We recently had the chance to connect with Tara Lenney and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Tara, thank you so much for taking time out of your busy day to share your story, experiences and insights with our readers. Let’s jump right in with an interesting one: Have any recent moments made you laugh or feel proud?
This week I caught a cold and took a day off work. My 3 boys, without being asked, checked in on me all day. Refilled my water, brought me cough drops, played UNO with me to keep me company, made me hot tea, even made dinner and cleaned up, just so I could rest.
I may not have done everything right in this life, but I’m raising 3 compassionate, self sufficient boys.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
Hi, I’m Tara Lenney, the Principal Interior Designer and founder of TLD, an Interior Design Studio based in Dallas (well, technically McKinney, but we work all over). Our projects are primarily homes, but we also weave in boutique commercial spaces as well.
We specialize in creating livable beauty – homes that are not only gorgeous, but also designed to stand up to real life (think kids, pets, and dinner parties that get a possibly a little too lively).
I started TLD in 2015 with a simple goal: to help my friends and neighbors love life at home (and make some extra cash to be able to take my kids to Chick-fil-A). Today, we’re a passionate, tight-knit team that offers full-service, concierge-level design across the Dallas area and beyond. Our clients come to us when they’re ready to stop Pinterest-ing and swirling with decision fatigue, and start living in a home that reflects their needs, their lifestyle, and essentially supports how they want to feel at home.
What makes us different? We don’t do cookie-cutter. Every space we design is deeply personal. Layered, intentional, and unique to the people who live there. We bring a high level of polish without the pretense, and our clients often tell us it feels like working with a trusted friend (if that friend also had a killer eye and kick ass spreadsheets).
Right now, we’re working on a handful of dream projects for new and repeat clients. From historical home renovations in the M Streets to new builds at the PGA Frisco and luxe furnishing projects in Richardson. We were also recently selected as a featured designer for Café Appliances’ Style Studio, which has been an exciting way to connect with even more homeowners looking to bring beauty and function together in their kitchens.
If there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that your home environment can truly shape and transform your life, and support the person you want to grow into, the family culture you want to cultivate, the memories you want to create. A little woo woo? Maybe. But it’s true. The spaces we spend time in have a huge impact on our lives, and most people don’t realize it!
Appreciate your sharing that. Let’s talk about your life, growing up and some of topics and learnings around that. What was your earliest memory of feeling powerful?
A mixture of vivid memories and old VHS tapes, I was around 7 years old, and I directed a Nativity play for my family, starring my 2 younger cousins. Set design, stage direction, script. My cousins followed my direction and we put on the most amazing (probably cringe) play for the family.
Silly? Yeah. But it is the first time I can remember giving out advice, especially about something creative, and having others buy in. As an Interior Designer, it’s what we’re doing every day. Coming up with something that’s never existed before, and getting our clients and contractors to buy into it.
What did suffering teach you that success never could?
My husband and I got married just before graduating college (20 years ago—how is that even possible?). For a lot of those early years, we were broke. Like… two-nickels-would’ve-felt-fancy broke.
For the first three years, he was in law school while I supported us on my entry-level Interior Designer salary. Then, right after we bought our first house and felt like we were finally catching our breath, he lost his job—for 18 months. And during that time, we had our first baby. It was stressful and humbling and, honestly, it forced us to get scrappy.
Later, after our second was born, I made the tough call to leave my corporate job. Our income was cut in half, but I was burned out. That leap is what led me to start building TLD.
If we hadn’t lived through all of those lean years, I wouldn’t have the business I have today. Suffering taught me how to be resourceful, how to stretch a dollar, and how to run a tight ship. It taught me to watch profit margins, use time wisely, and – most importantly – deliver an exceptional client experience so people want to refer you.
Because when you’ve been through seasons where every penny counts, you don’t take success for granted. You know how to protect it, how to grow it, and how to steward it well.
So a lot of these questions go deep, but if you are open to it, we’ve got a few more questions that we’d love to get your take on. Is the public version of you the real you?
Honestly? Yes, and that might be one of the best compliments I ever get.
People who’ve followed us on Instagram for years will finally reach out about a project, and when we meet, they almost always say, “You’re exactly like you are online.” That means the world to me. Because what we put out there – the expertise, the approachability, the sass – it’s not an act. It’s just us. What you see really is what you get.
And let’s be real: if you’re going to spend a third of your life working, wouldn’t it be easier (and way more fun) to just be yourself the whole time? Being someone else sounds exhausting.
Okay, so let’s keep going with one more question that means a lot to us: What do you understand deeply that most people don’t?
The Power of Intentionality
I think most people are moving through life on autopilot – going where they were invited, watching what Netflix suggests, filling their homes, fridges, and calendars without much thought… and then wondering why they feel overwhelmed, anxious, and exhausted.
I’m not perfect by any stretch, but I do understand that you can 2x – or even 10x – your life by living with intention. That means getting crystal clear on your values: how you want to parent, how you want to show up at work, what kind of life you actually want to build. And then designing your choices, habits, and routines around that.
People often say you can look at someone’s calendar or bank account and know what they value. I think that’s only half true. Those things show how we’re currently spending our time and money, but not always what matters most to us, if we’re being honest. When you take the time to define what truly matters – your faith, your family, your marriage, your work, your health – then the day-to-day decisions get a lot easier. You can cut through the noise and stop worrying so much about what everyone else is doing. You get to create your own life.
A lot of people think intentionality is rigid. But really? It’s FREEDOM. When you know what matters, you stop wasting time, energy, and resources on what doesn’t.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.taralenneydesign.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/taralenneydesign
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/tara-lenney-design
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TaraLenneyDesign
- Other: https://www.pinterest.com/taralenney/
Image Credits
Tara Lenney Design
