Small Business Saturday Spotlight- Taylor Schaap Design
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Instagram is where countless people turn for inspiration and this perfectly describes me several months ago when I was searching for ideas on how to design our eat-in kitchen space. I was so excited to come across Taylor Schaap's Instagram profile because I immediately fell in love with the designs she posted on her page and blog. I loved how she would post fantastic, "design tip Tuesdays," and I could tell we had a similar style. I looked up her website and was delighted to be introduced to the world of the digital interior design process. It's such an amazing concept that Taylor can help anyone, anywhere, regardless of location, create a space in their home that is perfect for them. I especially liked to see that Taylor had worked with numerous families so she knew how to create functional and affordable rooms for growing families by choosing design elements from a lot of my favorite stores such as west elm, Target, and Amazon.
I decided to reach out to Taylor about a collaboration after a few months of following Taylor and loving every piece she posted. I had spent months looking for a new kitchen table which would be extremely affordable since toddlers would be eating, drawing, and playing but also stylish, modern, and I was hoping it could fit my Scandinavian style vision. I finally found the one we have now from IKEA and I cannot say better things about our new table. We are in love! My husband was skeptical because the price was so much lower than any other table we had considered but we decided to take a chance and purchase the YPPERLIG Table from IKEA in April. The table was easy to put together and it looks and feels high quality but definitely did not break the bank since it was only $199. The table can seat up to 6 people so this fact alone was a huge plus since my family comes to visit often.
Once the table was assembled I contacted Taylor and told her I wanted her help with finishing the space. I would need a rug, window treatment, some design elements for the walls, new chairs, and a centerpiece. I told her I wanted to make this space as family and budget friendly as possible because I wanted to share it with my readers so they could copy the dining area or gain inspiration for their own space at home. I sent Taylor a few pictures of my current dining space, kitchen, and living room so she could see my style and make the best decisions to enhance our dining area. I also loved when she told me we should save money by keeping our current light pendant from west elm because it is modern and will pair nicely with the Scandinavian Style I was hoping to achieve.
Taylor first sent me an inspiration board and I was giddy with the ideas and color scheme she was going to be working with while designing our dining space.
She sent the final design package this week and I was blown away by how much I loved what she created for our dining area. I would have never thought to bring in the indigo blue color of the window valance and I would never have thought to look at Etsy for window treatments! I loved how she gave me two possible design boards to choose from and she linked every piece she picked out for us so it is going to be extremely easy for me to shop! Now I just need to decide if I am going to go with option 1 or option 2 and will be recruiting your help with the design choice!
From start to finish, collaborating with Taylor was awesome! She first had me fill out an online form about my dreams of the space, my favorite stores, things I like/dislike, etc. I can tell she really listened carefully because she created exactly what I envisioned but would have never been able to piece together myself! Thank you so much Taylor for creating our dining space! I love it and I know my family will enjoy it for years to come!
Click on either option 1 or option 2 pictures below and my design package will open up in a new window. From there you can click on any of the links and browse the different design elements on your own. I highly suggest for you to reach out to Taylor if you are wanting to decorate a space or rooms in your home. I know I will be asking her to design my empty foyer space in the near future too! Check out her beautiful blog for other spaces she has designed and make sure to look at the pictures below for a sample of her past projects too. Taylor goes in depth about the digital design process on her website and her website also lists package and pricing information. Another huge plus for me while working with Taylor is her website is user friendly and easy to navigate. I love how she has linked all of her social media accounts, especially Pinterest, so you can check out all of her different posts and inspiration boards.
I truly believe you will not regret choosing Taylor Schaap Design as your virtual Interior Decorator. She is truly an artist and has a gift for interior decorating!
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Taylor was kind enough to let me feature her for this weeks Small Business Saturday Spotlight. I love what she wrote about herself and she tells even more about how she became an interior decorator/digital design artist. Have fun reading her facts and I know you are going to be as obsessed with her past designs as I am! Make sure to follow her on Instagram and Facebook so you do not miss any of her future posts, ideas, project reveals, and design tips!
Five Fast Facts about Taylor Schaap of Taylor Schaap Design:
1. I am originally from upstate NY. My husband and I moved to Charlotte in 2014. We often get asked what brought us down, and the answer is always everything ;). Weather, better opportunity, lower cost of living, and over all better quality of life. I don’t think we will ever move back north to the cold winters, all about that sunshine life!
2. I love to travel!! Last year I traveled to 5 new places and the travel bug has yet to go away. If only my wallet could support my travels dreams :) Confession, I recently unfollowed a bunch of travel accounts because I found myself scrolling their feeds all day dreaming about tropical places, instead of working on design projects #oops
3. My favorite place for home decor is West Elm. I could go in that store and wander for hours dreaming up different designs.
4. Ice-cream is my FAVORITE sweet treat. My favorite way to relax is with my favorite show and a bowl of cookies and cream.
5. I am currently hosting my very first facebook group! I have created a group called the Happy Homemaker Challenge as a place to create community, and to inspire women to create happier and healthier homes for their families. We discuss topics like decluttering, function, and how to create a peaceful home. I’d love to for you to join me!
As a little girl, I shared a room with my sister. I was always rearranging our bedroom furniture, organizing our space, and constantly switching up the decor. I was obsessed with creating a space that functioned well and reflected both of our personalities. Through this, I learned at an early age how our environments can directly impact our well being and that is what sparked my passion to pursue interior design! My love for home decor grew with every design magazine I read, and every HGTV show I watched (Trading Spaces was my FAV!) It was so exciting to think about how interior design could be a tool to help people create environments that served them and their families, and I wanted IN!
After going to school and getting my interior design degree, I worked in full-service design for a number of years. I had my hands in everything - client consultations, selecting furniture, managing contractors, doing installs, and designing custom built-ins. I gained a TON of experience and loved watching a design come to life, but I constantly felt something was lacking for me.
Somewhere in-between juggling the complexity of full-service design and trying to pay off school debt, I had lost the fire inside of me that started in my bedroom growing up, I didn't feel like I was making a difference for people. Sure I was helping to create beautiful rooms, but deep down I knew that it took more than pretty furniture and accessories to improve the lives of the people living in them. I knew there had to be a better way to make a difference for families without the expensive price tag of a traditional design service. That's when I decided to pursue edesign.
Over the past year, I've poured my heart into building an edesign business with services that help people create functional family spaces they LOVE... without hiring an expensive designer or wasting time and frustration with DIY. Satisfying the needs of everyone in your home can seem overwhelming and even impossible at times. Your spouse, your kids, your pets, all have different needs that often conflict. Not to mention YOUR needs! That's how I came up with my brand new method of edesign. DYNAMIC DIGITAL DESIGN. Through the dynamic design method, I get to learn about the lifestyle of my clients so that I can transform their interior environments into places that serve the different dynamics of their life. A space that is comfortable, welcoming, durable, personal, and peaceful for everyone. By using modern digital technology, I am able to bring this new service to people all over the country at an affordable price!
