Caitlin Dewey exceled as a member of the very first graduating class at Heritage Denver.  Her passion and skill for design shone through during the entire Master Certification program.  It was clear that Caitlin enjoyed the design process, but her love of design was far more than a desire to create beautiful spaces. She truly cares about the people for whom she is designing.  In school, she clearly expressed that her goal was to create spaces that helped people live more comfortably and in ways that reflected their true spirit.  With each design Caitlin creates, she embraces the opportunity to honor the fact that our space has a tremendous impact on how we live and feel each day, and each design is an opportunity to make a positive impact on the people who exist within the space.

Upon graduating from Heritage, Caitlin began her design career working at Robbins Weiner Design, in the Washington Park area of Denver.  This position has allowed her to work closely with Peggy Bender, the owner and principal, and a highly regarded designer within the greater Denver area.  In conjunction with working at Robbins Weiner Design, she has also been working on multiple projects of her own.  The combination of working at a firm, and working on her design projects, has allowed her to learn from an impressive designer who has grown her business and has created an excellent client base, all while still honing her design and business skills.  

Throughout college and after graduating from Denver University, Caitlin worked several different jobs that focused on customer support, sales, and marketing.   She also worked at a tech startup for a couple of years, but the job that gave her a true understanding of her passion for interior design was her internship at a design firm.  She had also worked at HW Home, which only reinforced the fact that her occupational happiness would be found in the world of design.  

Once Caitlin’s desired career path became clear, she sought a formal education in interior design.  However, after recently earning her bachelors degree from DU, she was not looking to go back to school for 2-4 more years.  She was looking for a program like Heritage, and she found it!  Attending Heritage was a great launching pad for Caitlin. Not only did the program and curriculum excite her, but she also learned how to convey her ideas and vision through technology and presentations. She enjoyed the mix of class time, independent projects, group work, and excursions within the local design community. 

Now that Caitlin is working in the field of design, she is constantly creating new concepts and design visions for her clients.  For inspiration, she looks at design magazines like Architectural Digest, Elle Decor, Vogue Living, or House Beautiful. She also follows a TON of designers on Instagram as well as all major design publications and small-scale furniture producers. She enjoys perusing the Denver Design Center and loves having the ability to touch and feel all of the different fabrics and materials. Caitlin also finds traveling to be a great source of inspiration. She enjoys getting out and observing the design in all different parts of the country and world.

“I love to see how different regions exhibit design.”

Even when she is out enjoying personal time with family and friends, she struggles to take off her design glasses.  She finds herself constantly analyzing the design that surrounds her.  Caitlin is always collecting ideas and inspiration.  She makes an effort to save images and magazine cutouts as she comes across them in life, on Instagram, or Pinterest.  She enjoys using this collection whenever she needs a good dose of inspiration! 

With Caitlin’s amazing work ethic and impressive design eye, it is hard to imagine that she finds any aspect of being an interior designer challenging.  However, despite her innate talent and her never-ending drive, she did find it a challenge to initially trust her instinct and found herself doubting her abilities. Throughout her new and successful design career, she continually works on increasing her confidence and trusting her abilities. Her advice to a new designer would be to

“trust yourself, believe in your design ability and talent and try not to compare your journey with anyone else. Developing a sense of confidence is key, and I think that comes with patience and lots of practice!” 

Caitlin recognizes that gaining this confidence takes time, and learning will never end. However, she is up for the challenge!