Meet Virtual SWATCHED Winner: Theresa Gresham

This past summer, the Interior Design Society hosted one of its favorite events virtually: SWATCHED. We felt like our industry needed something FUN to do amongst the world of virtual meetings, webinars, etc. With over 75 people signed up to participate, the competition was stiff. Judged by Robin Baron, Patti Carpenter, and David Santiago, 1st, 2nd, and 3rd places were selected, along with a student winner. Theresa Gresham was the winner of Virtual SWATCHED! Read along to learn a little more about Theresa and her journey as an interior designer. 

Theresa's passion for interior design began at a young age. Growing up with four brothers, she channeled her creativity by painting murals on her walls and upcycling her furniture. She eventually went to school for interior design at California State University, Northridge. Graduating in 2009, it was difficult to break into the industry given the economic climate. Theresa ended up moving back to Florida, and secured a design job with a reputable firm. Since then, she has worked for firms specializing in luxury yachts, high-end homes and restaurants, and everything in between. 

When the world came to a screeching halt in March due to COVID-19, Theresa was laid off from her job. While trying to figure out what to do next, she saw an ad for an e-design software and decided to start her own design business. She took every design related course possible to set herself up for success. In June of this year, Theresa formed her LLC, which is geared specifically towards virtual design assistance. We agree that virtual design is an obvious strength of Theresa's!! 

Theresa "loved every moment" playing Virtual SWATCHED and described it as her career highlight to date. And we're so glad she loved it because her final product completely blew the judges away! Believe it or not, it was actually the first time Theresa had actually designed for a "client" on her own. Winning SWATCHED gave Theresa confidence in her design capabilities that she did not have before. While she may have been surprised that she won, we sure weren't. 

You can check out more about Theresa's design business on her website.