So, you know, something I say to my husband a lot, I’m like, I am not a magician. I can’t just, you know, make it perfect. It’s you go through the process.
So also just, you know, ask yourself really the really hard questions. You know, before you reach out, you don’t have to, I’m happy to kind of help people when they do when they’re not quite sure. But often people come when they’re not ready yet because they are not sure, what their priorities are, you know, if the other decision makers in their home, whether it’s a spouse or a partner or say another family member that you jointly own or share your space with, are you on the same page? And do you have the same priorities? Do you have a, you know, a realistic budget? So you know, I can do design therapy by helping pull out, you know, or negotiate those things and help you ask the right questions with the other decision makers.
But you know, that’s not really what you want to pay a designer to do. So you want them to help design something beautiful for your home. So, yeah.
Kathryn: Optimally, a client would know his or her priorities, be on the same page with any, or all other decision makers and have a realistic budget when they came to you, like you would be ready to go.
Julie: Yes. Yes.
Kathryn: And so if they came to you with that in mind, can you kind of walk us through what the process looks like from beginning to end and as many or few steps as there are.
Julie: Sure. Sure. So first of all, each project is different. you know, the scope of each project say one is a construction, you know, fully from the ground up and then, you know, kind of also decorating. So, you know, from the beginning to the end, that is a very long process. So that might take two years . Whereas, you know, if like for a decorating project or, you know, we just really want to complete this one area, this one space, and it doesn’t really involve any construction, just, you know, furnishings, decorating, you know, that might take six months.
So each project truly is different, but they all kind of follow a predictable pattern and process. So, you know, you first, you get to know what the client is looking for and, you know, kind of get on the same page, as far as the scope of work and determining what the budget is. And, you know, you do that with a initial client meeting and you just kind of really listen, you know, that’s when I listen, listen, listen, to everything.
And that can be, I love to hear what people don’t like as much as what they like, because that tells me a lot. So, you know, that meeting is, is usually pretty long, where, you know, you’re really listening and paying attention to what is important to them and, you know, talking about that.
And then, you know, the next step is, you know, we take measurements and inventory of what you have, what you want to keep, you know, so that you know, the space and for example, what sofa will fit and well, if you only have one 36 inch door, you need to be really careful about the furnishings that you purchased cause they might not fit. Say you want to, you know, I love space planning is one of my favorite things. And I always start there, as far as, you know, just drawing out, this space and then deciding, you know, the types of furnishings and materials that will fit best and function best and said that’s what those measurements are for.
So, and then after that is, you know, you just kind of take all that information back and go through the schematics, you know, and design concepts. So basically that’s when you pull together the big idea, you know, the big picture, where you think it should go and that’s, you know, pull in images together, types of things, drawings that’s where, you know, that furniture plan comes in. Maybe, you know, you’ll have some examples of paint, fabrics, and that is when, you know, you present that or meet with a client to get feedback and, you know, listen to what they have to say.
And then you go back and you make changes. So you really, that can be a longer part of the process, because you have to kind of sit with it and that’s the most creative part. And then after that, that you really start just taking care of, you know, ordering items and all of those expediting and purchase orders and estimates, and having service providers come and take measurements and build custom pieces. And, you know, that’s when all of that work comes into play and then, you know, in your managing orders and, communicating problem solving. And then, that after that is the installation, and that’s when it kind of all kinds together.
And a lot of times for the client, there’s a little too much time in between one phase and another, but it just does take time.
Kathryn: I would imagine when clients see your beautiful design and the plan, they’re like, okay, I want this today.
Julie: Yes, yes. Yes. It’s like, Oh yeah, I want it.
Kathryn: What I’m hearing is the more the client knows about what he or she likes and doesn’t like on the very front end, when you’re really in tune and in that listening phase, the more quickly that back and forth – once that initial design is created -the more quickly you’re going to be able to get things done, there will be less back and forth.
Julie: That’s right. That’s right. That is very true. Yeah, that’s very true.
Kathryn: Okay. So, wow. I could talk to you about this all day long, because it is so much fun for me, but
Julie: It is fun
Kathryn: Where, well, first of all, where can our listeners find out now more about you, your website, your social media. Tell us about that. Sure. you can find out more about me and my work at site, which is julieterrell.com and also on Instagram and Facebook @julieterrelldesign.
And y’all I’m awaiting my beautiful design from Julie as we speak. And I’m telling you, if you haven’t gone to her website before, you’ve just got to go look, I mean, she is just so talented and has such a good eye. And I can tell you just from the time we’ve worked together, that she really is good at listening and asking the right questions to draw out of you what you didn’t know, you already knew.
Julie: Thank you.
Kathryn: Okay, Julie. Now we’re going to do some rapid fire questions. Vogue 73, question style. Are you ready?
Julie: I’m ready.
Kathryn: Okay, great. Let’s start now. Wallpaper. Yay. Or nay.
Julie: Yay.
Kathryn: Where would you put it?
Julie: I like it in any room that has four walls. So not. Kind of joint spaces, open spaces, but a dining room, powder room, bedroom, office, laundry room, bedroom.
Kathryn: Love that. How do you choose paint colors for your home?
Julie: It is a difficult task. Basically there are no shortcuts for me. I lay ’em all out. I go through all the details. I look at it a lot and then I finally settle on something.
Kathryn: Okay. What is the best white paint of all time?
Julie: I would definitely say Benjamin Moore. White dove.
Kathryn: Okay, perfect. What one element can we add to a room to immediately elevate it?
Julie: Something living either a plant or florals.
Kathryn: Great. Now how high do you hang art on a wall?
Julie: Here’s a rule of thumb that the center of the painting or picture should be 60 inches high. I’m short. So this is about the top of my head. However that being said, I like to break the rules sometimes and it just, it depends, but that is a good rule of thumb.
Kathryn: Okay. Awesome. Mixed metal elements in a room. Yay. Or nay.
Julie: Yay.
Kathryn: Favorite trend for 2020 and beyond.
Julie: Oh, that’s tough. I’m not really a trendy person. I like timeless styles and things, but I will say that having a separate dining room has been just such a luxury that everybody has found during the pandemic.
And I think that will stay because it could always, second as an office or, really just homework space, a separate room.
Kathryn: Oh yes. So how do you choose a rug size for the room?
Julie: The rug size really depends on the furniture. So after you’ve decided on the furniture and your walking path, you kind of just deduce it from there, but I like larger rugs. So you know, it, they can cover most of the space. I like that, but it definitely needs to accommodate at least your front legs on all the furniture.
Kathryn: Okay, great. Favorite decorating color palette.
Julie: Ooh, that’s hard. I like lots of neutrals. So I like neutrals layered on top of each other.
We’re using a lot of textures and by neutral to me, that means anything from, you know, what you traditionally think of: tans and creams, bone white, black, gray, mushroom and then I like to use blues and greens because you see those in nature too.
Kathryn: Julie, I like to end every podcast by asking my guests the same question, which is what is one imperfect action you would suggest we do today to get closer to our best lives.
Julie: Okay. So I would say, well, I actually have like just a few I would say, make your bed.
And just start the day off right by making your bed or even it can be at four o’clock in the afternoon. If you haven’t done it yet. And you just need a reset, make your bed, maybe fluff the pillows on your sofa. Just kind of, give a little love to your home and your space. And I like to walk outside with a little clipper and get some greenery out of my yard and just put it in a vase that for me helps me reset and, just makes me give a little love to my home. And then I feel it that.
Kathryn: Oh, well, I absolutely love that advice. I second that and say definitely starting your day or really finding any time in your day. But when I start my day with making my bed, I do feel less cluttered and like, I’m just ready to go for the day.
Julie: Absolutely.
Kathryn: I completely second that motion. And, with that, Julie, I want to thank you so much for being on the show today.
Julie: Oh thank you so much for having me.
Kathryn: And y’all heard Julie go make your bed, go fluff your pillows, get some greenery in and that will most likely put a smile on your face.
And until we meet back here next week, go out and take imperfect action every day to get closer to your best life.