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By Susan Elise Campbell
Only one year after starting her own residential interior and architectural design business, Stuidio K owner Kennedy Taylor has opened a retail showroom called Motif Home Gallery that she says “bridges the gap” for homeowners, design professionals and vendors.
The new venture comes at a time when home renovation has been in high demand, especially for the large scale remodels and luxury construction that is Taylor’s niche.
“Motif is a one-stop shop where homeowners can have their spaces deigned from the ground up,” she said. “We display some favorite vendors of lighting, fixtures, wall coverings, fabric and furniture and assorted items of cool and unique home décor, all under one roof.”
Taylor plans to introduce cabinetry displays in the spring, she said.
Describing her style as “a mix of classic Americana and modern with some rock ’n roll,” Taylor said, “I like high-end glamour and elegance with a little glitter among the refined.”
It’s a style that was informed in part by her education at Academy of Art University in San Francisco and her career training after graduation under Kevin Sawyers, whose work has been acclaimed and featured in both trade and national publications.
However, Taylor said another mentor, John Witt of Saratoga-based Witt Construction, “taught me everything I know about design. Witt Construction does not take on a lot of interns, but I had an internship since the age of 16 designing floor plans and exteriors.”
“I had learned the architectural software and was hired as an assistant to do 3D modeling,” she added. Summer employment turned to full-time and Taylor became director of design for Witt Construction, “a dream job where I got to work on amazing projects with a professional with a unique eye. It was both hard and sad to leave.”
Taylor started some projects on the side and by October 2021 had too many clients to handle on her own, she said, and so she opened Studio K as its sole proprietor and principal designer. A year later with two businesses to manage, she has one employee, “a full-time designer and jack of all trades who designs for Studio K and assists at Motif.” A
Now, she is securing more projects “from the foundation and up, rather than a one-room refresh,” she said.
According to Taylor, the new design showroom expedites that goal by making a range of options and samples available to clients in one centralized place.
Taylor is designing all the cabinets, flooring, tile, lighting and more to create customized spaces. Her process is “a little bit trial and error” as she cultivates an understanding of each client’s personal vision, she said.
“Some designers design for themselves, but we design for the lifestyle clients have in mind for their spaces,” she said. “We prepare a look and feel book of inspiration pieces and really get to know them, so that when we see something, we’ll know it will appeal to that client.”
Taylor’s portfolio is not limited to residential buildings. Her first commercial project was a new Frank Adams Jewelers building in Albany and she recently finished High Rock Jewelry in Saratoga.
Last summer Taylor and Witt completed Downtown Walk Lane, a condominium complex on Jumel Place in Saratoga, the concept for which Witt came up with while on a trip to England, she said.
“My mission is to create spaces that clients will make their best memories in,” Taylor said. “I always knew that was what I wanted to do. Home design has been my passion since I was 10 years old.”
Visit Motif Home Gallery at 18 Division St., Suite 103 and FaceBook for more information.