Sarah Henley is a 2026 New England Home 5 Under 40 Winner

Portrait by Bruce Gorivan

Photograph by Jared Kuzia

Photograph by Jared Kuzia

Photograph by Jared Kuzia

Photograph by Jared Kuzia

New Hampshire native Sarah Henley is proud of her point of view. “I think we’re becoming known not just for great work but a sensibility, a through line within it,” she says of her eponymous firm, Henley, in Salem, Massachusetts, which she founded in 2017. At thirty-eight, Henley attributes her success to having a diverse portfolio, an eye for editing, and a way with styling. “It’s really about how we see the world,”
she says.

Henley has always been interested in the arts and adjacent creative fields. She committed herself to interior design largely because she was lucky enough to see how it was done up close. New England Design Hall of Fame designer Ann Shriver Sargent(opens in new tab) is a close family friend. “I grew up watching her work and saw that it really could be a viable career,” she says.

During college Henley majored in art history and studio art and studied art and architecture in Rome; she graduated from Dartmouth College in 2010 and moved to San Francisco with several friends (including her now-husband) who were drawn to the Silicon Valley boom.

An outlier among the tech and finance crowd, Henley was hired as an assistant to Lindsay Anyon Brier, “a fantastic designer who was building her business,” so she had a hand in everything. Today Henley’s team has grown to seven, taking on projects all over the country. Recently she returned to San Francisco to visit a client, not far from where she used to live. “It felt like a full-circle moment,” she says. “I’m really pleased with where we are. I’m happy to keep doing the best design work we can.”

Henley lives in New London, New Hampshire, with her husband, their two young sons, and their cats.

This year’s 5 Under 40 awards ceremony will be held on September 17, 2026,  at The Galleria at 333 Stuart Street in Boston. The festivities will include food, drink, and the chance to catch up with old friends while making new ones. The highlight of the evening is the auction of five unique rugs designed by our 2026 winners and produced by Landry & Arcari Rugs and Carpeting, with all proceeds supporting SOLA (the School of Leadership, Afghanistan). Click here to purchase tickets.