Meet Teri Tolbert, owner & interior designer Interior designers are known for their creativity, organization, artistic talent and an eye for detail when transforming spaces. While these qualities can be expected of most designers, Interior Designer Teri Tolbert brings so much more to the design process through compassion, fun and good communication. As the president/founder of Room by Room Makeover, Teri combines her two greatest passions – helping people and design. Teri’s personal approach to interior design allows her to transform rooms and homes into functional, aesthetic spaces unique to her clients’ lifestyles and preferences. She believes that beautiful design can be achieved on any budget. Before starting a design project, it’s important for Teri to get to know her clients – a skill she learned during her first career as a registered nurse for more than 10 years. After attending East Carolina University and earning a Bachelor of Science in nursing, Teri began her nursing career at Rex Hospital in Raleigh. As a med-surgical nurse, she cared for medically ill patients undergoing and recovering from surgery. The qualities that made Teri a successful nurse–her interpersonal skills, problem solving, attention to detail and hard work—are the same attributes that make her a successful interior designer. Her passion for design motivated Teri to go back to school. She earned a Bachelor of Arts in interior design and went to work for a full-service design firm for five years in model home and residential design. In 2003, she put her interior design skills to work for a kitchen and bath company serving both residential and commercial clients. Teri oversaw more than 100 kitchen remodels using computer-aided drafting in the six years she worked for the company. A Raleigh native, Teri eventually made her way back to the Triangle and founded her own design company Room by Room Makeover in spring 2012. Today, she has more than 16 years’ experience in design and remodeling. She learns her clients’ tastes and preferences during a complimentary one-hour consultation and incorporates their personal style into the design. Teri is a member of the National Kitchen & Bath Association, the American Society of Interior Designers and Women in Networking’s (WIN) Wake Forest chapter. She supports The Green Chair Project in Raleigh, which uses donated household furnishings to renew lives of participants recovering from homelessness, crisis or disaster. Teri also volunteers at church and teaches classes for the National Alliance of Mental Health. She is married to Gary and has one adult son, Kyle, who lives in Maryland. She and Gary spoil a lab-pit rescue dog named Rudy. When not working, you’ll find Teri at the beach, listening to music, biking around town or spending precious time with her family and friends.