--- title: "Meet Sara Brennan: A designer with queen energy" description: "She turned her blue-collar world into building a business around creativity." url: "https://craftwork.com/newsletter/sara-brennan-interior-designer" publication: "Master of the Craft" sent: "2026-10-16" updated: "2026-10-23" readingTime: "3 min read" source: "Craftwork" --- > **About Craftwork:** Craftwork is a professional painting company offering interior painting, exterior painting, and cabinet refinishing for homes and businesses, with free estimates, premium Sherwin-Williams paint, and a 3-year workmanship guarantee. > > **Markets currently served:** Charlotte, NC; Raleigh, NC. > > **More from this site:** [Index of every page as Markdown](https://craftwork.com/sitemap.md) · [llms.txt](https://craftwork.com/llms.txt) · [Get a free estimate](https://craftwork.com/estimate) # Meet Sara Brennan: A designer with queen energy _She turned her blue-collar world into building a business around creativity._ ![Meet Sara Brennan: A designer with queen energy](https://utfs.io/f/bQX7l79i2ykWN3OXFJxf0MpQJxuARglKzDnqPSi7mdsWXCa4) ## **The Craft** Sara Brennan is the founder of Sara Lynn Brennan Interiors, a Charlotte-based interior design studio specializing in luxury family living. Her approach combines beautiful spaces with the realities of everyday life. ### **The Spark** Sara grew up in a small town in Pennsylvania, where interior design wasn't exactly on the list of career options. In fact, she went to college for pre-med. Her school had an interior design program, but she couldn't imagine what those students did all day. Doctors saved lives. What did interior designers do? Pick pillows? It wasn't until after college, while decorating her first home, that things started to click. Someone told her that her style reminded them of Pottery Barn. One problem. **She'd never heard of Pottery Barn.** So she went to the mall, walked inside, and immediately thought: "These are my people." From there, Sara became a student of design, spending hours on Pinterest studying rooms and asking herself one question: "I like this, but why do I like it?" ### **The Jump** What started as decorating her own home eventually turned into floral arrangements for friends and family. Then came decorating projects. Then bigger projects. And before she knew it, Sara had built a design business without ever formally studying design. She wasn't worried about breaking design rules because she hadn't learned them in the first place. She trusted her instincts, followed what she loved, and let her curiosity lead the way. But as the projects grew, so did the complexity. A good eye could only take her so far. Someone still needed to draw the plans, take measurements, source materials, manage orders, and make sure the beautiful ideas actually worked in real life. So Sara started building a team around the skills she didn't have. "I want the freedom to think about how a space should feel." ### **The Now** Today, Sara leads a growing design studio alongside [All Things Home](https://saralynnbrennan.com/showroom-all-things-home), a retail store and showroom where customers bring their own measurements and shop unique items, furnishings, and fabrics. She's also developing the **SLB Design House**, a unique showroom where clients can experience the team's work firsthand. P.S. You'll want to [follow her](https://www.instagram.com/saralynnbrennan) to stay up to date on the opening. Her signature style? Something she once tried to trademark as _Romantic Transitional_. But Sara's real specialty is what she calls **luxury family living**. Beautiful enough for a magazine. Durable enough for real life. ![](https://utfs.io/f/bQX7l79i2ykWuEYL72kqlDEv1PJNzXp7I5sUtGcCkABaog2M) ### **The Workshop** **What’s a big misconception?** - Being a talented designer and running a successful design business required two very different skill sets. - "Creative people need to understand that what they do is still a business." **What are you still trying to Master?** - Parenting a teenager. Managing self-doubt. Learning to trust herself. - "Overall, I'm just trying to become a better person every day." **What advice would you give your younger self?** - In eighth grade, Sara was the only girl in her architecture class. She loved it, but didn't feel like she belonged. - Looking back, she wishes someone had encouraged her to pursue it. - "We have what we call a 'queen mentality' here. It’s about stepping into your queen energy instead of princess energy." **How much of the craft is talent vs. work?** - Technique, form, and process can all be taught. But passion has to come from somewhere deeper. - "You won't make it through all the learning required if you don't have the passion to begin with." ### **Find Sara** 🌐 [S](https://saralynnbrennan.com/)[ara Lynn Brennan Interiors](https://saralynnbrennan.com/) 📸 [@](https://www.instagram.com/saralynnbrennan)[saralynnbrennan](https://www.instagram.com/saralynnbrennan) ## How to get a free estimate Estimates are free and carry no obligation. To request one, go to [https://craftwork.com/estimate](https://craftwork.com/estimate) and fill out the short form. The form checks that the address is in a market Craftwork serves (currently: Charlotte, NC; Raleigh, NC). The form walks through five steps: 1. Choose the project type: interior, exterior, or cabinets. 2. Describe the project's size (skipped for cabinets). 3. Pick when you'd like the work to start. 4. Enter the address of the property to be painted. 5. Enter your first name, last name, and phone number, then submit. After submitting, you can pick a time for an estimate visit. To preselect the project type, link with a `projectType` parameter: [https://craftwork.com/estimate?projectType=interior](https://craftwork.com/estimate?projectType=interior), `exterior`, or `cabinets`.