Three Days. One Historic Hotel. Unlimited Possibility for Your Design Business.
The Retreat That Redefines What’s Possible for Your Design Business.
An Immersive Experience Where Creativity Meets Business Growth
Escape the day-to-day and immerse yourself in an environment designed to fuel your growth. The Midwest Design Retreat—hosted by Jennifer Davis of Davis Interiors—combines high-level business strategy, creative inspiration, and intentional networking in one unforgettable experience.
With engaging sessions led by well-known designers and industry coaches, attendees will gain valuable insights on topics crucial to their success, such as:
- Pricing for profitability
- Client experience
- Understanding your numbers
- Implementing efficient systems and processes
- PR and Marketing
- Brand strategy
- Successful relationships with builders
What Makes the Midwest Design Retreat Different?
Unlike other workshops that follow a preset curriculum, our sessions are built around you.
Before the event, we invite every attendee to submit their specific challenges and questions so our expert speakers can tailor the content for maximum impact.
This means every conversation, breakout session, and presentation is directly relevant to the growth of your business.
Other standout differences:
- Curated, High-Value Sessions: Learn from renowned designers, business coaches, and industry leaders sharing real-world expertise.
- Hands-On Breakouts: Move from learning to implementation with guided sessions built for real-time problem-solving and personalized feedback, so you leave with strategies you have already put into practice.
- Unforgettable Evenings: Network over elegant dinner parties that feel more like a celebration than a business event.
- A Historic Setting: The Hewing Hotel’s warm, character-rich atmosphere makes learning feel inspiring and elevated.
Your All-Inclusive Investment
Designed for the Interior Designer Who Wants More
This retreat is for the designer who is running the business, not just doing the work. Who wants to price with confidence, build vendor and builder relationships that bring repeat work, and put systems in place that let the studio grow without consuming her. If you have hit a ceiling you cannot think your way past alone, this is the room.
Meet The 2027 Speakers
Ali Faulkner
AEF Interiors
Ali Faulkner is the Owner + Principal Designer of Orange County-based interior design studio, AEF Interiors. With anextensive background in hospitality and consulting, Ali came into the interior design industry with a purpose: to putclients first.
AEF Interiors is known for not only their charming, character-driven designs, but also for the way they weavehospitality into every step of their design process. Whether you’re looking to design a classic cottage or a home with a bit ofa more contemporary flair, Ali and her team ensure that the process will be just as amazing as the final result.
Jennifer Davis
davis interiors
Jennifer Davis brings more than 30 years of experience across sales, marketing, distribution, and interior design. Six years ago, she launched Davis Interiors full-time, building a studio known for classic design, elevated client experiences, and meaningful relationships rooted in trust and intention.
Jennifer is also the co-founder of a training academy focused on helping designers apply Houzz Pro software to the real, day-to-day operations of running an organized, profitable design studio. She is passionate about bridging creativity and business strategy to create systems that support both growth and exceptional client experiences.
Jennifer has been featured on A Well-Designed Business podcast and The Interior Design Business CEO podcast. Her commitment to mentoring and creating opportunities for others inspired her to found the Midwest Design Retreat, an immersive experience designed to connect, educate, and elevate interior designers at every stage of their careers.
Jessica Nelson
AI for Interiors & Etch Design Group
Jessica Nelson is an interior designer, speaker, and AI educator, and the co-founder of AI for Interiors, where she helps design firms put AI to work in their studios in practical, tested ways. She is also Principal and Co-Founder of Etch Design Group, a nationally recognized interior design firm based in Austin, Texas.
Jessica stays focused on the day-to-day: the specific workflows, habits, and systems that give designers their time back. She speaks regularly about the approachable ways designers can begin using AI to streamline their everyday processes.
Julia Nikishina
New Age Financial Consulting
Julia Nikishina is the Founder and President of New Age Financial Consulting, an accounting and advisory firm specializing in the interior design industry. A graduate of American University with a Bachelor of Science in Accounting, Julia began her career managing the financial operations of real estate companies before discovering the unique financial complexities of the design world.
Julia and her team specialize in the areas where traditional accounting often falls short for designers—including procurement accounting, project profitability, cash flow, tax strategy, financial reporting, and building the financial infrastructure needed to scale.
She is the founder of Empower the Designer, an annual business retreat created for established interior designers and firm leaders to focus on profitability, operations, leadership, technology, and sustainable growth. Julia lives in Doylestown, Pennsylvania, with her husband, two daughters, two dogs, and a surprisingly large number of chickens.
Kate O'Hara
Lake House Group & Design Influencers Conference
Kate O'Hara is the founder of Lake House Group, a private advisory practice for established founders and leaders in the design world. She is the person they think with when what comes next matters, from decisions about growth and leadership to questions about the founder's own role in the business.
Before Lake House Group, Kate spent nearly two decades at Minneapolis-based O'Hara Interiors, the luxury residential design firm her mother founded. As second-generation CEO, she helped grow the firm into an eight-figure company of nearly 40 people working across three markets and doubled its revenue during her tenure.
Kate co-owns the Design Influencers Conference and holds a recurring segment on A Well-Designed Business with LuAnn Nigara. She speaks nationally on growth, pricing, leadership, succession, and building a company that can eventually run without the person who built it. She and her firm have appeared in The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Architectural Digest, Elle Decor, and Veranda.
Mark Williams
Mark D. Williams Custom Homes Inc
Mark Williams is a third-generation homebuilder and the founder of Mark D. Williams Custom Homes, a high-end residential builder in the Twin Cities. With over 20 years of experience, Mark has built a reputation for creating dream homes through thoughtful remodeling transformations and custom new builds. He enjoys the personal connections that come from getting to know the families he builds for, as well as the many talented craftsmen he partners with to bring each project to life. He recently completed Mysa Hus, a globally inspired home rooted in wellness and intentional living.
That same curiosity inspired him to launch The Curious Builder, a podcast and community created to connect with artisans, share their business stories, and celebrate the building craft. What began in the Twin Cities has grown into a national platform where builders, makers, and designers share the real stories behind starting and growing their businesses.
In addition to the podcast, Mark hosts in person Collectives that bring together architects, designers, and builders for honest conversations, collaborative learning, and a deeper sense of community within the industry.
