Hi friends! We’re reviving our beloved series Inspiring Moms with this little QA with textile designer Heather Taylor of Heather Taylor Home. Not only are her goods available on her website, you can find them in retailers like Net-A-Porter, Jenni Kayne, and more. So impressive! She’s offering up a peek into her life as mom and business owner alongside these shots by Emily Ulmer of her girl Scarlett. After reading, don’t forget to enter the blanket giveaway at the bottom of this post!

What was the inspiration or impetus to start your business?
I’ve been knitting and weaving for years and have long appreciated handmade textiles. I also love entertaining and setting a beautiful table but I couldn’t find linens I loved without traveling to some far-flung locale. This was my original motivation for launching HTH. The first inkling of inspiration for the line came while eating breakfast in Greece in 2006. The table was covered in a white crocheted lace tablecloth, which felt like the perfect mix of elegance and ease. I’ve been trying to recreate the feeling of that breakfast ever since.

Baby blanket on the crib: Plum Baby Blanket

How does your business inspire your family, or your family inspire your business?
Even during my pregnancy, I felt motivated to be a role model for Scarlett. I want her to understand the value of both hard work and enjoying your life. I love the idea of creating a family business, something that she might want to be apart of when she grows up (no pressure, Scar!).

How has it changed or evolved as she has grown?
Balancing a growing family and a growing business can be crazy-making but it has also helped me focus.  Having a baby has made me 100x more productive with my time because it feels like I have so much less of it. I am always looking for ways to trim the fat in my business. I only say yes to opportunities that clearly help me achieve my goal. Every new product I launch or aspect of my business I develop has to make clear sense within the big picture.

Do you find it challenging or refreshing to work for yourself, as a mom?
Both. I feel lucky to make my own schedule but the struggle for me is having the discipline to turn it off. I do 90% of my work from my phone so it’s literally always with me—which is a good and a bad thing. My personal challenge is committing to Scarlett when I’m with her and committing to work when I’m working. It’s very confusing to try to do both things at one time, which is the situation I find myself in more than I would like. It’s about creating personal boundaries.

I’m so lucky to have a husband who is extremely involved and also works from home. And I have a nanny who works with us two and a half days a week. She watches Scarlett and helps around the house and cooks while Scarlett naps. I couldn’t do any of this without her.

How do you figure out the balance of time with your child and time to work?
The honest answer is that I constantly struggle with how much time I spend with Scarlett. I’m running a full time business with only 2 and a half days a week of childcare. This requires me to work most nights after she goes to bed and I use every single second of her nap to work—I send dozens of emails, have a call or two and maybe even a meeting during her daily 3-hour nap. Thank the lord for naps!

I do know that there are benefits to owning my own business and one is that I can be in control of my schedule. I mostly follow my gut and try to carve out specific times for work and specific times when I am 100% with Scarlett.

Tablecloth: Soho Tablecloth here.

Just a few of our faves from Heather’s collection of tea towels, tablecloths, pillows, baby blankets, and more! You can shop her whole line of textiles for the home here.

Enter for a chance to win one blanket from her collab with Nico Nico using the widget above! Thanks so much to Heather Taylor for this insight into life as mom and biz owner!

All photos by Emily Ulmer.