Designing Success: Meet Sarah Girten

From vision to execution, Sarah Girten Interior Design Owner reflects her passion for creating spaces with style and purpose.

Interior design is more than picking colors and fabrics, it’s about reshaping the way people experience their homes and businesses.

Sarah Girten Saunders, the owner of Sarah Girten Interior Design, has been running her own firm for nearly nine years, blending creative vision with the technical expertise that ensures projects are as functional as they are beautiful.

“There’s a huge difference between being a decorator and a designer,” she said. “Almost all designers are decorators, but being a decorator doesn’t make you a designer. I had a whole year in college of building codes. Not only do I pick things that are pretty, but I know the codes behind them.”

That knowledge makes a difference when clients dream big. A sparkling chandelier over a bathtub, for example, might look spectacular in a magazine, but in Virginia, code won’t allow it if the ceiling is too low.

“I take on the responsibility of making sure the things I choose will actually work,” she said. “If something doesn’t fit the space or meet code, it’s my liability.”

Her path to design began long before her degree from High Point University in North Carolina. Growing up in her parents’ furniture finishing and reupholstery shop gave her an early appreciation for craftsmanship. Later, she helped them renovate the kitchen and discovered the thrill of transforming a space.

“I really enjoyed the process of what went into that,” she said. “That’s when I knew design was what I wanted to do.”

For Saunders, each project is a complex puzzle, especially renovations. “I love doing kitchens and baths,” she said. “You must think about everything from windows and doorways to load-bearing walls. You can’t always move things, so you have to work around them. Putting it all back together is challenging and exciting.”

Equally important to her is the client relationship. “I have to be very open and honest,” she said. “If someone has a modern style or a very traditional one, I’m not going to tell them they don’t like that. My job is to translate what they love into a design that works. But if they come up with something that just isn’t going to look good or function well, I must help them pivot in a different direction.”

Owning her own business gives Saunders the freedom to choose projects that matter to her, though it also comes with pressures. “It’s not nearly as glamorous as people think,” she laughed. “There’s never really an ‘off’ time. People call at all hours and then there’s tax season and all the business details. But getting to work on projects that are meaningful to me makes it worth it.”

One of her most rewarding projects was the redesign of Milano’s, a popular Lynchburg Italian restaurant. “The first night it opened, I was sitting near the door and overheard people saying, ‘Wow, this looks nothing like Lynchburg.’ They didn’t know I was the designer. That made me so proud.”

She’s also done contract work for Centra Health, showing her versatility in both residential and commercial spaces. She credits much of her success to the network of contractors, electricians, upholsterers and other tradespeople she works with. “Two heads are always better than one,” she said. “This community is full of great people, and I cherish those relationships.”

Repeat clients are another highlight. “One of the best compliments is when someone calls me back for another project,” she said. “Sometimes a small job will morph into something much bigger. I once worked at a nursery where the client told me the baby’s gender before anyone else in the family knew. We were that excited to plan the room together. That level of trust is humbling.”

When asked about emerging technologies like AI, Saunders isn’t worried. “AI can make beautiful things, but it doesn’t know building codes. It won’t be there when something goes wrong or when a client is stressed and needs reassurance. It can’t replace the human connection that’s at the heart of design.”

Outside of her work, Saunders devotes time to causes close to her heart. She is the board president of CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates), which supports abused and neglected children in the local court system. She also fosters animals for the Humane Society, including four senior dogs and a cat over the years, and is a regular donor. At home, she and her husband, Kevin, share life with their three dogs – Lucy, Mollie and Penny and enjoy spending time outdoors with family and friends.

This year she was named one of Lynchburg’s Top 20 Under 40 and has been recognized as one of the Top Designers in Virginia by Architectural Digest. She’s also won multiple Best of Lynchburg honors. Yet she remains quick to credit those around her.

“This community is the reason I’m able to be successful,” she said. “I depend on so many people here, and I’m grateful to be a part of it.”

Saunders said great design is never just about how a space looks, it’s about how it works, how it feels, and the relationships built along the way. And in every project, she brings the same dedication to creating not just beautiful rooms, but meaningful connections.