Monique Taylor

Associate | Creative/Sustainability Coordinator | Interior Design

Whether she’s designing or teaching, Monique Taylor, IIDA, LEED AP ID+C advocates for regenerative interiors that are ecologically responsible. She chooses materials that are free from toxic chemicals and carbon dioxide emissions. Her clients, which range from schools to municipalities and healthcare providers, appreciate her ability to build agreement among building owners and users.

Monique believes that incorporating nature into our daily interior spaces responds to our instinctive need to connect with the environment. For instance, her biophilic design approach of the Oakton Community College Student Center pays tribute to the forest preserve that surrounds the campus—students gather amid a calming green palette, a carpet pattern that resembles a forest canopy, glass walls with a prairie grass film, and a feature wall of wood reclaimed from an Indiana barn.

She is also an adjunct faculty member at Judson University, where she teaches environmental stewardship, sustainability, and the Living Building Challenge.

Monique, a native of Cape Town in South Africa, moved to Chicago after she finished high school. While in South Africa, she witnessed beautiful ecological surroundings and architecture, as well as areas of great poverty, including lack of electrical infrastructure. This started her journey to create spaces that are affordable to all, socially just, resilient, and sustainable.

Monique earned her interior design degree from the International Academy of Design and Technology. She also achieved Living Future Accreditation from the International Living Future Institute and is a member of the International Interior Design Association.