Though the home is often considered a woman’s domain, architecture has a long-standing history of being a male-dominated industry. However, with more and more female graduates of architecture programs, the tide may be turning. And Murfreesboro’s Jamie Taylor is at the forefront.
Jamie Taylor heads J. Taylor Designs, a boutique-style design firm that provides customized residential floorplans and designs as unique as each of her clients. Additionally, they work with builders in the market for custom-spec homes. J. Taylor Designs is the bridge between design and build, with the knowledge and expertise to execute excellently.
Taylor’s interest in houses was cultivated when she was a young child growing up in small town Fayetteville, TN. She recounts, “I loved the big old homes downtown off the square. I would always wonder what the inside looked like and where the rooms were located. So, I would come home and sketch out a design on graph paper of how I thought the inside looked or how I would want the inside layout to flow.”
This passion for homes stayed with her into adulthood, as she would go on to study interior design (with a focus on space planning and construction) at Middle State Tennessee University. After working for a local house plan design firm, she realized that this aspect was more her passion than the decorative side of interior design. And when she went on to work at Huskey Truss and Building Supply, she gained a deeper understanding of building and construction.
Taylor’s varied educational and professional experience gave Taylor the inspiration and tools she needed to branch out on her own. “I felt there was a gap between the draftsman and architect. A place where homeowners could bring their ideas and concepts and have that custom design experience with a more budget-friendly investment cost.”
J. Taylor Design fills that gap. And in addition to being an eminently talented and qualified design firm, J. Taylor also brings a certain x-factor (or double x, if you will) – it is an all-female team. When asked if this was by design, Taylor explains, “It was almost an organic process. The team of women I have all contacted me looking to join my business. Now having a strong and talented group of women, I am not sure a male team member would make sense.”
Taylor notes, “I have found in working with a lot of custom homeowners, we discuss the flow and design of the home primarily with the women. They feel heard and seen since we understand the need for a well-designed laundry room or the stages of life with children.” It makes sense then that the field that designs homes begin to reflect the women who, as Mother Theresa famously said, “are at the heart of it.”
Pull Quote 1: “I felt there was a gap between the draftsman and architect. A place where homeowners could bring their ideas and concepts and have that custom design experience with a more budget-friendly investment cost.”
