SERIES • STORYTELLER
Living a bespoke life.
A glimpse into the genesis and spirit of the brand, as told by the story of Tanner Morgan of Morgan Madison Design.
September 26, 2022
Cheers to 28 years! Today, especially, I want to celebrate life, the journey, and the beautiful - sometimes messy - stories that shape us along the way. I am marking this day with a storyteller series I am calling: A BESPOKE LIFE. I’ll be sharing a bit about my origins, the people and events that shaped me along the way, and how it all, the good and the bad, set the course for the future.
Even when events unfolded that I didn’t fully understand at the time, I can see now that it was all happening for a reason. With this “aha” moment of self-reflection, I have promised myself, in this next year, to lean into all I love: design, spending time with remarkable people, and filling my years on earth with exceptional experiences. I am putting myself in the way of beauty. Join me for this series and stay tuned for what’s to come…
My roots are in rural Appalachia.
I grew up living a farm life – devoid of luxury, yet rich in natural beauty and filled with family values and wonderfully messy memories. From as early as I can remember, I was drawn to things many might deem unnecessary, perhaps impractical or too luxurious for my surroundings. My head was in the clouds and my feet rarely on the ground, to the loving exasperation of family and friends. I’m not sure anyone knew quite what do do with me! I loved (and love) my home dearly, but I was deeply aspirational right out of the gate, born a “more is more” kind of person with an insatiable interest in everything beautiful and an innate desire to make everything luxurious. This fascination with style, fashion, and jewelry (the more substantial, raw, and remarkable, the better) has made me the design maximalist I am today.
Let’s be clear: formal, traditional education was never my thing. I always wished I liked school, but it always made me feel bored and trapped. I hated it. So, when I found theater at the age of 8, it was a real awakening; for the first time I felt a real sense of belonging. To this day, if I close my eyes, I can transport myself to those summers spent under the stars, being with “my people”, embodying characters, creating costumes, setting the stage, and being unabashedly me.
Being unabashedly me.
My theater crew, along with my beloved family members and mentors, got me through most of my school-day rough patches, but when my grandfather passed away during my freshman year of high school, I was devastated. Lost. He was not only my best friend, but a guidepost. His love for me was steadfast. He was my absolute favorite person in the world (and it was no secret that I was his).
The following summer, just months later, another blow: my father walked out on my mother and I, and completely turned our world upside down. It was now the two of us against the world, and boy did we fight. I distinctly remember looking at her and saying, “if anyone can figure this out, we can.” And, not without struggle, not without pain, we did. Up until that point, my mother had been a caregiver for my grandfather and for elven years she had no career outside of that. We were both thrust into immediately having to find work and find a way to create a life for ourselves. I say with pride that we maximized every opportunity. Those watershed years, my formative years, instilled in me a scrappy sort of work ethic, and a very real world understanding of having to just get it done. No waffling, no time for indecisiveness or procrastination. I had to become more bold, more assured - I had to move forward and shove any fear aside because it was now on me to take care of myself and my people.
Fast forward to my college years. I remember thinking to myself, “what else would I go to school for but interior design?” It was a natural next step. It ticked all the boxes, exquisite things, creativity, relationships, and business savvy. Done. I applied and was accepted into the University of Kentucky College of Design. Done. The only thing standing in my way was a little thing called money. I needed to fund my dream, and I understand this was the first step.
A keen eye.
Remember when I said I have always had a keen eye for jewelry? An opportunity presented itself and more as a suggestion from a dear friend. My immediate thoughts were: I love jewelry but I can’t sell jewelry. At this point I DIDN’T EVEN WEAR JEWELRY! Who on earth do I know who would shop with me? But my vision for the future pulled me forward. The dream of MORE compelled me to say yes. And my curiosity got the better of me. ”I am going to do it.”
On a cold winter day I found myself dreaming just enough to say yes to this crazy idea in my mind. I signed up for my first direct sales adventure. Why? It was the perfect fit. I had no money. I needed flexible work, and I could work on my own terms. Not to mention it looked like fun… And it absolutely was. It was the ride of a lifetime: awards, trips, the coolest friends, and that wonderful sense of belonging. Yet again, I had found my people. This crazy idea was the launchpad. It served as a think tank, and it was my MasterClass.
I had been bitten by the entrepreneurial bug.
It was hard, but wonderful and invigorating. So many opportunities, a lifetime of education and experiences wrapped up in a beautiful journey. It was a masterclass in belief and business. It was here that I really learned to lean into my personal gifts, but also where I understood the importance of helping others. I mean, that was something I always knew, but it was during this leg of the journey that I found a deep passion for seeing others succeed.
Keep in mind I was a freshman in college - I had a full 18-hour course load, and I was running a business I didn’t know very much about. It was exhausting in the best of ways and utterly life changing. And then, suddenly the company that seemingly built me, shuttered. I felt as if I was not only losing my business, but a piece of myself in the process. But I had no more than a moment to process and recover because I needed to keep working. I needed to find the next place for me. I was presented with different opportunities – some that worked, and some that connected me with amazing people and some that taught me big lessons – and then there was an opportunity that ticked all those boxes.
The messy middle...
While passing through Nashville for a weekend, I stumbled upon some friends who were there for a new collection launch. I met up with them at their hotel thinking we’d grab a casual dinner but instead, they not so subtly invited me to crash the event. Turns out they had a plan all along - they wanted me to join them, and immediately I was all in. It was a dream fit it and carried me all the way through graduation, at which point my role at the company shifted to more training and development. This was a sweet spot for me, but it was also bittersweet: it was hard. It was a constant grind. It challenged me in ways I didn’t fully understand at the time. I always had to rise above, but often without tools and support. I was a lone wolf. I was flying solo. I felt wonderfully raw and alive. It was on my shoulders and the shoulders of a very small team of the most incredible coworkers. What an exhausting and exhilarating time. It was then that I realized I was meant to work for myself; I was destined to make my own way.
While, at this point, I had graduated with a degree in interior design, I was struggling to find my place and purpose. (I am sure you all know this part of the story because you might have a part of your story that sounds similar): Late nights spent wondering “Who am I? What am I doing? What do I have to offer? What’s my place in this world?” It would take time to start designing the life I always wanted, but things were taking shape. And as we know, the best things take take time…
Throughout this evolution, there was a thread: design.
An eye and a deep appreciation for the exquisite. An ability to elevate experiences. A flair for the fabulous. Enjoyment in finding and creating beauty around me... and around others. I was drawn to designers, creators, artisans. I sought out chances to take something raw and make it extra magical. I found myself taking on small scale personal projects in consulting, personal shopping, creating, and curating. In these little passion pursuits, I would strive to make every last detail as perfect as possible - given what I had to work with most of the time, these were exercises in grit and creativity, and I couldn’t get enough of them.
I found myself shifting. Being called back to interiors. It was a siren song that I couldn’t resist. And frankly, in spite of all the wonderful things I was involved with, I didn’t want to resist, so I decided to take a leap. There was a special piece of property in Eastern Kentucky and I was offered the opportunity to redesign a portion of it - it was a dream. Taking raw, earthy materials and bringing in special touches, refinement, accentuating the natural beauty and maximizing the space…this is where my passion for interiors and beautiful spaces was rekindled.
The potential and all that lies ahead.
Shortly after completing this project, I was asked to take a look at a lake home in Ohio. As I neared the job site, my car slowing to navigate the narrow drive that the surrounding woods seemed to want to swallow up, I was brimming with guarded anticipation. Oh, the potential - so much possibility. I immediately saw all that this property was and ALL THAT IT COULD BE. I remember in that moment being overwhelmed by the sheer possibility of it all; this project would require all of my attention and obsession. With a lot of patience and positivity, and as is the case when something is just meant to be, everything came together just as I had hoped: with a little time, and a lot of conversation, the client was ready, and I was more than ready to spread my wings. This project pushed my limits in countless ways, and made me realize that I could become more than just singular, aspirational, battle-ready Tanner - maybe something larger, more complete, more dynamic and balanced, than the misunderstood, displaced, Tanner could have dreamed in all of his wildest dreams.
