Architectural and Interior Design by Madison Taylor Design
As she scrolls through the photos of a remarkable Lake Joe cottage recently completed by her firm, owner-designer-namesake Madison Taylor sees something different than the rest of us. Where we see a joyful, colourful interplay of vibrant one-of-a-kind pieces intermingled with
classic Muskoka elements, she sees also the careful execution of a thoroughly made plan.
The cottage taps into the owners’ personal style by paying homage to the traditions of Muskoka architecture and design while also incorporating a whimsical Palm Beach-esque influence. Against a mostly warm white background, flashes of colour tease the eye: in the great room, a soft purple sofa; near the stairs, artwork by Toronto artist Peter Triantos featuring jellybean shapes floating against a white canvas; in the dining room, a wooden table encircled by pink round-back dining chairs.
“While white on white is a popular design treatment in Muskoka these days, it really didn’t speak to these clients at all,” recalls Madison. “They had some unique pieces that they wanted to incorporate, which in the end made for a design that is beautiful and really personal to their family.”
Madison Taylor Design did the architectural and interior design as well as the furniture package for the cottage. They’ve since added a landscape architects to their team. It’s an approach that, as Madison sees it, addresses most of the predictable pitfalls of hiring separate parties to design the architecture, the interior, and the exterior of a project. “A lot of people will get architectural drawings done, but then when an interior designer gets their hands on them, they want to go back and have changes made,” Madison explains. “You can often end up with this really inefficient push-pull between parties with different interests, and the client ends up paying for that in time and money.”
Landscaping can face similar issues. After the cottage is built is not the ideal time to decide to install a pool or terraced garden, and when features such as these have to be retrofitted to the available space, there are often concessions to be made. Coming from a background in commercial building and design, Madison realized the same issues didn’t plague that industry because there was often only one firm taking care of all elements, and everything was planned out from the get-go. “Our view is there is only one vision, and that’s the client’s,” she explains. “We knew there had to be a way for the client to work with one team, for every part of that team to be on the same page, and for things to happen in the right order.”
When they are starting a project, the professionals at Madison Taylor—including architectural technologists, interior designers, interior decorators, and landscape architects—meet with the client so that they can hear and understand their vision and crystallize it into the workable fine details together. What are the client’s goals from a functionality standpoint? From an aesthetic standpoint? How are they going to live indoors and out?
“After that, there’s a huge amount of collaboration taking place on our side of things,” Madison explains, “but all the client really needs to do is show up for important milestone meetings where we’ll present ideas along the way.” When all this planning work is done, a full package is prepared that sets out each individual step, from laying the foundation to the plant list for landscaping.
From a budget perspective, clients can see where the costs are and make adjustments if they want to before construction begins. Meticulous pre-planning also streamlines the ordering and scheduling process for the builder. With the Lake Joe project, Madison Taylor Design worked with Muskoka building company Tamarack North Ltd. Tamarack praised the Madison Taylor approach, which made it easy for them to pre-order everything they would need for the job. This paid off during the pandemic, when many other projects were stalled by unforeseen supply chain delays.
The Madison Taylor Design portfolio is diverse, testifying to the extent to which they have paid attention to what each client wants. “To tap into client styles and do something different every time is challenging, but also rewarding,” she says. At the end of the process, the client walks into a home that’s ready for their life. The objective of the Madison Taylor team is that that life begins right away. “When a client moves in, we don’t want them to feel like they have to rush out and buy artwork or different things to make them feel like it’s theirs,” says Madison. “Clients of course come to us with images they’ve found on Pinterest, but we use them more as an inspiration than something to be recreated. What people really appreciate is when good design delivers them a home that they fall in love with that can’t be found on Pinterest.” Judging by the recently completed cottage on Lake Joe, that’s a mission that Madison and her team can consider well and truly accomplished.
