Who Am I?

My name is Rebecca Caveness and I’m an interior decorator. I started getting into design in 2014 when I was working at a local countertop store. There I discovered that I was passionate about helping people to make their homes look good. I found myself not just helping choose the countertop that would look right in their space, but helping with paint colors and making suggestions on lighting and other things totally outside of my job description. I was also working part-time at my parent’s flooring store at the time. I’d often have customers follow me from one store to the other picking out flooring and backsplash and countertops with them. I didn’t think myself a decorator though – I was just enjoying seeing spaces come together with my help and how happy it made my customers!

One day I had a woman come into the countertop store looking to redo her bathrooms, and I was asking her questions about the cabinet colors and such to help find some options for her. She was very overwhelmed. I narrowed down some options for her but told her she should go home and sleep on it. A fresh day might bring some clarity! Instead she looked at me for a moment before telling me “I want to hire you to do it for me.” I was a little confused at first. I told her I would be happy to help her choose her tops without charging her – I got paid to work there! She shook her head and told me she wanted me to design her bathrooms. It had to be done and she wasn’t up for the task. I insisted I didn’t do that type of thing, “I’m not a designer.” I told her. She told me she didn’t care and that I was more qualified for the job than her. The next thing I knew I was meeting her to shop for sconces and choosing mirror frames. A month later I was sketching a custom barn door made from iron fence scraps for her dining room. It felt like one night I fell asleep a sales person and woke up a decorator, but the reality is I’d been doing it for longer than I realized!

Decorator? Designer? What’s the difference? Designers typically have a degree in Interior Design – although some state laws say that you can call yourself a designer even without a degree, most would feel it’s a plagiarism of sorts. This degree qualifies them to do more with commercial spaces because of their familiarization with building and fire codes. It also does the obvious – teaching them about design – how to use CAD programs and studying color theory and other things that are helpful in the profession. A decorator focuses more on the aesthetics, or dressings, of a space. Usually, as in my case, a decorator has worked in the field for a while before actually contracting work. They also typically charge a lot less than a designer. I’ve discovered that a lot of designers have a certain style that they really specialize in. I think it’s really important for the client to interview and research whoever they want to hire – decorator or designer – to be sure that they’re going to find what they want in that individual or company. If you don’t like the farmhouse style, you probably don’t want to hire someone who specializes in that! 

Part of why I love design is because I love working with and helping people.  I had something that set me apart from a lot of others – the understanding that at the end of the day my job isn’t to tell you what I love and want, it’s to help my client figure out what they love and want and how to make that work in their space. I want to leave my clients smiling, with a house that actually feels like their home.

So who am I? I’m Rebecca Caveness. Native Greenvillian, wife of a car-guru/flooring salesman, daughter of loving parents and local business owners, dog mom to 2 overgrown puppies, Parade Chairman for the Winterville Watermelon Festival, and Vice President of the Winterville Chamber of Commerce. Lover of design and passionate about helping people. Interior Decorator with a focus on what my client loves, not just what’s trendy.