The Designer's Lounge Retreat
Three days in Milford, and countless conversations that didn't want to end
By October, most designers are deep in it. Projects are moving, inboxes are full, and the year ahead is already starting to press in. It’s productive, but it’s also relentless.
That’s when we gathered in Milford for three days designed to do something most designers don’t get enough of: slow down long enough to think clearly about what’s actually working in their business and what needs to change before another busy season begins.
The space set the tone
The venue was exactly what it needed to be. Cozy, old-world New England charm. Exposed brick fireplaces, original hardwood floors, the kind of place that immediately makes you relax and feel at ease.
It was the perfect backdrop for what was in store.
Our sessions had structure, but there was breathing room built in. Space to inquire. Space to pen down a thought.
Time to focus during the day, and time to let conversations unfold naturally over lunch, during harbor walks, and in the margins that weren’t scheduled but ended up mattering just as much.
What we covered
We brought in specialists who understand the reality of running an interior design business. There was a lot of ground covered, but these are some of the ideas that stayed with me:
Construction Documents: Be detailed. Expect high-level work from your team. No apologies.
Process & Operations: You have a process for everything. You might think you don’t. You do. It might be terrible, but it exists. Write it down. Document it. Make it repeatable.
Social Media: People buy from people. Get in front of the camera. Yes, you. Yes, now.
AI: Outsourcing administrative tasks is easier than you think, and it immediately changes your capacity.
Legal: Protecting yourself doesn’t just reduce risk. Done right, it creates profitability.
What made these sessions work wasn’t just the content.
Speakers stayed for meals.
Questions didn’t end when the hour did.
Real conversations happened in the hallway, over coffee, and during the walk back to the hotel.
The studio visit nobody planned
After day 2, about ten designers said they wanted to see my new studio. It was a beautiful, sunny fall day, and the studio is maybe two blocks from the venue, just over the bridge by the harbor.
So we went.
Picture taking ten opinionated designers into your not-quite-finished studio. The paint isn’t done. The lighting isn’t quite right. You’re explaining your vision while they’re already mentally rearranging things.
It was real and spontaneous.
It was perfect!
Dinners that shut down restaurants
Both nights, we stayed so long the restaurants had to ask us to leave. Not a polite it’s-getting-late ask. An actual we’re-closed-now ask.
We literally shut down both places.
Because when you put designers in a room who don’t usually get to talk about the real parts of their business, the scary parts, the messy parts, the things they’re not sure they’re doing right, they don’t want to stop talking
A conversation I won't forget
On the last day, one of the designers came up to me crying. Good crying.
She thanked me for creating a space where people weren’t gatekeeping. Where honesty didn’t feel risky. Where everyone was sharing their business truths, the things that usually stay protected.
“I feel like everyone is always keeping secrets,” she said. “But here, people were just giving everything. It was incredible.”
That’s when I knew we’d built something that mattered.
All good things come to an end
That last day, I was incredibly sad.
The Retreat felt like a weekend with your best friends. Sharing real stories, real challenges, real solutions. Everyone opened up about their business in ways they usually don’t. Everyone left with information that will actually change how they work, not someday, but immediately.
I knew right away this wouldn’t be the last time I ran it.
The House of Huck Take
The retreat wasn’t about stepping away from your business. It was about stepping into it differently, with clarity, honest conversation, and the kind of progress that actually holds up over time.
When you create space to think clearly, connect honestly, and focus on what matters, everything else gets easier.
Spring 2026
The Designer's Lounge Retreat returns in spring. Same intimate format. Same focus on thoughtful growth and real conversation. This time, I’m doing something special for the presale.
If you want to know when it starts, sign up for our waitlist!