For Tara Hutchinson, interior design is a return to something that had been present since childhood. Long before launching Tara Hutch Home, she was reading design books, rearranging furniture, painting her bedroom, and helping friends decorate their spaces. But when it came time to choose a career, she followed a more conventional path, studying business and eventually working in finance.
Years later, after stepping away from finance to raise her children, that early interest in design began pulling her back. What started with helping friends and experimenting with an online decor business quickly developed into paying projects, and in 2024, Hutchinson began building the interior design practice that is now entering its third year.
Returning to an Early Passion
Growing up with a single father, Hutchinson became the person responsible for much of the decorating at home from an early age. By her teenage years, she was constantly rearranging furniture, experimenting with color, and reading every design book she could find. She initially considered attending design school but ultimately chose to study business, thinking about financial stability and the paths many of her friends were taking.
Design remained a consistent presence. In college, she helped friends decorate their rooms, and after graduation, she became the friend people called when they needed help with their apartments. Her professional life eventually took her into finance, where she worked as a relationship manager and developed a strength for connecting with people.
“I honestly feel more aligned with design than I ever felt when I worked in finance.”
After getting married and having children, Hutchinson began reconsidering what she wanted from her career. The demands of finance no longer aligned with the time she wanted to spend at home, so she stepped away to become a stay at home mother. During those years, her family built two homes, giving her the opportunity to become closely involved with the building process while continuing to explore her interest in interiors through travel, books, and her own home.
Turning Advice Into a Business
As her children reached school age, Hutchinson found herself with more time and an increasingly familiar question from friends: could she help with their homes? Group chats filled with design advice eventually turned into small projects, and she began considering whether something she had been doing informally for years could become a business.
Tara Hutch Home initially began as an online decor shop. Hutchinson had already established the LLC with the intention of selling home decor, but she quickly discovered that clients were not only interested in the products. They wanted help understanding how to use and style them.
One friend asked for help selecting wallpaper for a home in Ocean City. Hutchinson completed that project without charging, but when another friend who had recently built a home asked for assistance, she decided it was time to treat the work differently.
“I have the LLC already set up. I’m getting, you know, people are asking me left and right for help. Let me charge her.”
Her friend agreed and became Hutchinson’s first paying design client. Soon afterward, she met another client while shopping and was asked whether she was an interior designer.
“Yes.”
The answer marked another step forward. Hutchinson also began visiting new developments and handing out flyers door to door, actively searching for opportunities rather than waiting for them to arrive. The projects began accumulating, and the business quickly moved beyond its original focus on decor.
Building Through Persistence
Since beginning the interior design side of Tara Hutch Home in 2024, Hutchinson has seen the practice grow quickly. Her client base has continued to evolve, and at the time of the interview she was managing approximately eight projects while expanding her team with design assistance and support for installations.
Her day to day role stretches across both the creative and operational sides of the business. In addition to active client projects, she manages communication, operations, marketing, and the broader responsibilities that come with growing a young company.
That growth reflects the same determination that pushed her to knock on doors when she was first looking for clients. Hutchinson acknowledges that her entry into the industry was not necessarily conventional, but she is proud of how willing she was to put herself forward.
“When I want something, I go after it.”
For Hutchinson, that willingness to act has been essential. Rather than waiting until every piece of the business was perfectly established, she began with the opportunities available to her and continued building from there.
Designing Around the Person
As Tara Hutch Home has grown, Hutchinson has developed a clearer understanding of what connects her projects. While she describes her aesthetic as timeless with a contemporary influence, she does not want every home to look the same.
“I try to approach each client differently.”
That begins with spending time getting to know the people behind the project. Hutchinson wants to understand her clients personally, including their interests and how they live, before developing a design direction. As a result, one Tara Hutch Home project can look considerably different from another while still reflecting her preference for interiors that feel timeless.
Her work also takes her across different parts of Pennsylvania and into Ocean City, requiring her to organize travel around projects in locations such as the Main Line and Lehigh Valley. Rather than allowing geography to dictate a single aesthetic, she continues to approach each project around the individual client.
Finding Inspiration in the Past
Living near Philadelphia provides Hutchinson with another important source of inspiration. She is particularly drawn to old world buildings, historic architecture, and the stone homes found throughout the area, often stopping to photograph details that catch her attention.
That appreciation for older architecture connects directly to the kind of interiors she wants to create. Rather than leaning heavily into modern design, Hutchinson gravitates toward spaces and pieces that feel timeless, well made, and capable of lasting.
“I want something that’s going to be well made, well constructed, and last a long time.”
The historic architecture surrounding her reinforces that perspective. Buildings that have endured for generations offer a reminder that thoughtful materials and construction can have a life far beyond a passing design trend.
Learning From the People Who Came Before
As both a designer and a relatively new entrepreneur, Hutchinson also finds inspiration in hearing how other people built their careers. Podcasts have become one way she learns from designers whose journeys sometimes reflect parts of her own.
She specifically looks to designers including Kelly Wearstler and Amber Lewis, not only for their work but also for the stories behind how they built their careers. Hearing those experiences gives her perspective during the more difficult moments of running a creative business.
“If they can do this, I can do this, too.”
When the pressures of projects and clients begin to build, Hutchinson relies on meditation, music, and sometimes simply stepping away from a problem until she can return with a clearer head. Her growing team has also become part of that support system, providing perspective on days when a setback can feel larger than it is.
Choosing to Go for It
Looking back, Hutchinson’s biggest advice to her younger self is simple. She wishes she had pursued design sooner.
For years, concerns about financial outcomes, judgment, and uncertainty contributed to choosing a different professional path. Now that she has experienced what it feels like to build a career around something she feels connected to, her perspective has changed.
“I think so many people don’t pursue their passions because they’re afraid of the outcome or they’re afraid of people judging them.”
Her own decision to change direction required accepting that uncertainty. From helping friends for free to asking for her first design fee, handing out flyers at new developments, and growing a team as projects increased, each stage required moving forward before she knew exactly where it would lead.
“I would just say go for it. Go do it earlier. Like, why wait?”
For Hutchinson, the rapid evolution of Tara Hutch Home has reinforced the feeling that she finally found the work she was meant to pursue. The business is still young, but she is focused on what comes next, continuing to build the practice while staying connected to the passion for interiors that had been there all along.
