Local Business Highlight: Latham Interiors

The Wood River Valley is truly a special place. There are ample outdoor recreation activities, the summer is filled with outdoor events, the winter piled with snow, there is art and culture opportunities abound - but the thing I love most is the people. As a small business myself, I know the kind of long hours, hustle, and tenacity it takes to make a business work. I love chatting with other local businesses owners about their struggles and successes, why they chose the Wood River Valley as home base, and what keeps them excited to go to work every day.

Today’s highlight is on Latham Interiors. I’ve known Sarah (owner of Latham Interiors) for quite some time now. From an engagement session (when their only child was a furry friend), to their stunning wedding at Galena Lodge, to newborn sessions for both of her boys, to professional images for Sarah’s interior design business, and then continuing on as Otto and Dax have grown into the cutest little boys (check out the photos at the bottom of their family portraits!). Sarah’s drive, kindness, and talent set her apart. I’ll include links to her work (and how to contact her!) at the bottom of her Q&A session.

Tell us a little bit about yourself & your business - How did you start Latham Interiors? Why did you choose the Wood River Valley as your home base? What are some ways you enjoy spending your time outside of work?

In 2000, I started working in interior design at a firm in San Francisco. At that time, I’d never heard of Sun Valley, Idaho, until a client on the West Coast hired us to provide designs for their second home in the Wood River area. Years later, I think how fortuitous that project was, that I get to call the Wood River Valley my home. My husband, Zach, is originally from Hailey, and we are raising our two boys to enjoy the mountain lifestyle we know our clients fall in love with every time they visit.

What do you love the most about your job? What lights you up about interior design?
For me personally -- and I would suspect with each of the Latham Interiors teammates -- it’s the reality that we get to live our passion on a daily basis through the lens of our clients. With each day and with each project comes a new challenge in design. While we love the creativity and ingenuity required to address these challenges, ultimately it comes down to making our clients happy -- delivering the experiences they’ve dreamed of having in a space and in life.

Tell us about your experience as a business in the Wood River Valley - what do you love about this community that you want to share? Do you have a particular moment that stands out to you?

As a business owner in the Wood River Valley, I would be remiss not to credit this unparalleled community of other small businesses that band together in a shared goal to serve our community. We are a collaboration of hardworking, nature-loving, family-friendly and design-oriented individuals who love to over-deliver. We thrive with these challenges, which often expose true character, heart-led business practices and the grit and tenacity it takes to provide for any customer base, but especially in your hometown, for your neighbors. In a small community, we all know each other personally, and realize that the success of one business leads to the success of another. We are constantly referring to our favorite trade partners -- not only to help our clients experience the best the Valley has to offer -- but also to support other businesses in our community.

Do you have a favorite project you’ve worked on recently that you’d like to share?

My house! It was such a pleasure and adventure to get to design/build a home for my family. Timing is everything, and a silver lining of the last unprecedented, uncertain time is that we finished our home two days before isolation started and were able to move in. It was a new chapter in the world and a new chapter in a home, and we felt comfort and anchoring as a family because of it.

If you could give one piece of advice to someone looking to start their own business - what would it be?

One piece of advice I would give to someone starting their own business is something that we hear a lot but it's so true....sometimes we have to fail to succeed. I think we are all so worried about succeeding that we forget to trust ourselves and do what we know is best in our industries. It takes learning to know what will and will not work in business to truly understand what is the best course of action.