Today we’d like to introduce you to Geneva Might.
Hi Geneva, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I was interested in interior design from the minute I laid eyes on Julia Sugarbaker in Designing Women. I moved to Austin in 1994, and attended Southwest Texas State University where I got my degree in interior design. While I was in college, I was the first design assistant to Mark Ashby, whose business partner at the time was Mary Ames. I absolutely loved working for them, but I had always wanted to live in another country. So, I moved to London in 2002 after I graduated and did an internship at Carden Cunietti, an amazing experience. Those 2 women were also really great to learn from. I got to work both in their retail shop and in the design firm.
From there I moved back to Austin, met a boy and followed him to Chicago. I worked first at a high end furniture gallery that specialized in original Danish mid-century furniture. I am obsessed with MCM, but the role wasn’t the best fit, so I quickly moved on to textile sales at a company called Eastern Accents. I traveled extensively with that position and met so many people everywhere I went. It fit my personality well because I have never met a stranger, and taking clients to nice restaurants was really my style. I got to work the High Point show twice a year, which is such an experience!! Buuuuut, I can’t quit Austin, so I moved back in 2007, just in time to buy a condo before the huge sub-prime crash, which almost immediately got me laid off from my textile sales job.
Fast forward about 8 years and a few jobs not worth mentioning…. I got married and I decided to get my real estate license, with the idea that I might enjoy home staging. Upstaged Home Staging and Interiors was born in 2016. Filling a storage space full of inventory, generating clients and regularly moving furniture, whew!! Building that business was a real challenge and I’m so glad I did it. My back was sore frequently, but it led me to Kristen Williams, owner of The Williams Team at Keller Williams.
in 2019 Kristen brought me on board to create and run a staging department within her real estate team. I worked directly with her seller clients on updating, remodeling and and staging all the listings. Kristen taught me about setting goals and real estate investing. She mentored me through the purchase and sale of several rental properties. I will always be grateful to her because that real estate investing led me to having my own home in the Baja Peninsula! That was a dream come true.
By 2023 the interest rates had risen, the Austin RE market was terrible and most of the staging and remodeling business had dried up, making my job at The Williams Team unnecessary. I was going through a divorce and perimenopause at the same time. I had to sell my house in Mexico. Things weren’t great.
The last couple years I have been getting back on my feet. I moved in with my mom, and we are living it up. I started Geneva Might Design and I’ve completed several extensive remodel projects; a full home glow-up in Circle C for a homeowner about to sell, an entire house update in Castlewood Forest for new Austinites, before they moved to town. I did my own flip in Oak Hill, which I’m so proud of. It was built in 71, so I stayed as true as I could to that vibe. SO FUN! I just refreshed my CAD skills at ACC and I plan on continuing to try to sharpen my tech knowledge. I’d like to get back into high end interior design again, so now I have a new goal The learning never ends.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
There are always struggles, I think housing and all it’s ancillary industries are especially effected when the market dips and the economy slows, so I’ve definitely felt those effects a few times. Also, I tend to get bored after I do something long enough, so I’m always making changes to stay excited and interested; design, textiles, real estate, staging, remodeling. I need to stay challenged. I love Austin so much, but I also have wanderlust, so I’ve left and come back a few times as well, which means I’ve started over a handful of times. That makes it kind of challenging to get a foothold or climb a ladder in any one area, but it’s worth it to keep things new and dynamic.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I love a before and after, so major remodels are great, but I’m also passionate about decorating. That’s kind of an out-dated term, but it’s the part I love the most. I like to combine eras and styles to keep the vibes unique. Sustainability is important to me, so I enjoy finding an old piece of furniture and refinishing it into something fresh, and then combining it with new elements. Whenever possible, I try to save existing lighting, tile or flooring that is stylish and salvageable. I recently remodeled a bathroom with some vintage glass mosaic tile, and a cabinet I found at Habitat for Humanity Restore. I don’t care whether accent/gallery walls are in or out. I love them, and I do them all the time. I think homes should reflect their owners and their lived experiences, rather than the time period when they were completed. It’s always so glaring to me when a space is all one style, or has too many matching elements. I also really enjoy doing short term rentals. They are so fun to design because they can be playful, colorful and a little bit kitschy even. You’re targeting a totally different demographic, so there is more freedom.
We all have a different way of looking at and defining success. How do you define success?
For me being successful is a mindset. It’s about loving what I’m working on and feeling independent. I love flexibility in my schedule and variety in my days. Enjoying the project and who I’m working with. It’s not a number or specific recognition, it’s about feeling fulfilled and enjoying everyday, never waking up feeling like I don’t want to go to work.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @genevamightdesign
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/genevamight/
