Taylor Rios
Taylor Rios
Interior Design
Miami International University of Art & Design Global Campus
I was humbled by the experience. It was rewarding to see my hard work pay off. It was also a form of validation for me that I’m on the right path. Taylor Rios Bachelor of Fine Arts in Interior Design, , Miami International University of Art & Design Global Campus
Q & A with Farrey’s Lighting & Bath past winner
What is your design signature and how did the competition impact that?
I’m still discovering myself. I like Art Deco (the name of the fixture, Ocedtra, is Art Deco backwards) for its glam features. Midcentury modern is my new thing. I like gold and black, black and white. I like mixing new and old. I don’t like all one style. I don’t like matching furniture. This contest helped me establish the fact that I like working with Art Deco pieces and the concepts that surround that style.
What other designers inspire you?
My grandmother always wanted me to go back to school after getting my business degree. It’s something I promised her before she passed. So when designing this lamp, I wanted to make sure it was something that could easily be seen in "grandma’s room." As a child, we would go shopping together when I would redo my room. It’s something we did together. She was a seamstress and taught me a lot about the basics of textiles. In terms of interior design, while growing up, everything had a more traditional aesthetic.
What is your design process, inspiration and how did you determine materials?
At first, I had to determine what materials were practical to work with. I looked at what was practical and lightweight, eliminating marble, thick acrylic, heavy wood. Then, at the drawing board, I sketched out potential lamps based on materials I knew I could work with. Knowing it would be hard to cut, I sourced the glass in the fixture from picture frame insets and proportioned Ocedtra from there.
Where would a luminaire like the one you designed be installed? What type of client does your design aesthetic actively court?
My concept was that Ocedtra was kind of universal. It can go in grandma’s room or in a modern dining room. There’s no particular audience, except maybe one that appreciates an object over time—someone who wants to keep something for a long time and use it in different rooms, someone who sees value in the timelessness of an item or the universal aspect of it.
How did winning affect your life, in school and outside it?
I feel like everyone says, "I never win anything," but I really hadn’t. I was humbled by the experience. It was rewarding to see my hard work pay off. It was also a form of validation for me that I’m on the right path. Friends can say you’re great, but when a judging panel of four industry professionals singles you out, it’s different. I was also very honored and proud when friends and colleagues contacted me after seeing the contest photos in Brickell Magazine.
Follow Taylor on Instagram: Taylor_Made_Interiors
What is your design signature and how did the competition impact that?
I’m still discovering myself. I like Art Deco (the name of the fixture, Ocedtra, is Art Deco backwards) for its glam features. Midcentury modern is my new thing. I like gold and black, black and white. I like mixing new and old. I don’t like all one style. I don’t like matching furniture. This contest helped me establish the fact that I like working with Art Deco pieces and the concepts that surround that style.
What other designers inspire you?
My grandmother always wanted me to go back to school after getting my business degree. It’s something I promised her before she passed. So when designing this lamp, I wanted to make sure it was something that could easily be seen in "grandma’s room." As a child, we would go shopping together when I would redo my room. It’s something we did together. She was a seamstress and taught me a lot about the basics of textiles. In terms of interior design, while growing up, everything had a more traditional aesthetic.
What is your design process, inspiration and how did you determine materials?
At first, I had to determine what materials were practical to work with. I looked at what was practical and lightweight, eliminating marble, thick acrylic, heavy wood. Then, at the drawing board, I sketched out potential lamps based on materials I knew I could work with. Knowing it would be hard to cut, I sourced the glass in the fixture from picture frame insets and proportioned Ocedtra from there.
Where would a luminaire like the one you designed be installed? What type of client does your design aesthetic actively court?
My concept was that Ocedtra was kind of universal. It can go in grandma’s room or in a modern dining room. There’s no particular audience, except maybe one that appreciates an object over time—someone who wants to keep something for a long time and use it in different rooms, someone who sees value in the timelessness of an item or the universal aspect of it.
How did winning affect your life, in school and outside it?
I feel like everyone says, "I never win anything," but I really hadn’t. I was humbled by the experience. It was rewarding to see my hard work pay off. It was also a form of validation for me that I’m on the right path. Friends can say you’re great, but when a judging panel of four industry professionals singles you out, it’s different. I was also very honored and proud when friends and colleagues contacted me after seeing the contest photos in Brickell Magazine.
Follow Taylor on Instagram: Taylor_Made_Interiors
