Look What She Made Me Do

swiftie-ticekt

Join me each month for an exclusive drop of a one-of-a-kind Chair Whimsy design for every album featured in Taylor Swift’s epic, three-hour Eras show.

All culminating in a Live Auction sale for the Collection in the Fall!

I’m a Swiftie for so many reasons.

I admire Taylor’s lyrical talent and entertainment presence, her naturally keen business sense, and her ability to connect with her audience and always know how to serve them.

To honor Taylor’s body of work and the biggest global tour in history, I’m crafting a tactile and visual experience to accompany her storytelling. Each repurposed chair will evoke the spirit of a single album, and include a special instructional and source guide to create your own.

And, in true Taylor fashion, I’ll include plenty of fun goodies, like my personal playlist for each album, a design guide to create your own themed chair, and maybe the most fun of all–lots of “Easter Eggs” to hint at which album-themed chair is next, and even a hidden message to be decoded throughout the entire experience.

This Fall, I’ll hold a Live Virtual Auction where you’ll have the chance to win your favorite chair, and we’ll wrap it all up with a big donation to a local charity that aids families experiencing food scarcity.

lover-chair

Chair #1 Lover-Inspired

 Although Lover is up first in chair form, it was Taylor’s seventh studio album and the last one released pre-pandemic. Visually and lyrically lighter and brighter than her prior release of Reputation, fans saw the return of “fun” Taylor. It’s also her first album with a new recording company, which is significant in her journey as an artist. Taylor declared at the 2023 VMA’s that she loves to write and perform pop music most, and this album delivers. She continues mixing evocative visual elements with her music to keep her fans engaged with the stories she tells.

Lover spells pink for me...all over pink with no shame! These happy pink colors are consistent with Taylor's videos from her Lover album. The pale pink paint is drawn from the pastel suits and sky in the Me! video, with hot pink crushed velvet inspired by Taylor’s cropped fur jacket in You Need To Calm Down. And, lastly what’s the flower of love? Also featured in a wallpaper backdrop of one of the rooms in her Lover video - roses!

Create Your Own Lover-Inspired Chair

Grab my Spotify Playlist for this release

I’ll be adding my favorite songs with each new chair reveal! with each new chair reveal!

I Forgot That You Existed

Reminds me of early breakups that I thought would crush me and then I just moved on

Cruel Summer

You can't beat this tune!

 The Man

Ugh! This one conjures up memories of my first job interview...when the interviewer found out I was female, he snuck out the back and refused to interview me! 😧It is also a positive reminder that both my girls are excelling in male-dominated professions.

 London Boy

Who doesn't love the accent?

Soon You'll Get Better

I'm a huge fan of The Chicks!

You Need to Calm Down

I've even mastered the tongue twister lines in this one 😉

 Me!

So true of all of us! We are unique and should be appreciated for it.

reputation-chair

Chair #2 Reputation-Inspired

 The darker themes of the Reputation album, its heavy bass, along with rock and rap elements, showed us a new side of Taylor. After a series of PR stumbles and public scrutiny of her private life, Taylor embarked on a self-inflicted exile from the public eye. In the Miss Americana documentary, she explains this was a time of deep reflection for her about who she wanted to become. Reputation is the first album where Taylor often writes from the point of view of various characters rather than solely her own perspective and experiments with heavily complicated lyrics–the gamble paid off as the album marked her return to pop music and helmed a stadium tour that won multiple Tour of Year awards.

Snake imagery was used heavily during Taylor’s Reputation Era, so the snake-cut velvet was the perfect and only choice for this Reputation-inspired chair. Taylor was called a snake by those who were either her enemies or those who didn't understand her, but she embraced that imagery for this album along with other dark, goth-like undertones. The ornately Victorian carved chair and dark, glittery paint reflect the darker vibes expressed in this album.

Create Your Own Reputation-Inspired Chair

This album reminds me that good can still come through the hard seasons in life. The real question is how to keep our hearts open while growing a thick skin for those who have hurt us. Our past is what makes us who we are today. Find love anyway and know that when we can let go of what others think of us (our reputation) and quit trying to please them, we will learn what it means to really live our lives.

Grab my Spotify Playlist for this release

I’ll be adding my favorite songs with each new chair reveal! with each new chair reveal!

...Ready for It?

You cannot beat this beat. Perfect for the first song on the album setting us up for what is to come. Am I ready for it? Yes, I am!

I Did Something Bad

Taylor takes on the persona of someone who "plays" bad boys/people, but she's merely trying on a costume that people who don't know her, say about her. When I've been wronged or misunderstood, I do this also in my mind.

Look What You Made Me Do

Taylor's reputation is dead and this song is her response. This brings back memories of being wronged and not being able to make it right with what others think about me. You process it the best you can in the moment and eventually try to make peace with it.

King of My Heart

The love song on this album is a nice warm spot in the midst of the turmoil.

This is Why We Can't Have Nice Things

This reminds me of the times I've needed to vent about friendships gone bad.

Getaway Car

Such a catchy song! And relationship rebounds never work...I remember a few!

New Year's Day

We all get fresh starts on New Year's Day, and that's how she ends this album...good things are to come.

Folklore Chair

Chair #3 Folklore-Inspired

In July 2020, Taylor surprised her fans and entire music industry when she released Folklore only eleven months after her previous album (Lover), and without the normal buildup, fanfare, and easter eggs that accompany most of her launches. Influenced by the isolation of quarantine, Taylor crafted mellow ballads using a cast of fictional characters to develop "a collection of songs and stories that flowed like a stream of consciousness." Her folk-driven ballads with indie-rock undertones evoke the quiet nostalgia of a childhood storytime, with some songs sung barely above a whisper.

The album was recorded remotely, with Taylor, her collaborators like Bon Iver, and producers all working individually from their own home studios. The story of this album was told in the Disney+ documentary, Folklore: The Long Pond Studio Sessions. Its experimental sound was a huge hit, attracting a new fanbase and resulting in Taylor finally receiving credibility as a skilled poet and lyricist from even her most bitter detractors. She also won her third Album of the Year Grammy, making her the first woman in history to win the honor three times.

Since Folklore is born of Taylor’s imagination and not autobiographical at all, but made up of fictional characters, the chair design started with sheer embroidery adorned with flowers like a fairytale garden. The frame is painted pale pink and is a faux bois style first made popular in the 1800s in France when artists carved furniture to make it look like real wood, when it wasn’t. Moss is attached to the backside to further represent the cottage-core feel without getting in the way of actually using the chair. The overall representation echoes the feeling of curling up under your favorite tree to get lost in timeless tales and daydreams.

Create Your Own Folklore-Inspired Chair

This album is perfect for slow weekend mornings or while concentrating on highly-detailed work. I love how the songs weave together a larger story and can be enjoyed individually or collectively to discover the deeper meaning behind each one. It shows that nobody is ever ALL good or ALL bad, that we are all nuanced, make mistakes, and sometimes carry the joy or the burden of our choices with us long after they’ve passed.

Grab my Spotify Playlist for this release

I’ll be adding my favorite songs with each new chair reveal! with each new chair reveal!

THE 1

The tune of this song is so catchy, and I love the positivity even though she didn’t end up with the 1 she thought she should have.

THE LAST GREAT AMERICAN DYNASTY

This is one of my favorite songs because it tells a story about Rebekah Harkness, a wild, rich woman who owned a home in Rhode Island. Then, in a surprising twist, you find out that Taylor owns it now.

MIRRORBALL

Mirrorballs are beautiful but have been broken into a million pieces to become the shiny ball. It’s a reflection of how she has to be different versions of herself for other people and a reminder that we are shapeshifters instead of what we really are.

AUGUST

This is the other story not told in Betty. This is the girl who got the guy in the summer, but she’s not a bad girl, just someone who got caught in the middle.

THIS IS ME TRYING

For those of us who struggle with life, it’s a moving song for those who are trying, but their “trying” is still not good enough. It reminds us to be empathetic to others who struggle.

INVISIBLE STRING

This is a song about fate and how an invisible string ties us to the people in our lives. It’s fate that we ended up together, but there’s this common thread that would bring you to me.

BETTY

This has to be the best tune on the album. While it’s upbeat, it is an apology written from a guy's perspective to Betty, whom he left behind when August stole him away for the summer.

THE LAKES

This is a song about an exit plan of running away to the lake where the poets went to die. Taylor wanted to leave bad things behind and found something worth escaping to and someone to be with. It’s a reminder to remove the things that aren’t working for your life.

Taylor Swift Midnights Chair

Chair #4 Midnights-Inspired

Taylor has described her 10th studio album, Midnights, as "the stories of 13 sleepless nights scattered throughout my life." She’s often spoken about waking in the middle of a night inspired and cranking outan entire song, which she finds recorded on her phone the following morning. The music and lyrics throughout Midnights lean toward moody, nocturnal ruminations inspired by the thoughts and ideas that keep many of us up at night.

Over the years, multiple clips have surfaced of her strumming a guitar alone in the dark while trying on different lyrics. Her process is organic, and watching her create hit songs, plunking out a tune on the piano while mixing and matching phrases is fascinating. It feels so familiar with how I create my chair designs. The deep and self-reflective album is nominated for Album of the Year and is the 10th "era" showcased in her 2023-24 global tour.

Taylor’s fashion choices in the videos for Midnights range from 70’s glam to “bejeweled.” So, to pull together a chair with a look that reflects the album’s vibe, I’ve chosen dark paint and a rich black velvet with sparkles throughout, and it features a fun sequined back with colors pulled from her costume choices inspired by this album.

Create Your Own Midnights-Inspired Chair

The songs/topics are based on 13 sleepless nights. It’s an autobiographical, darker album exploring topics of anxiety, insecurity, self-criticism, and self-confidence, using confessional, yet cryptic, styled lyrics. By addressing the dark things, Taylor says it’s a way to suck the poison out of a snake bite.

Grab my Spotify Playlist for this release

I’ll be adding my favorite songs with each new chair reveal! with each new chair reveal!

ANTI-HERO

There’s nothing that beats this video showing Taylor as a giant in a small house. The small fork is epic. And when we tend to really examine our problems, sometimes we realize that the real problem is me.

YOU’RE ON YOUR OWN, KID

This is my song of the year choice for 2024. At first it seems sad, but it’s meant to be encouraging…you’ve been on your own the entire time, and you can continue and face whatever is to come. It’s a song of hope and new beginnings for me.

QUESTION?

This reminds me of past relationships that sometimes had lingering questions long after they were over. Perhaps it is a way of reassuring myself that I’m okay.

BEJEWELED

This is my favorite track on the album. The video shows a Cinderella story with Taylor mopping the floor but then decked out in jewels having her own good time.

KARMA

What goes around, comes around. I’ve always believed this, so I do try to keep my side of the street clean and do the right thing.

SWEET NOTHING

Who doesn’t want to feel they can go to those who love them just as they are for comfort…away from the world’s pressure and fear.

MASTERMIND

Who hasn’t schemed a plan to get the one you love? I love the idea of owning up to it and then realizing everyone else knew what was going on.

Fearless Chair collage

Chair #5 Fearless-Inspired

Taylor’s second album was a blend of country and pop music, perhaps foreshadowing her future as a pop icon. With more than half of the album’s songs written solely by Taylor, this album is also the debut of Taylor as a producer of her own music, listing her as a co-producer among the credits.

The two biggest breakout hits from Fearless were “Love Story” and “You Belong With Me.” The latter went platinum seven times and was accompanied by a video that won Taylor her first Video Music Award in 2009.

That awards show also ignited the long-term feud between Taylor and Kanye West after he leaped onto the stage to interrupt her speech and claim Beyonce’s “All the Single Ladies” video as the “best video of all time.” The video, along with the famously catchy lyrics, “she’s cheer captain and I’m on the bleachers,” resonated with women cross-generationally as many were taken back to the days of feeling unseen by their high school crush. This song is believed to be the catalyst for Taylor’s eventual transition into pop. This album secured one of Taylor’s first record-breaking wins in the music industry: Female artist with the most Top-20 debuts (five) in just one calendar year.

Create Your Own Fearless-Inspired Chair

Fearless is Taylor’s coming of age, 2nd studio album. It easily transports us back to the carefree days of our youth, where lives revolved around what happened in school that day, first loves, and friendships that meant everything in those early years. It’s pure fun, and the writing, although not yet as evolved as her later albums, is impressive for a teenager.

Grab my Spotify Playlist for this release

I’ll be adding my favorite songs with each new chair reveal! with each new chair reveal!

FEARLESS

There’s no better song to start off this 2nd album. And this one is a classic Taylor song that gives me the needed encouragement to be fearless.

LOVE STORY

What a great Romeo & Juliet song and I can’t help but jump once it gets to the last chorus! It reminds me of getting engaged 31 years ago.

HEY STEPHEN

This is my favorite song on the album. I like the beat, the lyrics, and who can’t identify with unrequited love at some point in their lives? I would replace her lyrics with “...but would she make a chair for you?”

WHITE HORSE

“I’m not a princess, this ain’t a fairytale” pretty much sums up my dating experience during college. Dated a lot of frogs before I really found my prince.

YOU BELONG WITH ME

Okay, this is the one I remember most playing on the radio in the mornings as I drove my kids to school. Love it!

BREATHE

I love the new version of this song!

THE WAY I LOVED YOU

 Sometimes we just yearn for the drama in relationships, don’t we?

THE BEST DAY

I love this song for her mother. It’s moving and touching to see their close relationship…hope this is how my girls feel, too.

CHANGE

I love the courage in this song…standing for what you believed in and worked for. We never give up!

JUMP THEN FALL

This song is about loving someone and hoping they will jump and then fall for you, too.

Evermore Chair collage

Chair #6 Evermore-Inspired

Less than five short months after releasing her surprise album, folklore, Taylor released a previously unplanned 9th album, evermore. The album came to life as an extension of her work on folklore, Taylor felt there were still stories to be told, and she has said these are “sister” albums. The subject matter in evermore continues the anthology style of tales about marriage, love, infidelity, and grief that she first introduced in folklore. Because the music started as an experimental extension of her collaborations with Aaron Dressner and Jack Antonoff, there was more freedom in developing music that was not initially intended to become a full-length album. Again, all collaborations were done remotely, due to the ongoing pandemic, and creative license was extended to her vocal guests, including Haim, and Bon Iver.

One of the most notable production elements of the album occurs in the song, Marjorie. An homage to Taylor’s maternal grandmother and famed opera singer whose vocals are sampled on the track and playin a subtle call and response, answering Taylor’s phrase, “If I didn’t know better, I’d think you were singing to me now…”

Create Your Own Evermore-Inspired Chair

Since Folklore is a sister album to Evermore, I selected this Victorian chair and used the same embroidered fabric, but in a darker version. The purple velvet gives the chair a more “fall/winter” feel as opposed to the summer version of Folklore. I sanded the back side of the chair to give a different “woodsy” vibe. The front is dark mahogany, alluding to the darker mood of the album. The flowers are a nod to the storytelling found on this album.

Grab my Spotify Playlist for this release

I’ll be adding my favorite songs with each new chair reveal! with each new chair reveal!

WILLOW

I can identify with this song as she talks about bending to the will of those around her. But I love this tune!

CHAMPAGNE PROBLEMS

Champagne should be for celebrating, but this song details the rejection of a lover's proposal. I really like the line, “ “Sometimes you just don't know the answer 'Til someone's on their knees and asks you.”

MIRRORBALL

Sometimes we wish for the path we didn’t take because it seems easier and more comforting…even though we know we wouldn’t be happy long term.

NO BODY, NO CRIME

This dramatic song is such a great story about a friend who went missing, so she made sure the husband went missing and pinned it on the mistress.

HAPPINESS

“I haven't met the new me yet” is a striking line in this song about a breakup. It reminds me that all relationships help us grow and change into a new version of ourselves.

COWBOY LIKE ME

In a strange way, this song feels like my story. I met my person in the most unlikely way, and to our surprise, we’ve been a great match for life.

MAJORIE

This is my favorite song on the album. Taylor remembers her grandmother, and believes she is singing to her. I think of my dad and how I still feel him around me, giving me advice and telling me I can make it. “I should have asked you questions, I should have asked you how to be” reminds me of all the conversations I now wished I would have had with my dad.

Taylor Swift Red Chair

Chair #7 Red-Inspired

Taylor's fourth studio album, "Red," was released in October 2012, with the ambition to push her creative boundaries. The album marks a significant chapter in her career as she ventured beyond her country pop roots for the first time. Exploring an eclectic mix of musical styles, including pop, rock, and even dubstep, Taylor aimed to encapsulate "red" emotions like love, passion, and heartbreak. This experimental approach defied straightforward genre categorization, sparking debate among critics regarding its true musical identity, although it was largely promoted as a country album.

Dominating the charts, "Red" spent seven weeks at the top in the US and achieved multi-platinum status worldwide, earning critical acclaim and nominations for Album of the Year at both the Grammy and Country Music Association Awards. Its sonic range, initially divisive among critics, has since been hailed as a transitional masterpiece, acting as a bridge for Taylor's switch to mainstream pop in her following albums. This album is often cited by die-hard Swiftie's as their favorite. Taylor's range, personality, and maturity became more evident with this album. Red is among those recently re-released as "Taylor's Version" and includes all 30 songs originally recorded for Red, reaffirming the album's enduring impact and her songwriting prowess.

Create Your Own Red-Inspired Chair

Red is my favorite Taylor Swift album, so this chair has a very special place in my heart! I created the Red chair using a black and white striped sequin fabric and a red glittered vinyl for the seat. I added stripes on the legs to give it a little something extra and a red sequin heart on the backside. A red scarf is wrapped around the chair as a nod to “All Too Well.”

Grab my Spotify Playlist for this release

I’ll be adding my favorite songs with each new chair reveal! with each new chair reveal!

All Too Well

I can go with either the regular one or the 10 minute version, which actually doesn’t feel as log as it is. “I’m a crumpled up piece of paper lying here” is a lyric that haunts me.

22

I love this song and it totally reminds me of being that age. In fact, I’m still thinking I’m in my 20s…until I try to get up off the floor.

We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together

This is my favorite song on the album. I had some of these types of boyfriends back in the day, so this makes me feel powerful!

Stay Stay Stay

This is a cute song with a catchy verse. It’s happy and cheerful about a relationship that she wants to work.

Everything Has Changed

This song is one that shows there is life after heartbreak. When you meet someone new, everything changes.

Starlight

I not only love this tune, but I love the message of dreaming and hoping for bigger things.

Begin Again

This almost makes the #1 song for me. I love the story of how love blooms again with a new face to focus on.

The Moment I Knew

When the person that means the most to you doesn’t show up for you, that’s when you know it’s not going to work.

Nothing New

This is one of those songs that shows a person’s insecurities and vulnerability…will you still love me when I’m nothing new?

Message in a Bottle

Honestly, all the vault songs are amazing, but I love this one so much. It’s about after meeting someone, hoping that they will get your message in a bottle that tells them you love them.

I Bet You Think About Me

I like this one because of the country vibe and who doesn’t love Chris Stapleton???

Taylor Swift 1989 Chair

Chair #8 1989-Inspired

The 1989 album is named after the year Taylor was born and features an 80s-inspired synth-pop, percussion-driven sound. Also, part of her re-released masters collection, the album got rebooted in October 2023, nine years after its initial release, reigniting its original popularity and revealing more additional “vault” tracks that have become fan favorites after being rejected for the original album. 1989 was the first Taylor Swift album that was entirely promoted as a pop album. Even though its predecessor, Red, had mingled with the genre, it had been marketed as a country album. Taylor leaned into the 80’s aesthetic while debuting the album’s first single, Welcome to New York on Good Morning America, in October 2014. Performing in an all-black catsuit and sporting darker blonde, straight, sleek bob-cut hair, her look was a huge departure from her previous albums.

Taylor’s new look for this album started what she’s now known for, embracing a unique vibe to represent her new work during its promotion and release period. It’s the catalyst for what became the Eras Tour, where fans now associate certain colors and looks with each album, recognizing what’s coming next on stage before she even sings one note.

Create Your Own 1989-Inspired Chair

Very much like Red, 1989 is another top favorite album. It’s Taylor’s real switch over to pop music. I remember driving my kids to school and hearing Welcome to New York for the first time. I loved it immediately. I took my inspiration for this chair from the year 1989 and a very special piece of clothing that I wore…my Guess jean jacket. In fact, still have it in my closet! I found this replica jacket online and knew I had to incorporate it into the 1989 design. Blue is a key color, and I washed the frame in blue paint and covered the seat with a beachy blue stripe. Finally, the seagulls are part of her album and are all over the jacket design.

Grab my Spotify Playlist for this release

I’ll be adding my favorite songs with each new chair reveal! with each new chair reveal!

Welcome to New York

I’ve always loved this song, but now that I’m moving to NY for the summer, it holds a new special place in my heart!

Style

This is my favorite song from the album. I love the beat, the words, and it’s so easy to dance to in my kitchen!

Out of the Woods

This song reminds me of being in a new relationship and wondering if it was comfortable enough to be stable (are we out of the woods?)…most of the time, it wasn’t.

Shake it Off

When people say mean things or outright lies, sometimes you just have to shake it off and go ahead and live your best life.

Bad Blood

Have you ever had friendships go bad because someone crossed a line? Unfortunately, this happens and this song reminds me that sometimes we have bad blood between us.

Wildest Dreams

I love the chorus on this song, but the video has always reminded me of a cross between Out of Africa and the English Patient…two movies that I also love.

This Love

“When you’re young you just run but you always come back to what you need” is something I’ve found to be so true, and yet we don’t know this when we are young. It’s good to be on the other side of this now.

How You Get the Girl

This song is so great with a young girl teaching a guy how he can get the girl…doing all the things a girl would want but that he would never think of doing. Isn’t this what every girl wishes they could teach guys to do?

New Romantics

Taylor was growing up and her version of life at the time included a new take on life and romance…like the new romantics. The title also echos back to the 1980s when artists like David Bowie used the term too to describe a new wave of fashion and art. This is something I remember as a teenager.

Now that We Don’t Talk

First, I cannot believe this song didn’t make the original album cut. But I’m so glad it was released on Taylor’s version. How can you not love the disco sound/beat of this song???