Thirty Under 30: Cortney Smith

By Donna Heiderstadt

Most women under the age of 30 aren’t full-time business owners, let alone full-time moms to three kids under the age of five. Cortney Smith is. At 29, she is Owner/Designer of Chehalis, WA-based Torgy’s Home Design, which she founded in March 2020 after her oldest daughter was born. “I like to think that this career chose me,” Cortney explained. “My mom and grandma were both interior designers. I was always passionate about interior design, but I ended up getting my Bachelor’s in Psychology instead. After five years working in that field, I had my first baby and wanted to be able to stay home with her. Interior design pulled me back in, and I started my own business in 2020.” 

Since then, Cortney has designed more than 50 baths and kitchens, including remodels, new construction and additions, for her clients and their contractors. She is so dedicated to her business that she keeps a notebook by her bed so she can draw out ideas that pop into her head late at night. “My biggest challenge thus far is being a one-woman show,” Cortney said. “I have had to turn down, or hold off on so many projects, because I just cannot keep up on my own. I have had to work so many nights, weekends and holidays to ensure that all my clients are happy and on track. I have overcome early challenges of overbooking by taking on only projects that align with my business goals.”

It helps that this go-getter describes herself as optimistic. “I try to find the very best in every situation,” she said. “This has helped me in my interior design career because things tend to go wrong in construction, which to clients can feel like a huge deal. I try my best to quickly find the best-case scenario for them to keep things moving forward.”

Cortney’s proudest achievement is being able to be both a business owner and a parent. “It means the world to me to be able to raise my children and have a career,” she said of her home life with her significant other, Kacey, and their four-year-old daughter, two-year-old son and newborn daughter (welcomed in November 2023). “It is definitely hard to juggle at times, but totally worth it!” And while Cortney designs in a range of styles to fulfill her clients’ dream aesthetics, her personal preferences are quite distinctive. “My own home is very Southwestern,” she added. “I love cowhide, rich colors, wood and leather accents, and Aztec prints.”

With a family life centered around her kids, Cortney spends her free time camping, enjoying a nearby lake and gathering around a bonfire. She also oversees a growing menagerie of three dogs (two German Shepherds and an English bulldog), several barn cats, two goats and 40 chickens. “I am definitely the crazy animal lover of the family,” she said. “I was raised on a farm, and I love getting to have my own little farm now as an adult.”