ABOUT
our heritage
Our principal Erika’s great-grandfather, Rufus (right), out on the lawns with a friend in Washington, DC (circa 1960s).
Though our design studio was officially established in 2020, ELEVEN NINETEEN® was around long before our principal designer, Erika Butler-Jones, was even born. In fact, you could say that it was unofficially established back in September 1956, when Erika’s great-grandfather, Rufus, purchased his and his wife Myrt’s new home: a charming, semi-detached townhome just outside of Washington, DC.
Its house number? 1119.
This quaint home and its young owners went on to nurture three generations over the course of 50 years, serving as the family’s home base and earning the affectionate moniker of “Eleven Nineteen.”
Having been raised by Rufus and Myrt, and the youngest of the three generations who grew up in the house, Erika considers that townhome—and most importantly, all that it signifies—to be a core representation of the meaning behind our design practice.
Rufus and Myrt’s home represents not only the pillars of our design studio, but more importantly, it represents the foundation of who our principal is—and the space that nurtured the gifts she discovered there.
The culmination of those nurtured gifts resulted in the eventual birth of ELEVEN NINETEEN Interiors—and every space that we create aims to continue the transformative legacy of Rufus and Myrt through the work of interiors. stories. soul. ™