Meet Caroline Totton, the creative force behind Caki Lawrence.
Founded in 2026.
Most importantly, I’m a mom of 3 littles! I’m a designer by nature — I’ve always been a little obsessed with interiors, with spaces, and with the way objects come together in a room to make it feel like something. I founded Caki Lawrence to design for the way people gather.
The story behind Caki Lawrence
Before the business
I still am — Caki Lawrence is a passion I build alongside a full-time career. I’m the CFO for a home builder, and I also lead the interior design side of the business, shaping the aesthetics, selections, and design of the spaces inside all of our spec homes. Before that, I spent 17 years in finance. That mix is really the whole story: the discipline of the numbers and the eye for how a space should feel, brought together at the table.
The idea that started it
I couldn’t find what I actually wanted — pieces that treated gathering as something worth designing for. So I decided to make it myself. Mahjong was my entry point: the thing I reached for when I couldn’t find what I needed and realized I’d have to build it. The Parlor is really about the environment — the place where people come together and everyone brings something different to the table.
Behind the name
Caki was my grandmother — Mary Carolyn, born in Darlington, South Carolina in 1928. They called her the Pearl of the Pee Dee, we called her Caki. She was the ultimate hostess. Lawrence is a family name from her side, and my maiden middle name. Caki Lawrence is her name and mine. She set the standard; I’m just keeping the table ready.
The first launch
The Parlor Companion. It’s the first product I launched, and honestly I think it will become my most popular — because it didn’t exist before. Everyone has bags, tiles, and accessories, but no one had made this table that turned into a floating mat. It filled a gap in the market that simply wasn’t there until now.
From idea to the table
The biggest challenge
Timeline. I wanted it here before summer, and to make that happen my supplier had to rush everything — and I had to pay a fortune to get it shipped here in time. Holding the deadline without compromising the piece was the hardest part.
What kept the vision moving
The relationships. The friendships built across the table, and the reactions from complete strangers — the kind words and genuine excitement from people I’ve never met. That’s what reminds me it’s worth it.
“Make the thing you can’t find, and hold your standard.”
Where inspiration begins
Interiors and architecture, for sure — but honestly, color and pattern are the big ones for me. I ground myself in pattern. It’s why all of my tiles have borders, which is unique to my sets. I’m an OCD, symmetrical person, so everything is a puzzle to me — the work is getting it all to balance.
The design process
I’m constantly in my head, thinking of ways to make things better. For instance, my rack roll was designed to secure the tiles better than any other rack roll out there — it’s about coming up with innovative new ways to make playing mahjong in my life easier. That’s how I design everything. On the aesthetic side, like I said, I’m all about color and pattern — but not the typical bright colors people picture when they think of mahjong. It’s iterations and iterations of tweaking things until they feel perfect.
How long it takes
It depends on the product. Tiles are by far the longest to design and see through production. That took over 6 months for my first set. Bags and accessories are more in the 3 month range.
A detail worth noticing
The signature Caki plaid hidden inside the Parlor Satchel — no one sees it but the player when the bag opens.
What matters most
The most meaningful product
The Parlor Tiles. They’re the set that started everything — designed first, the origin of the whole world of the brand — and they carry the standard the rest of the line is measured against.
A proud moment
Selling out of the Parlor Companion a week after launching — that was a big one. A close runner-up would be landing my first large wholesale order.
A compliment that stayed
Honestly, no single one stands out — the thing that’s stuck with me most is the all-around support, especially from women who love to rally around other women. I’ve met so many amazing, badass women doing the same thing I am, and they genuinely want to help and support each other.
The biggest business lesson
It takes a lot of capital to get things going.
One thing every customer should know
Especially in the mahjong community, people are picky — everyone is specific and has very strong tastes. It’s an incredibly supportive community, but it’s impossible to make every single person happy with what you put out there. So have a little grace for busy designers and business owners. They’re putting themselves out there, and that’s not a small thing.
Quick tiles
What’s next
Next for the company
Bringing the full first edition to the table — tiles, racks, mats, and the Parlor line of bags and storage — and growing Caki Lawrence beyond mahjong into the wider world of hosting and home.
A glimpse ahead
The first-edition Parlor Tiles are almost here — and there’s more coming to the Parlor than tiles alone.
The dream project
A complete world for gathering — beyond the game, into the whole room. Mahjong is the entry point; home is the territory. Think mahjong tables and other furniture that belongs in a moody Parlor.
Five years from now
A design house known for the way people gather — recognized less for a game and more for a standard.
A lesson to carry forward
Make the thing you can’t find, and hold your standard. Design is authority, not decoration — and restraint is its own kind of luxury. Good taste should never be out of reach!