Rebecca West: interior designer, business coach, motivational speaker

What kind of interior design biz did I build?

Let's talk details!

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Could my story be your story?

the business

Seriously Happy Homes: 2007-2023
Mission: To help regular folks get happy at home.
Services: Design-Only, with Flat-Fee pricing.
Clients: North Seattle homeowners in homes 3000 SF and under.
Revenue: $400k/year
Team: 3 designers, 2 admin team members
The Book: In 2016 I wrote Happy Starts at Home, a design psychology book meant to help folks use their home to meet their goals. It's filled with exercises for self-reflection & practical action. 🙌
Mentoring & Teaching: I'm an instructor with the NKBA, served as a judge at KBIS, and sit on the board of Heritage Design School.
Media: I've been featured in Live Happy, Success Magazine, and Bustle, been a guest on Seattle Refined and New Day Northwest, and spoken at Ignite Seattle, Town Hall Seattle, & the Happy Child Summit.

the human

My degree was in Community & Environmental Planning. I never imagined I'd become an interior designer... but glad I did! 😀
I served in the Peace Corps in Nicaragua. Through my service I learned that before we can provide answers, we must ask great questions!
I taught ballroom dance. That's where I got the skills to help couples get on the same page! 💃 🕺
My career started with a divorce. Transforming my post-divorce home taught me the power of interior design, and gave me the courage to help other folks get happy at home, too.
I'm happily remarried and live in Paris with my hubby & fur-baby Murray. 🐈‍⬛ I love costume parties, cat videos, Laphroaig Scotch, and pretty much ALL French cheese. 🧀
Oui, je parle un peu français. Si vous êtes à Paris et que vous souhaitez prendre un café, faites-le-moi savoir ! ☕️ 🇫🇷

When I started my design biz in 2007 I had no clue about running a business, and no formal education in design.

I also had nothing to lose since I was coming out of a divorce and found myself "career-and-marriage-free."

What I did have was a talent with color and a skill for redesigning a space using what people already owned, along with the ability to help couples get on the same page thanks to a prior career teaching ballroom dance.

I also had a very clear idea of who I wanted to help as a designer, and it wasn't the uber-wealthy. I wanted to help regular folks have happier homes and to help people use the power of design to create happier lives. I believed I could focus on the "real-people" market and not only pay my bills, but have a thriving and rewarding career.

I didn’t follow the standard interior design path helping uber-wealthy people have wow-factor mansions. I stayed true to my passion, helping the 99%.

I spent a decade and a half helping regular people get happy at home through interior design, and I've had enough time and money left over to travel extensively, enjoy driving a shiny new Subaru (I know, soooo posh lol), and say 'yes!' when folks say "let's go out and do something fun!"

More importantly, my colleagues have looked at me as a leader in the industry, saying “Rebecca makes it okay to be something other than a “fancy” interior designer. In fact, she makes it pretty damn glamorous!”

The point? I paved my own happy path and succeeded (having ignored a lot of advice from well-meaning people to follow a more traditional approach to interior design.)

I stayed true to my values, followed my heart, and adored my clients. Now I want the same for you! 💕