Meet Theresa Butler, CEO and owner of premier Atlanta-based interior design firm, Theresa Butler Interiors known for blending traditional elegance with modern flair, infusing each space with a touch of whimsy.
A native of Nashville, Tennessee, Butler has an MS in nurse anesthesia, but interior design has been her calling since she was 12 years old. The COVID-19 pandemic ignited her desire to change careers and get back to spending more of her time doing what she loves, interior design.
Theresa Interiors: A Pivotal Shift
Founded in 2001, Theresa Butler Interiors was born from a vision of cultivating valued relationships with clients through respect, trust, and confidence to deliver beautiful designs under a variety of styles, time frames, and requirements.
The company’s design philosophy is rooted in the belief that every home has a story to tell.
“We design custom interiors that are not just visually stunning but deeply functional, infused with old or cherished pieces that reflect our client’s unique narratives and personalities creating spaces that spark conversation and inspire a love for home,” Butler said.
Butler’s passion for interior design stems from her desire to design spaces that reflect her client’s personality and lifestyle. She finds joy in discovering what makes clients happy and bringing it to life through their homes.
Before fully immersing herself in interior design in 2020, Theresa worked as a nurse anesthetist for over a decade. The pandemic ignited her desire to change careers and return to doing more of what she loves, interior design.
“It [interior design] wasn’t full-time because I was a full-time nurse anesthetist with a local pediatric hospital in Atlanta,” she said. “I decided due to the pandemic, to do more of what I love and what causes me less stress and offers me more happiness and enjoyment.”
Even though Butler made interior design a priority, she is still incredibly involved as a nurse anesthetist. Aside from her design work, Butler takes mission trips to provide nursing care to families and children in need.
Recently, she took her first trip to Ghana where she helped with several types of surgeries people needed. Butler also says she enjoys taking care of children and if there’s an opportunity where she can give back, volunteer, and help people, she’s going to follow her heart.
“When I was asked about going on this mission trip to Ghana to assist with all different types of surgeries people need, I said let’s do it,” she said. “We were there for about two weeks and took care of hundreds of patients, adults, and children; it was an eye-opening and rewarding experience.”
She’s also been to Montego Bay, Jamaica in the past.
Theresa Butler: The Creative
What inspires Butler as an interior designer, she says, is finding the beauty in many things such as artwork, nature, plants, flowers, and a plethora of colors.
“It lights a fire under me and makes me want to create things and that’s where my desire to paint myself comes from,” she said.
Additionally, Butler’s favorite projects she’s worked on didn’t begin as her favorites, she says. As the project progressed, Butler said she ended up thinking to herself, ‘Oh wow, this is really turning out great, I really love it,.’
Her inspirations come from other designers who aren’t afraid to mix different designs and colors people wouldn’t normally mix, such as Nadia Watts and Corey Damen Jenkins.
Additionally, she says although she honestly loves residential design, in five to 10 years, she wants to see her and her team expanding into commercial design.
“We have a lot to offer and to share when it comes to our point of view of design, and I have felt like it’s been hard to tap into commercials because we don’t have a lot of commercials to show people,” she said.
Butler also says clients sometimes may ask what they have done as far as commercial design and she often says, “You can be my first, let’s do this.” Butler has done commercial work before, she says, in the past, but the work at this point is outdated and would not be displayed.
Additionally, Butler says she enjoys being a small firm and wants to continue to be one.
“We have, over the summer, had four employees, and right now we have three solid employees, and it works really well for me and us as a team,” she said.
Having a Black-owned business means sharing your craft with other people who want to learn your craft, she says. The importance of having a Black-owned business, she said, is helping other people who don’t necessarily “want to be in your business but be in business” and help them or at least show them how to get where they want to be.
“People of color need some guidance, they don’t know where to go or what to do when they reach out to you, so be available to them, even if it’s in small ways so you can let them know they have support and help in any way,” she said.
She also said sometimes people get busy in life, but to communicate and say, “Hey, thanks for reaching out, I would love to help right now, however, I can’t but let’s stay in touch.”
Furthermore, Butler said she has seen both sides of a small, black-owned business where she’s met people who have open arms and are happy to help and the other side where no words can get out.
“You have a side where they don’t see you as competition and there’s plenty of work for all of us and then there’s the side where you can’t get a word out, and I’m thinking to myself, this isn’t what I want to be,” she said. “I want to be on the other side embracing others.”
Butler says business goals for 2025 are to be more selective about the type of project they’re doing and elevate what their clients’ visions are, but also their own visions as designers.
“We are more honed into curating beautiful custom spaces, designs that you don’t see often. We want to create spaces that are not the norm, unique, custom, and special,” she said.
As for advice to creatives and entrepreneurs alike, Butler said to find a support system because there will be days when a person may feel like they can’t do it.
“It’s simply not true that you can’t do it. When you feel like you can’t do it or you don’t have what it takes, you must reach out to that support system,” she said. “It’s not enough to just have them, you have to use them because they can’t help you if you don’t reach out.”
Butler says when she has moments of creative blockage she speaks to her tribe, who she works with, and who is around her.
“When you can be honest, transparent, reach out to people you trust, and you can say, ‘Hey guys, I have no idea what to do with this space, I’m really counting on you all to help me with ideas and what direction we could go in’”, she said.
Butler also says to keep going. “I cannot say that enough, it’s not going to be roses the entire journey. There will be difficulties, but you must keep going,” she said.
For more information, visit https://www.theresabutlerinteriors.com/?gad_source=1&gbraid=0AAAAA-Nawlj8NY8RLEL67vt7zCKA1uI6c&gclid=Cj0KCQiAvP-6BhDyARIsAJ3uv7ZltGDdLnoA_SFIxdInmVbThE2bfzXUe6cfvck8ZnEFle4_vSz40SIaAj94EALw_wcB.
