5 Questions with Taylor Allen

Taylor Allen has only been a Project Designer with Dreyfuss + Blackford since November ’22, but it feels like she has been here much longer! She previously worked in Interiors after graduating from CSUS where she received her BFA in Interior Architecture and is now on the path to becoming a licensed architect. Taylor and her husband, Austin, live in Rocklin with their fur baby, Spencer, and enjoy hiking on the weekends (a favorite being the Lake Clementine Trail in Auburn). Taylor’s work at D+B primarily entails working on various Sutter Healthcare projects and her time has been spent getting to know their standards and putting together validation studies.

What helped play a role in you deciding to pivot from Interior Design to the Architecture side of the business?

When I started my journey, I first had a job shadowing with an Interior Designer in my hometown. I was amazed by the number of items that she had to consider while designing a space. There was so much more to it than what you would see on TV. Most of the TV shows seems to be illustrating what an interior Decorator and Stager would do on their day-to-day schedule. I found this extremely interesting about being an interior designer, and only wanted to explore it more. Once I finished up with my AA degree, I transferred to Sac state to procure a bachelor’s degree in Interior Design. While I was in school, I worked for a home staging company, so I had a good idea of how different a decorator is from a designer. I really loved that job but always wanted more. While in school, the major changed from BA Interior Design to BFA interior Architecture. At this point I never really thought about going into Architecture but the more Programs I learned and models I built the more I was falling in love with the logistics of how a building works.  My final project in school was creating a LEED building. This is where I fell in love with how a building can be sustainable. It’s really insane how just changing a few items can make the building so efficient. Once I graduated, I worked for an Interior design firm. I learned a lot, but always felt like I wanted more, and that’s what lead me to where I am today! Today I’m part of AIA and working towards being a licensed architect.

How do you like to spend your time outside of work?

My husband and I love to hike, Our favorite spot is the Clementine hike in Auburn. Auburn is where our story started, where we got engaged, and where we tied the knot, so it holds a special place in our hearts! Of course, this isn’t an every weekend activity, so if we are not on a hike, we enjoy spending time with our friends, going wine tasting, and trying new wineries and breweries to explore. Or for a more laid-back weekend, you will find us at the dog park with our little Dog Spencer. We always love to be outdoors and experience new things/places together.

What’s your favorite thing to eat?

My husband and I are in love with Sushi. It has become something that we enjoy quite often. Our favorite places to go is Blue Nami and Crazy Sushi both in Roseville. I would have to say my ultimate favorite roll is probably the most simile roll which is the Philadelphia. This consist of smoked salmon, cream cheese and avocado. I will always order a different roll to try as well too. Although I love sushi, I hate seaweed, so I will always ask for soy wrap! Probably one of my favorite things about sushi is eating it with Chop sticks. For some reason I always feel special when I can use chopsticks to eat!

Are you an early bird or a night owl?

You can always find me in bed by 9 pm. I hate staying up late and frankly just won’t be able to stay up any later than 10. I’d rather spend the day as it is bright and sunny out. You will even see our little dog Spencer put himself to bed by 9 if we do decide to stay up a little later. One of my favorite things to do is get up early when we are heading out for a trip. There’s something about watching the sunrise and being in a car, stopping at the nearest coffee shop, and starting your travels!

Do you have any pets?

We do, we have a little terrier mix named Spencer, we adopted him from the Roseville SPCA in November 2018. He is the light of our world. He is the most adventurous little dog that I know. He has a million nicknames, but his main ones are Chicken Nugget, Fluffs/Fluffy, and Bubbs (his favorite is chicken nugget). He loves to swim, ride on our paddle boards, and hike (sometimes with a little help from his backpack). He keeps my Husband and I moving and always looking for new things we can do that he can join in on. He is obsessed with carrots and snap peas as his treats and his favorite toy is a little grey bear that he brings to bed with him every night to cuddle with.