about
Hello, I'm Alexa Tait, founder and creator at Tait & Thistle. Some may say that I am slightly obsessive about how a room looks and feels but I would simply say that to me, if it feels right, it looks right. Natural light, accents of colour and beautiful fabrics are my unconditional trustees.
Tait & Thistle is a unique children's decor and interior design business offering a range of personalised products chosen by you for you. With this in mind, my 'why' is to help create inspirational yet balanced spaces that can incorporate the personality, lifestyle and vision of my customers.
My story so far
Many moons ago, I was born in North Shields but quickly swapped the shores of Tynemouth to those of the Mediterranean where I was fortunate enough to live up until the age of 18. Leeds University was my next calling card where I studied Chemistry & Management Studies and subsequently then went on to pursue a career in sales and marketing working for Johnson & Johnson.
During this 5 year period I met my husband, lived in Leeds, Manchester, Newcastle and now Leicestershire and really started to struggle to maintain my work life balance. With the desire to start a family and a house renovation under my belt, I decided to make the transition into teaching to allow me to travel less, work with children and free up some time to concentrate on my love of design and all things hand-made.
2013 was the year my first son was born and in preparation I scoured the internet for hours at a time excitedly deciding how iād like to decorate his nursery. His furniture, wallpaper and paint colour were all chosen in a matter of days.
Next, I looked for curtains, cushions, lampshades and bunting to match. I intently searched each of my home magazine subscriptions, Pinterest and all the high street department stores but found no where offering me the freedom to handpick what I would like based on my already designed nursery - I wanted to accessorise without clashing with bedding, carpets and wallpaper.
Much to my husbands delight, I decided to make my own. Fast forward to 2015, my second son was born and I appeared to face the same problem. With numerous requests from friends and family along the way to create bespoke made to order items, I decided it was now or never and Tait & Thistle was born.
All of my products are hand made by little old me in my studio in rural Leicestershire; I hope you enjoy designing and accessorising your little ones special space as much as I enjoy making the finishing touches. I'm now finally able to work with my head, heart and hands as well as be a wife and mum to two boys, for now!
