Carey Taylor of C. Taylor Interiors always takes her clients’ personalities and priorities into account while designing rooms, but for this kitchen project, an almost-30 year friendship gave her a next-level understanding of what would work best for Stacey Jackson.
“The style is just Stacey,” Taylor says. “She was a customer who became a client who became a good friend. I know how she uses her house and how her friends use her house.”
Beyond how the home is used, Taylor had a deep understanding of Jackson’s particular taste. “She’s very stylish, but has these traditional bones about her. She likes high-end classic design, and it needs to feel extravagant but classic. I wanted every detail special.”
They started with the massive island/table at the center, custom-designed around a perfect slab of champagne quartzite with subtle golden-green veining. “It took six months to find it,” Taylor says. “We had the size of the island designed to fit the slab.”
With a farmhouse sink on one side, the island transitions to a custom table with barley legs, a design that went through several iterations before achieving perfectly rounded twists. When there wasn’t enough space for seating, Taylor redesigned the stretcher to accommodate more friends. Similarly, the seating was designed just for the space, to Taylor’s exacting specifications.
In addition to her friendship, Jackson values Taylor’s ability to translate ideas into action. “I always have a pretty specific idea of the look I want, but I am almost always vague on the details,” Jackson says, so she relies on Taylor “to bring it to life better than I ever initially dreamed.”
Jackson is such an entertainer, she and Taylor devised two areas just for wine storage, including a wine rack just for reds, which Jackson doesn’t drink. “It’s just for guests,” Taylor says. “She’s always saying, can I make you a coffee? Can I get you a drink? That’s just Stacey.”
C. Taylor Interiors, 2131 Woodruff Rd. Suite 1000, Greenville, ctaylorinteriors.com, 864.254.6395