Intersecting Beauty with Function
Interior designer, Hillary Taylor, shares a behind-the-scenes look at her studio along with her best tips for creating an office space that is both functional and beautiful.
WRITTEN BY HILLARY TAYLOR
PHOTOGRAPHY BY HEATHER NAN
We can all agree that the Pandemic deeply shifted our notion of working from home. More than ever before, we need our interior spaces to allow for focus, productivity and peace.
As a designer, I most certainly aim to create beautiful spaces for my clients, but under the textiles, furnishings and finishes, comes function. It is my mission to expertly solve for efficiency and ease for each and every project.
In order for my team to excel, we need a solid functional foundation within our studio. From memos to elevations, upholstery to plumbing, our design studio is constantly evolving with these tangible pieces, requiring the utmost attention and hyper organization. It’s safe to say, as a designer, mother, and wife, my surroundings in both my personal and professional settings, impact my day today mood and performance. Below, I thought I’d share some of our favorite pieces for keeping organized:
Baskets
Baskets bring all the earthy natural things that make an office feel softer, more approachable. I do think they function like something “living” in the room, akin to a plant, because they once were! I like bleached rattan, willow or even vetiver styles when possible—it just keeps things light and congruent.
Lighting
While natural light is always preferred, there is nothing worse than working in a room without proper lighting. For task oriented work, I need 2700K, 800-1500lumen. Close to a countertop, pendants are super helpful (a good pendant with great high lumen 800-1500 output). In our studio we don’t really need any table lights because on really dark days, our LED recessed lighting fills the space with great functional, and white light.
Paper
In our digital world, we still need a good old fashioned notepad nearby. For scribing notes while on conference calls, or even to double duty as a mouse pad, every work space should have a nice thick pad. In our studio, everyone has their own with their first names on the top.
Imperfect Elements
Like most of the spaces I design, I like to ensure each space has an element of patina. In our studio space, I incorporated a Louis Phillippe armoire I found at Wisteria Antiques in California when shopping with my Mother. I love the sentimental nature of the piece and she’s a pro at storing everyday essentials for our team.
Drawer Systems
It is worth investing in well considered cabinet and drawer systems. I prefer drawers all the time. If they are deep enough, you can get files and other items organized in such a way where they are easy to retrieve at a glance. I use doors on cabinets where peripherals need to be (printer, scanner) and then having a combination of open storage can also be helpful for extra stacks of books.
Flooring
I tend to like using soft rugs in work spaces. Wool can be a great material as it can take a beating and be cleaned. In our studio, we have a King’s House Rug which we first saw in person on a sourcing trip to Paris Deco Off in January 2020. Caroline Gidiere’s design has just the right blues, scale and punch for our studio—it grounds the space—which is mostly white—with a good dose of our favorite thematic flooring over the past 1000 years: parquet with a key.
I am eternally grateful for my phenomenal team who helps keep us as organized as possible.
