THE HISTORY BEHIND SARAH COE DESIGN
The Story Behind Sarah Coe Design
Before we dig deeper into the Coe House Remodel, I want to take a moment to reflect on how we got here—not just to this renovation, but to this chapter of my life and work.
Twelve years ago, I had a thriving interior design business, and our family lived on a beautiful piece of land in central Indiana. It was everything we wanted at the time—quiet, grounding, and full of heart. We had a sprawling 4 acres of land, 18 chickens, a creek, woods to explore, and a sense that we’d put down long-term roots. Our kids ran barefoot, explored in the woods, and fed the horses that butted up to our property.
It felt like a dream come true, and we imagined growing old there.
But after a major shift in my husband’s industry, we found ourselves needing to make a change. We sold that home and my local design business and relocated to Glen Ellyn in 2016—without a clear plan for what came next, only the hope that God would provide.
At the time, I wasn’t sure if I’d continue my design business.
In 2016, the design community here wasn't what it is today, and I was leaving behind a business I'd spent 13 years building in the northern suburbs of Indianapolis.
My son was starting kindergarten, my other two daughters were still in elementary school, and making the huge move and selling my business had wiped me out emotionally and physically, and I decided to take a step back from work—and focus solely on my family.
Our take on “American Gothic”.
A New Start in an Unexpected Place
Our first house in Glen Ellyn was a very small, modest fixer-upper, and we started renovating immediately. I figured it would be a good side project - a way to stay busy while adjusting to a new town, new schools, new everything.
Listing photo from our first house in Glen Ellyn.
But as we transformed our home, neighbors started noticing. People began slipping notes in the front door, saying they loved our transformation and asking if I could help them do the same to their homes. Very few people knew I had left a flourishing design business back in Indianapolis.
I hadn’t initially planned to rebuild a business here, but somehow, it started rebuilding itself.
That little brown/ “painted white” brick house became my unofficial portfolio, and from there I would start again—building a new foundation for the next chapter of my business and my life.
First things first, I knew if I was ever going to have a business here, I needed to "find my guys"—hire tradesmen I trusted who would do good work and be willing to work in partnership with me, a female general contractor. I once had a plumber laugh at me because I knew the code location for the toilet.
I learned the ins and outs of the area one house project at a time. My neighbors started hiring me for their own projects, and I never dreamed my business in Glen Ellyn would grow so quickly. I completed my own project—redoing the exterior, adding a new kitchen, among other things—and then a stream of curious neighbors and one referral after another quietly and organically launched the next chapter of Sarah Coe Design.
Sarah Coe Design began again.
Why Now Feels Like the Right Time
Now, nearly a decade later, we’ve outgrown that house—but not the values it taught us. It’s amazing how a small home can build a tight-knit family, and how taking small steps like running a business first out of my son’s bedroom and hiring a neighbor to do my bookkeeping allows a business to grow.
Sarah Coe Design is something I'm deeply proud of. I've been in business for 22 years now, since 2003, and it has grown into a full-service design and build firm with a retail store and showroom in historic downtown Glen Ellyn.
My team of talented designers and we keep growing…
I have the most incredible team: five full-time designers, an office manager who makes it all happen, and licensed trade partners who feel like family and do excellent work. As we take on this personal new home project alongside our regular roster of fantastic client projects, it feels like a gift I can hardly believe I get to unwrap.
Another house. Another transformation. Another chapter in designing a life.
Taking on a project of this scale—while living in the house and running a business, and still raising three teenagers—wouldn’t have been possible a few years ago. But now, with the right people in place and a clearer vision for our life here, the timing feels right.
Our soon-to-be-renovated historic home reflects everything I’ve come to believe in: thoughtful design, layered stories, and wonderful natural light.
