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Cortney Singleton began her interior design career in 1999. “I worked at Cynthia East Fabrics in Little Rock and really enjoyed it. I received a lot of compliments on the first house that I designed, and my design business took on a life of its own,” she says. Word of her creative designs and love of color spread quickly, and soon Cortney found herself with a large base of clients. “I gained a lot of attention from a kid’s room featured in At Home in Arkansas, and everything just snowballed from there,” she says.

During college at the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville, Cortney began her study of design. “But I didn’t completely fall in love with it until I began working on my own,” she says. “I didn’t know I wanted to be a designer growing up. I think it’s just something that I fell into by luck.” She credits a lot of her talent and eye for design to living in a beautifully decorated home when she was younger. “My mother is naturally talented at things like furniture placement and hanging pictures, and I was heavily influenced by being around good design all the time,” she says. Even today her mom, Diane Rodman, assists with Cortney’s installations, while Cortney’s husband, Paxton, helps with the business’ financials, making this a true family affair. “After I’ve ordered all of the fabrics and furniture and get all the window treatments and accessories, my mom goes to the house with me, and we place furniture and hang pictures,” Cortney says. She also is lucky enough to have a talented professional support stystem. “My assistant Vicky Scanlon keeps me on task job-by-job so that everything is finished on time,” she says.

The latest development in Cortney’s career is her new office space in downtown Little Rock, which she shares with her husband, who owns Global Surveying Consultants. The building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and the high ceilings and large windows give the space character and an aged feeling that Cortney really enjoys. “My stuff has a really contemporary feel to it, and I like the contrast with the older building,” she says. Clients enter through a pair of large double doors that open into a wide hallway, offering a classic hotel feel with doors leading down both sides. “There is a lot of wall space in the hallway where I display the art I have in stock,” says Cortney. Although she doesn’t use her office as a true gallery, she offers select works of art to her clients or others interested. “I offer really nice art for affordable prices, and oftentimes the artists hold personal shows here,” she says. The office space also affords a conference room where Cortney meets with clients and a large storage space in the back. “The storage area is great to house furniture before I’m ready to put it in clients’ homes,” she says.

Design for Cortney is about more than her own personal style. She focuses on the client and his or her wants and needs, instead of relying on her own preferences. “Each job is a different combination of what a client wants and what a house offers. My job is to make those two things mesh together,” she says. “I love working with fabrics and color, and I try not to ever do two spaces the same. I don’t want the same look over and over again.”

While Cortney is based in Little Rock, she works throughout central Arkansas. Along with places like Conway and Cabot, she’s recently completed several projects on Eden Isle in Heber Springs. “I enjoy creating a comfortable space where people can kick back and relax,” she says. “With a lake house, you have more license to do something a little more quirky with extra personality.” Cortney learns as much as she can about the family during their first consultation. “The first time I meet with someone it’s mostly me asking questions. I learn about everything from how their family lives to the names of all their pets,” she says. She also likes to discover her client’s likes and dislikes. “I ask them to bring in favorite magazine clippings, and I walk through their house asking what they love and what they don’t,” she says. “Listening is so important, you have to ask questions and really listen. Whether I’m designing a room or an entire house, I strive to benefit my clients’ daily lives. My goal is to create a place a family wants to be,” she says. Cortney’s love for people and great design make her a go-to designer. “I just really enjoy my job. I love working with my clients because they become more than just customers to me, they become my friends.”