All the interiors featured in the book’s photo-filled 224 pages jump out for their bright, unapologetic use of color, happy color. “You can do that?” was a thought that struck me more than once, as I looked through an advanced copy. Yes, you can.
Well, at least Betsy Wentz, the creative force behind the interiors and the book’s author, can. Wentz, 49, grew up working alongside her mother, an interior designer who ran a design shop out of the family home. Wentz went off to pursue a career in psychology and, in 2001, after working for several years as a counselor, came back and partnered with her mentor mom.
When her mother retired 10 years later, Wentz rebranded herself and launched her own studio near Pittsburgh. Think about that: A designer trained as a counselor. This makes perfect sense.
But back to the book. Besides “You can do that?” the other thought I kept having was geez-oh-man this woman has nerve. Now, of all the traits I admire in designers, creative courage tops my list, and Wentz has this gift in paint buckets.
I mean, this woman did not pause before covering an heirloom antique wooden grandfather clock ─ which let’s face it, few people really want in their homes anymore but are afraid to mess with lest Great Grandpa Methuselah burst forth from the inner chamber ─ with bright yellow citron lacquer paint, which made everyone in the family fall in love with it. I needed to talk to her. So, I called Wentz, who, proved just as colorful in conversati.
