It’s All About Design for Terri Pakravan

It’s All About Design for Terri Pakravan

By M.J. McAteer

Many people are intimidated by the thought of using an interior designer, but Terri Pakravan makes her clients feel at ease with the process of creating an attractive space to call their own.

Terri Pakravan

“I have no set aesthetic,” said the owner of Atelier Design & Decor, a retail shop on Middleburg’s East Washington Street. Instead, she sees herself as more of a personal shopper who tailors her services to fit a client’s needs, personality and budget.

Brian Paul and his wife, Tara Corrigan, had never used a professional decorator before they visited Terri’s shop, which opened in 2019 and recently expanded into the space that used to be Second Chapter Books. Now Atelier has a bright, airy feel and features the designer’s personally curated collection of furniture, lighting and home accessories.

Its “modern but rustic vibe” instantly appealed to the Corrigans, and they decided to hire Terri to decorate a house they had just bought in the Shenandoah Valley. “It was large, empty and needed some love,” Brian said.

The couple envisioned a rural retreat for family and friends, and they wanted the interior to feel connected to the outdoors, visible through the home’s many “colossal” windows. Terri’s design achieved all that, but with a modern flair. And it was comfortable.

“It’s a place where people can let their hair down,” Brian said.

Terri tries to do a complete installation before she and the clients make major decisions about changes to their original plan. Waiting for the full effect makes sense--and keeps costs down. Sometimes, she hits bumps, such as couples who don’t agree or differences of opinion about a particular piece, but she’s learned through the years not to take her job too seriously.

She credits her grandmothers for leading her interior design career. They were a big part of her life growing up in Dallas, and their quirky creativity was inspiring.

One was a florist, who wore polyester pants and high heels and had hair “up like Dolly Parton’s. A firecracker with flair,” Terry said.

The other was an avid gardener and collector of silver spoons and Hummels. Terri once helped that grandmother convert a house into a bed and breakfast and remembers watching her spray paint the hydrangeas before guests came to be sure that they looked good.

During Covid, when her retail customers dwindled, Terri relied on clients like the Corrigans to keep her enterprise afloat. Their Virginia country house was such a good experience, they hired her again to decorate their main domicile in D.C. This time, they wanted to “go super bold,” and the designer came up with a daring color scheme that renders their entire first floor in shades of green. They loved it.

Her Dallas grandmothers probably would have loved her career choice, too. She studied at the New York School of Interior Design, and has since put her aesthetic skills to use in various locations, including Delray Beach, Fla., where she had a shop. In 2017, she arrived in Virginia and bought a house in Boyce, and it sounds as though she may be here to stay.

“Middleburg is a small town but with people coming from all over,” Terri said. “It’s a wonderful place to be.”

Atelier Design & Decor, 15 East Washington St., Middleburg, Va., is open 11 a.m to 4 p.m. Thursday through Sunday. Go to www.terripakravan.com