A few months ago, I had the opportunity to lease a beautiful commercial space on our town square.

For most people, it was just another storefront.

For me, it was much more than that.

Years ago, when it was still a little coffee shop, it’s where Seth proposed.

Long before Lane Bennett Interiors was even an idea, that building had become part of my story. Over the years, I’d catch myself imagining what it would be like to have a space there someday. I didn’t know exactly what it would become—a coffee shop, an office, a studio—but I loved the idea of breathing new life into a place that already meant so much to me.

So when the opportunity finally presented itself, it felt like fate.

For days, I ran the numbers. I sketched floor plans. I imagined shelves lined with fabric samples, client meetings around a beautiful table, carefully curated home goods, fresh flowers on the counter, and windows glowing onto the square in the evenings.

It was everything I’d pictured.

And then I said no.

That wasn’t easy…

There were moments when it felt like I was walking away from the dream I’d spent years imagining. I wondered if I’d regret it. Was I playing it too safe? I wondered if successful business owners would have taken the leap…

But the more I sat with it, the more I realized I wasn’t saying no because I was afraid.

I was saying no because I had finally become clear about the kind of life I want to build.

One of the greatest gifts of being an interior designer is getting to help people create homes that truly support the way they live. Every project begins with questions.

How do you gather?

Where do your children play?

What spaces make you feel peaceful?

How do you want your home to serve you?

Good design isn’t about creating the most impressive house.

It’s about creating the right house for the people who live there.

Somewhere along the way, I realized I needed to ask those same questions about my business.

A downtown studio would have been beautiful.

But it also would have meant monthly rent, utilities, insurance, retail inventory, store hours, and a level of financial pressure that simply doesn’t fit this season of my life.

Right now, my children are still little.

Summer afternoons turn into bike rides.

There are still the occasional holidays, vacations, and sick days that pull us away from normal life.

There are golf lessons, bedtime stories, scraped knees, and ordinary moments that I know I’ll miss someday.

I don’t want to build a business that constantly pulls me away from those things.

I want to build one that exists alongside them.

So instead of signing a lease downtown…we’re building a studio in our backyard!!!!

It’s a decision that maybe seems a little odd.

But it makes perfect sense for us.

I’ll have a dedicated place to meet clients, organize samples, work on renderings, photograph projects, and dream about what’s next. I’ll be able to walk to work with a cup of coffee in hand. My children can play outside while I finish a presentation. I’ll still have a clear separation between work and home, without sacrificing the flexibility that drew me to entrepreneurship in the first place.

In many ways, it feels like I’m taking the same advice I give my clients every day.

Don’t build a life around what looks good.

Build one around what matters.

Will I have a commercial studio someday?

Maybe.

In fact, I hope I do.

I can still picture a storefront on the square with “Lane Bennett Interiors” painted across the windows.

I don’t think that dream has disappeared.

I just think it can wait.

Because the older I get, the more I believe that success isn’t about reaching every milestone as quickly as possible.

It’s about building something beautiful without sacrificing the people you love to get there.

So yes…

I’m building a studio.

Just not where I thought I would.

Over the next few months, I’ll be sharing the entire process—from sketches and construction to landscaping, decorating, and all the inevitable surprises in between. My hope is that this little garden studio becomes more than just a place to work. I hope it becomes a place where creativity flourishes, clients feel at home, and big dreams begin.

I can’t wait to bring you along.