DANI DERNER

With an extensive background in retail, marketing, and education, Dani Derner leads Hearten Interiors Shoppe and Studio, a full-service interior design firm and home goods boutique based in Dripping Springs, Texas. 

Dani was born in New York but raised in Austin, Texas. After graduating from Texas A&M with a degree in Early Childhood Education, Dani lived in Colorado Springs where she taught 1st grade through Teach For America for several years. Missing her family and Texas roots, Dani decided to move back, settle down, and build a house in Dripping Springs, Texas- where she lives with her husband, two young children, and their two rescue chihuahuas, Dani credits her versatile style from all of the different places she’s lived throughout her life. 

Dani started Hearten Interiors July of 2022 as a way to take her mind off of a big loss. Hearten means to “make cheerful” and designing spaces brings joy to her clients and to her. She was named “Austin’s Top 50 Interior Designers” by Austin Home Magazine in 2023 and decided to open her own design studio and boutique, Hearten Interiors Shoppe and Studio, right in the heart of Dripping Springs. She is passionate about bringing modern home essentials to the hill country and being able to give a piece of Hearten Interiors into everyone’s home. 

The heart behind Hearten Interiors. I spent several years as an elementary educator and in event planning before finally jumping into my true passion: interior design. As a former teacher, I've always had the motto of leaving something better than I found it: both people and places! And now, as a designer, I still carry that motto with me and channel it into my clients and their space. Allow me to elevate your home into a place that represents and brings you cheer and comfort whenever you walk in.

Founder & Principal Designer