We were lucky to catch up with Merri Pruitt recently and have shared our conversation below.
Merri, we’re thrilled to have you on our platform and we think there is so much folks can learn from you and your story. Something that matters deeply to us is living a life and leading a career filled with purpose and so let’s start by chatting about how you found your purpose.
I was living in New Orleans in my late 20’s, and couldn’t find an art related job , so I created one for myself. Armed with an entrepreneurial spirit, I set up appointments with local interior designers , to show my freshly made samples of decorative paint finishes. An Antique dealer hired me to paint a wall in her shop on Magazine Street. The owner would promote my decorative painting of walls. floors, and furniture ,and I would get commission work.
Five years later, I met Jimmy Littleton, a graphic artist , and we became both business partners and married.
The company , Pruitt-Littleton Decorative Artists , was officially launched and we were ready to paint the “Big Easy ” together !
For the next 20 years ,we worked for a discriminating clientele , painting decorative flourishes in the mansions of the Garden District and French Quarter, We travelled for painting projects as far away as Tuxedo Park ,New York and Islesboro, Maine.
In 2005 there was a dramatic and devastating life changing event for us called Hurricane Katrina . Our home and business was destroyed with 6 feet of floodwater .
We were shocked and upset, but determined to start over in Houston, where we had family and a few contacts.
We settled in an Historic older part of the city called the Heights, and found a 1925 bungalow with an artists studio behind the house.
Our portfolio and samples were destroyed in the floodwaters, but luckily we had illustrations of our work to show potential clients. We had embraced technology , before we left New Orleans , and had just set up a website, www. Pruitt-Littleton.com,
After seeing our work online, many Houston interior decorators and Antique dealers put us to work quickly. ,
We moved to an older part of the city called the Heights, and found a 1925 bungalow with an art studio already in the rear of the house.
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
During the pandemic, we stopped going out of the studio, working “on site “in homes. Our decorative painting business was evolving again, and we truly utilized the studio behind our house to its fullest.
Clients brought projects directly to us, and we painted buffets, tables , armoires and mirrors. We used a number of faux finishes and paint techniques. Popular finishes were high gloss, aging and distressing, all sorts of faux finishes , and gilding. Sometimes we will even work with a cabinetmaker to fabricate pieces for a particular space: such as a bath vanity , cabinet or mirror.
Complementing the customers decor with a finish is our speciality!
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
Adapting to change and being flexible is hard in life, but try to turn those changes into a positive . Try to find partners, friends and mentors who give you encouragement and complement the skills for which you do not excel.
Be and early riser , enjoy the quiet mornings to organize your thoughts, and plan the creative endeavors for the day.
Okay, so before we go we always love to ask if you are looking for folks to partner or collaborate with?
We are always looking for new customers to collaborate with, such as interior decorators and individuals . Clients have become savvy about acquiring vintage pieces at estate sales and auctions . Many have also inherited pieces that we transform with special finishes and new hardware. Updating grandmothers armoire with an artistic finish, is more sustainable, as well as cost effective than buying a new piece of furniture. A brand new piece of furniture is recycled from an old piece of furniture. Voila!
Contact Info:
- Website: www.pruitt-littleton.com
- Instagram: merripruitt
- Facebook: Pruitt-Littleton Decorative Artists
Image Credits
Jimmy Littleton
