'I Go Against the Grain of Perfection' – Interior Designer Cortney Bishop on Creativity, Confidence and Finding Her Own Style

For interior designer Cortney Bishop, creativity has never been about following the rules. Growing up, she watched her mother build an interior design business from the basement of their home, while her grandmother, Yaya, taught her the joys of fabric, embellishment, and making something entirely her own. But it was fashion, music, and a distinctly entrepreneurial spirit that first captured her imagination.

In the latest installment of our Layered Lives series, Cortney tells how interior design came later, after an unexpected introduction to the practicalities of building and a leap of faith that would set her on a new path.

Today, the Charleston-based designer is known for interiors that push beyond the traditional, mixing patterns, playing with scale, and embracing the beauty of asymmetry. Her approach is instinctive but considered, drawing on everything from the energy of a fashion show to the individuality of a client's art collection. Here, Cortney reflects on the influences that shaped her, the risks that paid off, and why the best interiors always feel personal.

Homes & Gardens: Is there anything in your childhood or formative years that hinted at the career path you’d take?

Cortney Bishop: The biggest thing that stands out to me is when I look back at what I was good at. I was always of an entrepreneurial mind – having garage sales, decorating things, and coming up with innovative ways of producing a business. My mother was actually an interior designer. She started her business in 1985 in Atlanta, and she decided to do that by herself. So I grew up seeing her build her business in the basement.

Homes & Gardens: Was she influencing your sense of style, too?

Cortney Bishop: Actually, that was more coming from my grandmother, my Yaya. She was making us party dresses, and she and I would go to fabric stores together, pick out materials, and work out ways to bejewel them. Interior design wasn't in my wheelhouse. I admired the settings I grew up in, but not really the interior design of it all. I was really into fashion and music instead. Both brought me to realize that I loved styling and how I could be my best self through clothing – driving to little boutiques and putting wild outfits together to wear to school.

Homes & Gardens: So when did interior design come to seem like a career option?

Cortney Bishop: Not until my late 20s. I was just really into the idea of being an entrepreneur, going to business school, and building a career that way. It was only once I had the opportunity to break free from the constraints of school that I began to think about interior design as a path for me.

Homes & Gardens: Did you find you'd learned a lot from your mom while you'd been growing up that you'd not appreciated at the time?

Cortney Bishop: My mom was designing a lot of homes in Atlanta, and she was always bringing home fabrics that we'd go through together. I guess that was the creative thread that got me on this path.

Homes & Gardens: So how did you parlay that into a career in design?

Cortney Bishop: I got a job selling memberships to resort community clubs and was based out of a resort where my parents happened to have bought a bit of land. Because I was present and very organized, my father hired me to manage the build of the home they were doing on that land. I was overseeing the contractors, managing their schedules, and that was one of the biggest lessons – you know, managing people, making sure their work was on point. So I was getting a lot of education about development. I'm forever grateful that my dad wanted to throw me a bone and give me a leg up, and it was hugely helpful.

Homes & Gardens: What were your aesthetic style influences at the time?

Cortney Bishop: I had some heavy music and fashion influences. There was a lot of pop energy in the world at that time, and during college I'd worked for a record company, going to see a lot of new bands. That sense of personal style hit me hard. And then I got into the art world, styling people and their homes. I was on the board of some art museums, so I made a drastic decision to follow my heart. I had been working at an art and furniture gallery, and at 30 I decided I was going to break away. I am a risk-taker by nature, and so I partnered with an experienced interior designer and we set up a studio called Barlow and Bishop. My partner taught me so much, and our firm took off quickly in Knoxville, Tennessee.

Homes & Gardens: Where does that ability to take risks come from?

Cortney Bishop: One of the things about a personality type like mine, with a bit of undiagnosed ADHD, is that we're taking fragments of things around us all the time. That's why I am always multitasking – I can take in so much information and can produce a lot of output at any one point in time. And that's my gift, along with the entrepreneurial spirit.

Homes & Gardens: What was your process like as an interior designer early on?

Cortney Bishop: In my late 20s, my mother-in-law – what an inspiration – gifted my husband and me an interior designer to work on our home for us. I mean, who gets that?! So I was able to work with one and understand how to do this through that woman's eyes, and also through my mother-in-law, who had beautiful homes. They taught me how to be immensely creative.

Homes & Gardens: And how are you creative?

Cortney Bishop: I play with scale and shape. I am asymmetrical by nature – I go against the grain of perfection. My views are not traditional. I find myself on the edge of the modern world. I'm not looking at history but taking inspiration from it and pushing forward, and that shows up in my work.

Homes & Gardens: Are there any early projects that felt like a turning point for you?

Cortney Bishop: I had the opportunity to design the president of Regal Cinemas' home, and I closed the deal through our shared love of music. After the pitch, I dropped off some tapes of this band we both loved, and the next thing I knew, I was hired. And building homes like that was very prestigious – on a big hill with a lot of eyes on it – and when it turned out well, we got a lot of work because of it.

And then the next chapter was when I decided to move back to Charleston, where I'd grown up. That was in 2004, and I got to design the home of a friend who had very modern taste. Most local designers at that time were doing historical renovations, but my style was more contemporary. And it hit hard. There was some editorial coverage, it made an impression, and my practice grew.

Homes & Gardens: You're very good at mixing pattern. What is actually happening in your head when you're deciding that three seemingly different patterns belong together?

Cortney Bishop: It's scale, color, and proportion. I gravitate toward what I see coming in the future – what are the spring fashion shows for next season? I look at those palettes and innately feel a movement toward something new. That has given me an ability to move things forward. Pattern gives personality and character. It takes more effort to use it than not to, but it has a little more style to it.

Homes & Gardens: Lastly, what does the word 'home' mean to you now?

Cortney Bishop: It needs to be something that really pulls out your personal, spiritual connection – somewhere that brings out the best in you. It's where you find calm and inspiration, where you're surrounded by your favorite things, your heirlooms. We design carefree and fun homes, filled with things from art fairs and by artisans, which creates a world of creativity. And that's where you get to have the most fun.

For Cortney, the secret to a distinctive interior lies in resisting the temptation to make everything fit neatly into place. Her willingness to take risks, look beyond traditional design references, and follow her instincts has helped her carve out a style that feels both individual and forward-looking.

Yet, for all her interest in what comes next, she returns to a simple idea of what a home should be: a place that reflects the person living in it. Filled with meaningful objects, art, and the work of skilled artisans, it should offer both calm and inspiration – and, above all, room for a little fun.

Love beautiful design ideas, expert advice, and inspiring decor trends? Sign up for our newsletter and get the latest features delivered straight to your inbox.