What to Expect
About Me
I’m Lesa Taylor, and it’s my job to save you from “what were they thinking?” kitchens, baths, and lighting plans in Boulder County, Colorado and throughout the USA.
As a Certified Kitchen and Bath Designer (CKBD) I’m here to help you make interior design decisions for your remodel or custom new home build that’ll outlast Instagram trends and Pinterest fads.
Hot backsplashes and popular paint colors will come and go - but quality cabinets, efficient layouts, and functional lighting will pay you back for a lifetime.
About You
My favorite clients are like you - hard working, practical, and friendly, who live in nice homes and - if they have pets - treat their pets as family. They’re remodeling because they have an outdated space that doesn’t function, and truly need a new kitchen and/or bathroom (unlike trend-chasers who throw away perfectly good, recently remodeled kitchens and baths because they are trying to keep up with the latest fashions).
My clients work hard and play hard! During their time off they use their homes to host and entertain their friends, prepare meals, and simply relax and enjoy their way of life. Many have active outdoor lifestyles and need clever storage solutions for their gear, and many travel for work and vacation and need a relaxing, low-maintenance sanctuary to come home to.
Why You Can Trust My Expertise
I’m a Certified Kitchen and Bath Designer, through the National Kitchen and Bath Association. This certification credential is not easy and took literally thousands of hours of education and a multi-part exam that included drawings graded by a certification board. I am not a salesperson. It’s my job to take the time necessary to learn about your family’s unique desires, needs, and lifestyle, and help you create a home that outlasts trends, so you get the most for your investment.
While I never waste time and work quickly when appropriate, I never rush you to finalize a design, nor am I incentivized to get you to order the most expensive cabinetry (like how it can feel when you work with a commissioned showroom designer). My only concern throughout the design process is you and your family’s best interest.
I take my work seriously and have studied rigorously to make sure I can offer you professional expertise based on the best available training when it comes to kitchen and bath layouts, choosing long-lasting, wellness-supporting cabinetry, and creating functional lighting and electrical plans.
What Sets Me Apart
In addition to getting the expertise of a Certified Kitchen and Bath Designer (CKBD) with professional training in lighting design and living-in-place design (CLIPP), you also experience four benefits exclusive to working with Taylored Kitchens and Baths:
Unlimited
Full-Color 3D Renderings and Floor Plan Revisions
If you have trouble visualizing what your space will look like it’s hard to make confident design decisions. That’s why I include unlimited full-color 3D renderings and unlimited floor plan revisions to help you make confident design decisions and visualize your new space long before it’s built, at no extra cost to you. (Many designers charge as much as $500 per rendering!)
01
Detailed Construction Documents & Comprehensive Lighting Plans
To effectively document your project, my designs include two essential ingredients:
Detailed Construction Documents
I provide precise construction documents that help you gather bids, obtain permits, and prevent miscommunication so your project runs seamlessly from start to finish. Your project and your mental health both deserve this level of detail!
Comprehensive Lighting & Electrical Plans
Trained at the University of Colorado’s top lighting program, I include detailed lighting and electrical plans in all my designs and also offer whole-home lighting plans as a stand-alone service. It’s my job to ensure your home is beautifully and functionally lit.
02
Truly Custom,
Handbuilt Cabinets
I'm here to provide truly custom cabinetry that keeps your family healthy, looks great for decades, and gives you the most value for your money! As my favorite cabinetmaker says, calling mass-produced cabinets “semi-custom” is like calling a car “semi-custom” because you picked the color and stereo package. You pay for “custom” but get none of the quality, durability, or health benefits of truly custom cabinets.
It’s normal to feel nervous if this is your first time buying custom cabinets, however, you'll not only get a superior product by investing in truly custom cabinets, you may even pay less that you would for “semi-custom” cabinets. Click here to read more about why you can pay more money, but get less value, with semi-custom shops.
03
Designs with Purpose 🐾
Love pets? So do I! Every pet deserves a fur-ever family, so I donate 10% of your design fee to the animal rescue of your choice. 🐾
While I can’t personally give every creature a home (though I’d love to!) I can direct some of my profits to help every pet find their fur-ever family and live a happy, healthy life. That’s why 10% of every design fee goes directly to the animal rescue of your choice. How nice to know that by hiring me you’re not only getting a fantastic design, you’re helping do good in the world at the same time!
04
What You’ll Experience (My Process)
Here are the fundamental 6 steps I follow in every Taylored Design process.
Click here to read more detail about each of these steps:
STAGE ONE
Schedule your complimentary Zoom Discovery Consult, and if we’re aligned, sign our Design Agreement
Complete your Design Inspo Homework
Measurements and Home/Room Scan(s) & Meet for Our Comprehensive Kick-Off Session
STAGE TWO
Design (with unlimited design revisions, unlimited floorplan revisions, unlimited full-color 3D renders, and unlimited Zoom meetings!)
Lighting Design & Construction Docs and Specifications
Hand Off Lighting & Construction Docs and Start Implementation (optional)
Optional Services
The foundation of my interior design service is designing efficient kitchen, bath, and home layouts, helping you choose styles and construction that will outlast trends, and developing functional lighting and electrical plans that will make you feel comfortable, happy, and safe in your home for decades. Thanks to my full-color 3D renderings and ready-to-shop specifications lists, many of my clients have what they need by hiring me just for my Taylored Design + Construction Prep service.
For clients who would also like me to help them make all the selections for things like fixtures, appliances, tile, flooring, lighting and plumbing fixtures, paint colors, etc, or who would like a designer by their side during the implementation phase, I offer two add-on services: Specifications Assistance, and Implementation Support.
Selections & Specifications Assistance:
If you’re not the kind of person who feels comfortable shopping showrooms or choosing finishes like lighting or plumbing fixtures on your own, this is the perfect add-on for you! Shopping with a designer by your side more than doubles the efficiency of shopping for all your fixtures and finishes, and of course, I always do my best to make sure to choose our routes and choices of showrooms in ways that make the most of your time and money. And, if you don’t like shopping, I’ll bring the samples to you! Note, Specifications Assistance is always included in my Taylored Design + Implementation service.
If this is your first time going through a remodel or new construction project, or if you’ve been there before and want a less stressful experience this time around, this is the perfect add-on for you! This monthly service not only gives you up to 4 onsite meetings per month, but also unlimited client and contractor communication via email or text throughout the month. This is a great option for anyone who wants as smooth and stress-free a remodel or new construction experience as possible. Please note, this service is only available to clients in Boulder County and surrounding areas.
What It’ll Cost
Design Services
All my design work is priced with easy-to-understand flat fee pricing:
Kitchen Design including Lighting & Electrical Plan: $3500
Primary Bathroom Design including Lighting & Electrical Plan: $3000
Whole Home Lighting Design: $2500
Selections & Specifications Assistance:
Bought in 6-hour increments for $750/6 hrs. All behind-the-scenes or via Zoom shopping is billed against the Specification Retainer in 15-minute increments. All in-person meetings (for example, at showrooms) are billed against the Specification Retainer in 2-hour increments.
Implementation Support:
Since each client and home remodeling project is unique, the scope of work, and therefore the cost of the monthly implementation retainer, will be dependent on the details of the project.
What I’ll Need From YOU (client homework)
Before our Design Kick-Off Session you’ll complete very important Design Inspo Homework. For each room we’ll be designing, please gather 10 images of rooms that would delight you if they magically appeared in your home. Don’t worry about layout or size, just choose rooms that you’d love to call home.
If you’re working with a partner, have them do this homework separately. Don’t worry about choosing images you think the other person will like. While that’s sweet, it’s my job to bridge what you each like and create a design that suits everyone. So keep your eyes on your own homework and show me what you love.
Be sure to add notes about what you like (and why) so I understand what made you pick each photo and can design with your preferences in mind. Houzz.com is an easy-to-use platform that makes including notes a breeze, but you’re welcome to use Pinterest, or even put together a classic PowerPoint slideshow. Just make sure you have no fewer than 10 images per room, per person, with notes.
What I Promise
I don’t just want to save you from a “what were they thinking” kitchen, bathroom, or interiors - I want to help you build a regret-free home you’ll love for decades.
If you’re looking for an interior designer who’s focused on chasing trends and wants to fill your home with colors and cabinets that’ll be out of date within a few years of installation - I’m not the designer for you.
But if you’re looking for a designer who can help you create a remarkably functional and efficient kitchen, bath, and interior layouts and guide your choices so you have kitchen, bath, pantry, mudroom, basement, game room, and doggy zone cabinetry that will last for decades, you’ve found her!
And if you’re looking for whole home lighting design I’m also your go-to gal for creating lighting plans that will improve the beauty and safety of your home for as long as you live there.
Giving Back
My favorite clients love their pets like family and, like me, want every pet to have a fur-ever home, too. 10% of your design fee goes to the pet rescue charity of your choice. If you have a favorite let me know - if not, here are three great charities to choose from:
