Designer Betsy Wentz is her own newest client with a project that involves moving her business to an entirely new location that is much bigger.
“We were running out of space,” said Wentz, surrounded by boxes of tiles and rug samples in her Walnut Street store in Sewickley. “We hired more people. There is just not enough room where we are now.”
Wentz relocated Betsy Wentz Interior Design across the street this month to a building that she purchased in January.
It is evident that the Edgeworth resident needs more space to accommodate her expanding business. She’s added cabinetry to her offerings and is doing more kitchen and bathroom builds and remodels, she said. She wants to have ample room for various samples to show clients during a consultation.
“If they think of something, we want to have it,” Wentz said.
Wentz’s company will occupy 4,000 square feet of the 9,000-square-foot space. Part of the building’s first floor houses Coffee Village, which will remain, Wentz said. There are two private offices upstairs.
“It is a perfect space,” said Wentz, author of “Design Happy: Colorful Homes For The Modern Family.” “This is such a great opportunity.”
When designing her new space, Wentz said she chose to put the words “Design” and “Happy” on the walls. Those words are from her late mother, Kay Wiegand, an interior designer, who influenced her.
“Design is about finding the happy,” she said her mom always told her.
Wentz plans to showcase an extensive range of design elements, including fabrics, furniture and lighting, in the new showroom. The space will allow for personalized consultations, design presentations and product showcases so that each client receives one-on-one care throughout their design project, Wentz said.
Wentz has clients all over the country and said 40% of her business is out of the area.
She said her passion is also about helping people in Western Pennsylvania. One of Wentz’s Sewickley projects is on the cover of the magazine House Beautiful.
“We love serving this community,” she said.
Wentz said she thinks her business is growing partly because people are continuing to invest in their surroundings, which goes back to the 2020 pandemic when people were spending more time at home. At that time, she discovered people wanted to redecorate and spruce up their homes because they were quarantining and in the house all the time.
They also wanted to create offices for remote work, which continues today.
As a way to engage with clients, Wentz utilizes technology to create what a design will look like through 3D modeling for a broad range of drawing and applications, she said.
A growing part of her business are those clients who are buying second and third homes in places such as New York City, Florida and Maine.
“It is my passion to help people, whether it’s their second and third home or they are updating their current residence,” said Wentz, who does a lot of high-end residential work as well as some commercial projects.
Her portfolio includes new builds and major renovations. She has a team that can curate and order custom items, coordinate vendors, contractors and tradespeople and track and manage delivery and installation of items.
After earning a master’s degree in counseling psychology and practicing for several years, she made the decision to transition to interior design and partnered with her mom in 2001. She started as Studio B in 2011, rented office space in Sewickley and rebranded the company name to Betsy Wentz Interior Design.
She purchased and renovated the current location in 2016, adding a showroom space for furniture, rugs and accessories.
Wentz said she focuses on the personalities of each client, striving to find a unique story of design that’s a reflection of the person or family who lives in the home. She does a lot of research prior to meeting with a client, and she loves visiting the space.
“When I am there, I can envision what it will look like and get a feel for the space,” she said.
Wentz has an eye for design, said client Ridgely Quigley of Sewickley. Wentz is known for her use of bold and bright colors, and Quigley said she was a little tentative about how Wentz might incorporate color into her home.
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One of the designs included a dusty rose hue for the bedroom.
“Walking into this room makes me happy,” Quigley said. “I was really, really, really happy working with her. She is so good at reading her clients and understanding what they need. She does color well, and she also does neutrals well, too.”
Wentz said she wants to continue helping clients love their new space, and that includes her new space as well.
“When I moved here, I thought this was going to be my spot,” Wentz said of the current location. “I am happy here. We just need more room. I am sad to be leaving this space, but I am proud we’ve outgrown it. This is a new chapter for us.”
Betsy Wentz Interior Design is moving from 428 Walnut St. to 417 Walnut Street. The business is open by appointment.
Details: 412-741-4445 or betsywentz.com