RENDERINGS BY JANE GIANARELLI

Sewickley-based interior designer Betsy Wentz first learned the ins and outs of the business from her mother, Kay Wiegand, who had an interior design studio in the apartment garage over the Edgeworth carriage home in which Wentz grew up.

For years, Wentz and her mother (who retired from the business before passing away Alzheimer’s Disease in 2020) worked in the studio together until the historical home — formerly an all-female seminary — burned down in 2010.

From there, Wentz moved on to open Studio B, her own successful studio, before rebranding as Betsy Wentz Interior Design and moving to an expanded showroom along Walnut Street in 2016.

RENDERINGS BY JANE GIANARELLI

Now, Wentz, the author of “Design Happy: Colorful Homes for the Modern Family,” has just opened an even larger, 4,000-square-foot trade showroom — and it’s just across the street from her old studio.

Located at 417 Walnut St., the new Betsy Wentz Interior Design will allow clients to explore and interact with an abundance of different fabrics, lighting and furniture. Besides Wentz’s studio, the 9,000 square-foot building also houses Coffee Village and two private offices.

“This particular move, and purchase of the entire building and just how expansive the space is, is a dream of mine — to have all of this space and be able to have all of the things at my fingertips,” Wentz says.

RENDERINGS BY JANE GIANARELLI

With her work featured in numerous publications — including Pittsburgh Magazine — and a client list that spans coast to coast, Wentz says her full-service interior design firm has greatly expanded its number of employees, and its showroom pieces, over the years.

“Right now, we’re in this really great showroom space, but we’re limited. We’re confined by the walls, we’re literally growing out of our space,” she said before the move took place.

The new building allows for personalized consultations, design presentations and product showcases in a way that makes it easier for clients to envision their design project.

“We are trying to display all different ways that you can make your home more unique,” Wentz says.

RENDERINGS BY JANE GIANARELLI

Although Wentz has developed her own business and philosophy throughout the years, one lesson she learned from her mother stuck — the design process needs to be a collaborative effort with the client.

As clients walk into her studio’s door, someone from the firm will help them pore over books, fabrics, wall coverings and rugs.

“It’s important that the client drives the bus as far as their likes and dislikes,” Wentz says. “At the end of the day, it’s their space. And so we’re trying to create these happy spaces for people to live in.”