First and foremost, Lita Belcher is an artist. Born with the natural ability to draw, the New York native honed her skills with a Fine Arts education, first at the Art Institute in Phoenix and then in Atlanta. It was in college where she was exposed to commercial art, which dispelled her previous belief that she could only grow up to be an artist or art teacher. Fortunately, college presented an avenue that allowed her work to become three dimensional. She took some architectural classes, and that was that. Lita had found her calling.
“My dad is the middle child of 11, so he has five brothers who all work in construction in various ways. I’ve always been exposed to that,” she says. “I have a logical side to me, so I wanted to draw something useful.”
She also wanted to draw by hand, which isn’t a skill that’s altogether common anymore. In fact, Lita was one of the only students at her school who could hand-draft, and that landed her a job at Jackie Naylor Interiors in 2005. She and her husband eventually settled in Knoxville, and Lita accepted a position at Laws Interiors with Paul Law as her mentor. After having her son, Lita went to work for Blackberry Farm, where her skills and professional relationships blossomed.
By 2018, as a mom of two, Lita went out on her own to build a career that kept her work-life balance in check.
“I use both sides of my brain,” she says. “I have a logical, practical side, but I also have a creative, think-outside-the-box side. What I do is subjective, but there is a correct and safe way to do design, along with an economical and ergonomic way to design. I think this is a rare thing.”
Lita has her own aesthetic – what she calls “modern rustic” – but she isn’t one to push her personal style on anyone. She helps clients to define their own style and then suggests materials and fabrics that fit the space, their budget, and what the architecture calls for. At every turn, Lita is pairing needs and wants with new ideas and custom design. With every client, she’s putting both sides of her brain to work.
“It’s more responsible to design a space that’s helpful to someone, that impacts their life in a positive way, whether it’s comfort or practicality. Is that handle comfortable to grab? Does the back of that chair need to be lower or higher? I try to customize it for customers,” says Lita. “I also design for customers who want to age in place, so we think ahead to using tiles that have more grip or think of where we need to put grab bars in the future. But the house also needs to work for the next generation, so we can be universal and custom at the same time.”
Lita is a pro at designing primary homes, but give her a secondary home and she’s on fire. Bunk rooms? Yes, please.
Whatever the challenge, Lita is up for it.
“I’ve done it for 17 years, so I’ve seen and experienced a lot. I never copy a picture someone gives me. We come up with something together that makes us both happy and proud,” says Lita. “I do that in a turn-key way. I can work with architects and help draw up house plans, and then I’ll have fire in your fireplace and wine in your glass when you get home.”
Connect with Lita on Facebook @LitaBelcherInteriorDesign
