An elegant success: Jennifer Butler Interior Design crafts beautiful interiors

Jennifer Butler Interior Design is an eleven-year-'young' firm that is hitting a very comfortable and sustainable stride as its reputation and business steadily grow.

The company, which specializes in interior design for home and commercial companies, grew from one employee to four in a one-year period beginning in late 2012. The team, led by founder Jennifer Butler, includes Amy Vande Streek, who joined the firm  as an associate in November 2012 and now handles communications and media engagement; Heather Lingbeek, a designer who was hired in February 2013; and Chelsea Stafford, who joined as a designer in October 2013.  

Serving customers primarily on the west side of Michigan, Jennifer Butler Interior Design has a very diverse skill set and portfolio, including large-scale and small-scale remodels for private residences and commercial properties such as spas, churches, athletic facilities, and offices. The firm is LEED accredited.

If what Butler senses is happening in the market place continues, the future is will be one of continued business growth.

Butler, who has a BFA from Kendall and a BA in business from GVSU, says that many organizations and families have not done anything with their spaces for several years but are now feeling more comfortable with the economy: "A lot of people were holding their cards and are now eager to move forward. 'Let's just do it. We want to remodel.'"

Butler credits her customer-centric approach to design and finding the right talent for her team as a key to her success. "Our style is listening and paying attention to the client," says Butler. "It is making it their project. We want to be there to interpret and to make it the best fit for what the client wants."

Butler says a key to building her team has been the talent pipeline from Kendall and then finding the right person. "I look for someone who is the right fit that can mesh with the team," she says.

Although she has no short-term plans to add staff, she says in the spring of 2015 she will be evaluating personnel needs again and could possibly be looking to grow her team.

To learn more about Jennifer Butler Interior Design, including her customer portfolio, you can visit her site here. You can also like her Facebook page here.


Writer: John Rumery, Innovation and Jobs News Editor