We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Taylor Ferrell. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Taylor below.

Taylor, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Can you tell us a story about a time you failed?

I’ve always had a knack for design. I was that kid constantly rearranging furniture and repainting my bedroom. But I also had a big dream of going to college, something no one in my family had done before, so I pursued a degree in marketing. That path led me through a handful of jobs, but none of them ever felt quite right.

Everything changed when my husband and I bought our first home, a true fixer-upper. It was a hoarder house, and I cried the day we closed. But we took a risk, flipped it, and through that process, I fell in love with construction. I became a project manager at a construction company and started learning from the ground up.

Clients naturally started coming to me with design questions, and eventually, it was clear that design was where I belonged. I worked for a local designer who planned to hand over her business to me, but right before her final year, I was unexpectedly let go. It felt like the rug had been pulled out from under me. It was a really tough season in my life, and honestly, it broke me for a bit.

But that moment forced me to pause and really ask myself what I wanted. That’s when I built SALT.

In under a year, SALT grew into a nationally recognized design studio with over 80K Instagram followers, projects across the country, and a growing team. That failure turned out to be my greatest pivot point and it helped me get clear on the kind of business I wanted to build and the kind of clients I truly wanted to serve.

Taylor, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

SALT Kitchen & Bath is a full-service interior design studio specializing in highly personalized kitchen and bath spaces. What sets us apart is that we blend thoughtful design with construction knowledge, which allows us to create spaces that are not only beautiful but also incredibly functional.

We serve clients locally and nationwide, offering everything from full-scale renovations to virtual design services. Whether we’re working with homeowners, builders, or other designers, our goal is always the same—to create spaces that feel lived-in, intentional, and elevated.

In just under a year, SALT has grown into a nationally recognized brand with a strong community on Instagram, projects across the country, and a growing team that’s passionate about bringing great design to life.

Can you talk to us about how you funded your business?

When I got fired, I knew it was a turning point. I wanted to learn a different software than what I had been trained on, so I dove into Chief Architect and took every course I could to become an expert in kitchen and bath design.

I started my business with renderings because I saw a clear need—and it gave me the ability to reach clients beyond my small town. I live in a very local community, and to this day, not many people even know SALT as a local business. Offering renderings catapulted my brand and allowed me to serve clients across the country from the very beginning.

I started with small rendering packages ranging from $1,000 to $5,000, and that work laid the financial groundwork to expand into full-service design. I kept things lean and strategic, borrowing $1,000 from my personal account to buy the software. From there, every dollar I made went right back into the business. That intentional start is what allowed SALT to grow into what it is today.

How did you build your audience on social media?

Growing my social media was actually really simple, but it’s something most people aren’t willing to do. People don’t just care about what I design or how I do it. They want to know who I am.

I started with face-forward videos on Instagram because that’s all I had. I didn’t have a big portfolio or a team, but I had knowledge and I shared it freely. I didn’t gate-keep. I just showed up and talked about what I knew.

People are over the perfectly curated photos. They want real. They want to connect. And I wasn’t good at it in the beginning. It took a lot of trial and error, but it was worth it. Being consistent, being myself, and building trust is what helped my audience grow.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.saltkitchenandbath.com
• Instagram: @salt.kitchenandbath