Shannon Tate 1/5/20 Shannon Tate 1/5/20

Before & After - My New Studio, featured on Domino today!

I had been looking for a studio for 5 years. There’s a feeling when you find “the one” and none of them were it. Dropped ceilings, no windows, old carpet I wasn’t allowed to remove, you name it….they were all, well, gross. The thing is, I can deal with yucky things if I can see the potential, it’s what I do for a living! But, the space has to speak to you. Last winter, I found that space, finally! 15 minutes from my house and 30 minutes from my daughters school, views of the river, TONS of light, 400 square feet, high ceilings, an awesome landlord and a plethora of fellow creatives in the building. I WAS IN.

When I walked in the space was bare bones. The studio is in an old Mill building and was completely raw. The wing that my studio is in, is mostly artist studios, looking to get messy without consquences. Paint drips on the floor, no biggy….that kind of place. But, I needed something more polished….so I negotiated with the landlord, I would pay a little bit more and he would renovate it for me while he was doing work on another wing of the building. It took him a few months to start, and we agreed I would move in July 2019.

July finally came, the empty shell was ready, and then MY work began. View the full story of my DIY’s on Domino today!

View the story on my DIY coffee table on Domino today.

BEFORE

View the story on this DIY built in storage and counter top on Domino.

BEFORE

View the story on my DIY standing desk on Domino.

I’m happy as a clam in here and so incredibly grateful to have had this opportunity come into my life. It was time. What an awesome way to start of 2020!

Read the full details on my DIY’s on Domino today!

After Photos by Dino Giordano

Shannon Tate 10/5/18 Shannon Tate 10/5/18

Before and After Northampton Kitchen & Bath

There are few things I love more then a good Before & After story. This traditional meets modern farmhouse renovation I recently completely in Northampton, MA is no exception. But more then that, what’s been on my mind lately is the concept of “designing for how you want to feel.” This is what I always intuitively what I’ve done with every project, but I never really talk about. We all of course come to the table with styles we like and dislike, but once that kind of direction is decided, my deeper mission is always to design a home that feels damn good to be in. Because, that’s the kind of space “home” should be. Home should kind of give you a hug at the end of the day. With that in mind, let’s get on to the details of this recent project of mine that was featured in Homepolish mag a few weeks back.

My client is a busy mother of three girls, who also runs her own business. When I first walked through the home, what I realized first and foremost, was that it wasn’t supporting her. The house was making life feel more difficult and I don’t know a person on this earth that needs any more difficulty in their life. Am I right? The home was built in 1890, so it’s bones were mighty achey, the spaces were snug and closed off from one another, and this 127 old lady needed a makeover.

When I get started with a client, I like to ask them questions so I can get clear on their style. My clients was on the traditional side of the spectrum, but she was open to seeing what that would mean through my lens. We decided on traditional meets modern farmhouse as a direction and after that my mission was to create a home for this family that would feel like their own private retreat after a busy day. As a business owner myself, I know how busy life can feel and with three kids to boot, I knew what she needed most was a space that was highly functional, well thought out and relaxing to be in.

I knew we needed to open up the space, allowing for more light and gain connection to the outdoors. Her backyard abuts a nature preserve, and adding a deck was also high on her wish list. So…we took down walls, moved a bathroom and connected the kitchen right to the outside with beautiful french doors that lead out to her new deck.

We increased her kitchen cabinet space, added a big closet for all the coats and shoes and bags, created a brand new bathroom that also houses her laundry, created a new dining area and added all new windows and doors.

What we ended up with is a warm, inviting, traditional-modern farmhouse and I couldn’t be happier with the results.

Creating spaces that make people feel happy and supported, makes me feel like I’m doing what I was put on this earth to do.

Enjoy the before and after photos below!

Talk to you next time,

xoxo

Shannon