Julie Neill states that she became a designer on the day when she was 6 years old and looked at the bookshelf in her room and realized that it was screaming at her to become a doll's 4 story townhouse. She considers that her first decorating project. “I've had a lifelong love of beauty and beautiful things,” states Neill.

After obtaining a Fine Arts degree from Agnes Scott College outside of Atlanta she proceeded to pursue a career as a painter. But she found painting on canvas very confining and began painting on other things such as walls, fabrics and furniture. She began selling her painted pieces as well as doing freelance decorative painting. After many of her clients asked her to help them find pieces for their homes, Neill began a successful career in interior design and decorating.

As a decorator, the most frustrating thing was finding good lighting, especially chandeliers. New Orleans is full of wonderful artisans, so she asked around and found some talented craftsmen who collaborated with her to create special pieces for the special people she was decorating for.

Julie Neill opened her shop on Magazine Street in 2000. in a 120 year old house where the showroom is in the front and the workroom is in the back. “It is a dream come true because I get to be my creative self all day long and I have so many interesting clients who inspire me to come up with more and more fabulous ideas,” Neill says.

“Every piece that you see on the website was designed custom for a particular client and then added to my line. That's why most pieces have the names they do...they're usually named after the person they were first made for. If someone gets more than one piece, we name them after their friends or members of their family. I like it that my business has the personal touch. And that I get to continue the tradition of making a well designed handcrafted product.”

While putting her website together, Julie began to realize that she had created a bit of a signature look, and that she could begin to offer it “off the rack” while still making custom sizes and finishes available. That way, she can make her products available to a much wider market.

With her trademark line in place, Neill is still available by appointment for those who desire a custom creation. She enjoys a great relationship with the design trade, offering her custom capabilities to designers and architects as well at to her retail clients.

Julie Neill's work has been featured in two Junior League Decorator Showhouses in New Orleans and can also be found in such well-known locations as Bayona restaurant and the House of Blues. She has been commissioned by the New Orleans Museum of Art to design for their annual “Art in Bloom” exhibit for several years. Her lighting won an Alpha award for design excellence in 2002 and her work has been covered in New Orleans Homes and Lifestyles, New Orleans Magazine and Southern Woman

Julie Neill lives in the Garden District in an 1880 shotgun house with her 2 children and her 3 cats.

For more information contact Julie Neill Designs at 504.899.4201. Or visit our showroom at 3908 Magazine Street in New Orleans.