Michael Taylor has been designing beautiful spaces for clients all over the country for 21 years. His eye and vision to see what “can be” has been very helpful to those who can’t see what the outcome may look like. He says, “if you have good bones to start with the task is easy, if not we can certainly start from scratch.” His style is your style and his motto is: “your style, your personality and my eye for everything else.” More info can be found on his design page on HOUZZ or Angies List under Michael Taylor Interiors where you can also see reviews from some of his many satisfied clients.
Below is an interview we did with Michael Taylor at Pacific Shore Stones Olive Branch in an effort to learn more about him and what inspires his work! The photos are from a couple recent projects he did, one using Grey Goose in the bathrooms.
1. Describe your creative process.
After seeing the project and talking to the client about what they want I have to sit
with it a few days, I don’t get all my ideas standing in front of the client when
seeing a space for the first time, but when I sleep on it and let my creativity begin
to work, ideas abound on what the space can be and I present those to very
excited clients.
2. What kind of questions do you ask before beginning a design project? What
piece of information is of utmost value?
I start with what do you have in mind, what would you like this space to be? After
all they live here not me, so it has to be what they want or need. So I take their
ideas and move forward. It can be tricky cause they always don’t know what they
want or need, they just know they don’t like what they have. So it certainly is a
process of learning and listening closely to what they say and turn that into
DESIGN. The most important piece of information is, How will this space be
used? Our living space should all be usable and functional in our current world
So we don’t want to waste even a square foot.
Grey Goose
3. How do you get unstuck creatively?
Work the process, meaning it does not happen overnight; Sometimes you have to sit with it, I work on several projects
at one time and they all are different. However I do rely on my years of
experience to draw on what has worked in the past in a home and space to think,
you know that could work in this space too!
4. Tell us about a project which has been your greatest achievement?
Working on an apartment for a person that had no home has been the project
that has brought me the most JOY. I attend a church where we welcome all and
we have some homeless people that attend. This guy asked me one day, what it
is I do for a living and I told him I make beautiful homes for people, and he
said…I’m about to get my finances straightened out and get an apartment, I
wonder if you’d help me? So we sat and talked and I found out what he needed,
(basically everything) and I went on my facebook design page, Michael Taylor
Interiors and put out a request for anything anyone had they no longer wanted or
needed to get rid of. My followers and friends came through! I got it all, towels,
pots and pans, sheets, furniture, art etc. in short. I was able to not only get enough
items for his entire apartment but enough stuff donated to contribute to two other
apartments of homeless people. Not only did I get everything donated but I
decorated the entire space for this man no charge. It has been my greatest
achievement. I’m embarking now on doing a Habitat for Humanity home for a
lady and her two kids in the same manner.
5. What factors do you prioritize during a project?
First of all I see what the client wishes to do first and then recommend a priority
list that needs to be done first and then second etc. It sort of moves from the
ceiling down, if that makes sense. We also talk pretty quickly about budget, this
steers the project. Most have no idea what things cost. Many of my clients can’t
afford to do everything at once, so we talk about what’s the most important thing
to be done first and then move from there. I have clients I’ve worked with for
many years in making their dream house reality…In a perfect world we’d do it all
at once, but it doesn’t always happen that way.
6. What aspect is more attractive to you in design? Appeal or practicality?
Well I’d like to say, appeal, all designers want their project to be magazine
worthy. However in a real world with kids, and pets, and a working family it has to
be practicality. In the end, we have to be able to use our space.
Grey Goose
7. How would you describe your work style?
Well most of the time I would say frenzied, but don’t tell anyone that!! I try to do too much in a single day. Its all
about making my client happy and making the process seamless and stress
free..So I want the process to be FUN, if its not fun, we are doing something
wrong!!
You can get more information on Michael Taylor Interiors by going on to Angies list or Houzz to fill out an information form or by emailing