Hi - I'm Michelle
PRESIDENT OF ML INTERIORS GROUP & BUSINESS COACH FOR INTERIOR DESIGNERS
I know exactly what it's like to feel overworked, overwhelmed, and underpaid as an interior designer.
A few years into my business, "overdeliver" was my middle name - and my business, bank account, and boundaries paid the price.
After yet another client meeting full of out-of-scope requests (and not having the courage to say NO), I finally decided it was time to rewrite my story.
Pulling from almost two decades of managing multii-million-dollar businesses in Corporate America, I started treating my interior design business like an actual business.
And this is my badass team
Hallie Agostinelli
Director of Operations
Master Coach
Chaos Coordinator
Debbie Pratt
Master Coach
Senior Designer
Director of Sweet Success
Julianna Mathers
Master Coach
Senior Designer
Colour Expert
DeDe Dewine
Master Coach
Principal Designer
Owner, DeWine Design
Nicole Laino
Master Coach
Mindset Master
Human Design Expert
Sara Wright
Master Coach
Social Media &
Content Strategist
At the Design Bakehouse, we are a powerhouse team of women helping women rise—just like the perfect loaf. We believe in the magic that happens when creativity meets strategy, and we’re here to guide interior designers in building businesses that are as fulfilling as they are profitable. With a blend of expertise, mentorship, and a sprinkle of tough love, we transform overwhelm into confidence and chaos into clarity. Together, we foster a community where women can step into their power, own their worth, and create success on their own terms.
Because when women support women, we all rise.
The Design Bakehouse is for the designer who....
Knows that talent alone isn’t enough. You’re amazing at design—but a successful business isn’t just about beautiful spaces. It’s about knowing your numbers, pricing confidently, and running a well-oiled operation.
Invests in their growth. You’re not looking for freebies and hacks—you’re here to level up, just like the designers before you who have built thriving, profitable businesses inside The Design Bakehouse.
Plays the long game. You're not chasing quick wins—you’re building something that will stand the test of time. Like a perfectly baked sourdough, success takes the right ingredients, patience, and a damn good method.
If that sounds like you (or who you want to be),
you are in the right place.
Babe, you are way too talented for things to feel this hard.
Look, I know you didn't become an interior designer so you could be overwhelmed by all of the ins and outs of running a business.
You want to spend your days creating beautiful spaces - not trying to juggle finances, contracts, hiring, marketing, and processes all on your own. (Not to mention managing clients who don't seem to understand boundaries.)
The fact of the matter is, you are funning a business. And those tasks aren't going anywhere.
BUT THEY CAN FEEL A HECK OF A LOT EASIER.
You don't have to run your business by the seat of your pants
If you want to spend your days...
Attracting + delighting high quality clients who respect your talent and boundaries and can afford the premium rates you deserve
Running design projects with precision, without ever feeling overworked, overwhelmed, underappreciated, or underpaid
Loving the way you run your interior design business (instead of it running you), so you can enjoy your careeer and your life...
Then you need more than an eye for design and blow-your-socks-off talent. You also need to learn how to run a thriving, efficient business.
AND THAT'S WHERE THE DESIGN BAKEHOUSE COMES IN
What’s Inside The Design Bakehouse?
This is where you start to see what’s possible.
SIGNATURE PROGRAMS
– Design From Scratch
– First Rise
– The Key Ingredients
– The Interior Design Business Bakery
COMMUNITY
The Bakehouse community is a collective of visionary women in interior design who are redefining success on their own terms. More than just a network, it’s a movement—a space where expertise meets empowerment, collaboration fuels growth, and ambition is celebrated. Here, success isn’t just about profit but about purpose, connection, and legacy. When you join Bakehouse, you’re not just gaining a community—you’re stepping into a circle of leaders who inspire, support, and amplify each other’s growth.
I became the interior design business coach I wish I'd had
When I was just getting started, snooty-patooty designers wouldn't share their business secrets to help me grow, so I built much of my business on trial and error.
"Overdeliver" was my middle name, and I spent far too many hours texting and emailing back and forth with nightmare clients, giving away free advice, and justifying my stupidly low fees.
There was zero standard operating procedure out there for a profitable, thriving interior design business. At least, not one that anyone was willing to share.
So I created my own. And you'd better believe I share it because (as I tell my young daughter) sharing is caring, friends.
AND I CARE A WHOLE DAMN LOT ABOUT YOUR SUCCESS
I spend my days in the interior design trenches, splitting my time between serving my own clients, managing my team, and showing other designers like you how to run a profitable business - and have fun doing it. (When I'm not chasing my young kid around my house and trying to find 5 seconds to throw on some lipstick and mascara, that is.)
But don't be fooled into thinkng I breezed into where I am now - because it wasn't always this way.
Frankly, I didn't always have my crap together
The catalyst for The Design Bakehouse came just a few years into my business, when I came home from a client meeting and pretty much collapsed onto the floor in a sobbing puddle.
I'd worked on this project for months, and even though the client most likely wasn't trying to rip me off in any way, shape, or form...
I WAS RUNNING MYSELF RAGGED.
I'd allowed for too much scope creep, and even though I was charging by the hour, I didn't have the heart (and by "heart" I mean cajones!) to bill my client for those extra tasks.
After yet another meeting full of "Can we just change X?" and "Will you please look for a differnt Y?", I sat down and added up the extra time I'd spent on this project...
AND THEN IT DAWNED ON ME...
I'd done the entire design project for the equivalent of minimum wage.
Minimum wage, y'all! I was giving away my art, my passion, my design genius, and my time for the same money people earn for flipping burgers. (No disrespect intended to the fast-food workers, but come on!)
AND THAT'S NOT EVEN THE WORST OF IT.
I also realized my business had been losing money for several months, simply because I was acting as a people-pleaser rather than a CEO.
For whatever reason, I truly thought that if I didn't deliver MORE than I promised, my clients wouldn't think their money was well spent. What the heck?!
Does my story feel hauntingly familiar?
Whether you've ever bawled your eyes out on your living room floor like I did that day... Or you're sick and tired of working like crazy and still not making "real" money...
SOMETHING IS WRONG WITH THIS PICTURE.
NOT TO MENTION, YOU DESERVE BETTER.
What I didn't know at the time was that my experience was far from unique
Since becoming an interior design business coach, I've realized SO many designers don't charge what they're actually worth.
In fact, they don't even believe they're worth the low prices they're charging, because the work they do comes so easily to them!
But don't worry, friend...
MY STORY HAS A HAPPY ENDING - AND YOURS CAN, TOO.
A blessing in disguise
My breakdown that day felt awful, but it ended up being my turning point.
I picked myself up off the floor and decided it was the last time I'd give away my design expertise and my time for the price of a fast-food line cook.
IT WAS TIME TO RUN MY BUSINESS, INSTEAD OF LETTING IT RUN ME.
I went back to the drawing board, pulling from my almost two decades of managing multi-million-dollar businesses in Corporate America to create processes and systems that would allow me to actually treat my business like one.
I figured out exactly what was missing in my business to cause me so much headache and lost money. And then I changed everything - from my mindset to my processes -
and took back my business, my self-worth, and my personal life.
AND IT FREAKIN' WORKED.
DON'T TAKE IT FROM ME
What others are saying
"I did it! Just signed a $55k contract that I almost gave at half the price.
Thanks to Michelle Lynne and the Bakery, I bumped up my pricing, and I got it! Thank you Michelle!!!"
- Jenn Orr, Studio Red
"Joining The Bakery was absolutely life-changing and worth every penny.
Michelle gave me the clarity, strategy, and confidence to turn ideas into action. Thanks to The Bakery, my business is thriving."
- Brandi Giovanetto, Gio Design Company
How the
Design Bakehouse
was born
CREATED TO HELP INTERIOR DESIGNERS BUILD PROFITABLE, SUSTAINABLE, BUSINESSES - WITHOUT THE BURNOUT.
I’ll never forget the month I spent in Michigan, finalizing the adoption of my daughter.
I was a thousand miles from my business—and my phone never rang. Not once. When I finally checked in, my team’s response was simple: “We’re just following the process. Everything’s running smoothly.”
That was the moment I realized I’d done it. I’d cracked the code—the recipe—for building a business that didn’t depend on me for survival. The Design Bakehouse was born from that clarity: a place to teach interior designers how to grow thriving businesses without burning out, overdelivering, or doing it all alone.
The proof is in the pudding, as they say
Think of me as your business Sherpa
You're already on the right path. You just need a guide to tell you what to pack, what to leave behind, and how to navigate the trail so you don't *figuratively * slide down the mountain and die.
Look, I know you've got options.
And you've gotta pick a Sherpa who matches your vibe.
HERE'S WHY IT SHOULD BE ME:
(AND NOT JUST BECAUSE OF MY COOL BOOTS)
I'm in the trenches with you
I'm a practicing interior designer too, and I've learned how to pivot to meet market needs (hellooooo Covid...and Tarriffs, we're looking at you). When you work with me, you get a behind-the-scenes look at the real changes my firm is making to adapt - and you get to come along for the ride.
I like to keep it real + BS-free
Surface-level isn't a word in my dictionary. I believe in being generous with my content, and I don't hold back when sharing what's worked for me. From pricing to marketing strategies to processes, I'll make sure you have everything you need to succeed.
I keep it business, baby
Confidence, mindset, and wealth all come into play. But my focus is on your business. I rely on two decades of experience in Corporate America to show you how running your business can be profitable and fun - not the overwhelming circus you feel caught in now.
AS SEEN IN
LET OUT THAT BREATH YOU'VE BEEN HOLDING, BABE
You're finally in the right place
If you feel overwhelmed and undervalued in your business...
If you're feeling tired and burnt out from giving away more than you're getting...
If you feel like you're just one "can you do this for me real quick" request away from sobbing on your living room floor...
Then I'm so glad you've found your way here. Because I'd love to help you turn your business around, too.
Just like me, you can run a 6 or 7-figure interior design business like clockwork - without the mountain of overwhelming responsibility.
ready to find out how?
Join the Interior Design Business Bakery
A 12-month group coaching program where designers learn to grow their business with profits baked in - no marketing or business degree required!
Join our Free Facebook Community
This is our free space for interior designers, where you'll learn to overcome the overwhelm, find time to thrive, and make a profit in your design business.
Work With Me Privately
Looking for personalized support to transform your business? My 1:1 coaching is limited to a small handful of clients each year.