What I Learned Designing a $12 Million Home (and Working for a Luxury Designer)

Early in her career, Rebecca thought luxury clients simply wanted expensive things. What she learned working for luxury designer Stephen Taylor for five years was something deeper: luxury is service, trust, leadership, and a calm, confident process that makes clients feel taken care of.

Rebecca shares the behind-the-scenes lessons from designing multimillion-dollar homes, including a home that sold for over $12 million. She also reflects on Stephen’s passing in the final days of 2025, and the impact he had on how she thinks about premium service, client relationships, and building a business that doesn’t rely on hustle.

If your business feels chaotic or exhausting, it’s not a talent problem. It’s usually a process problem. Premium clients want calm leadership, clear systems, and a designer they can trust to handle the details so they can live their lives.

What’s one small change you could make to level up your service this month? A better process, a part-time hire, clearer boundaries, or simply going the extra mile in how cared for your clients feel?

Episode Highlights

Why luxury isn’t the price tag, it’s the level of service
The “design school didn’t teach me this” gap: ordering, pricing, and client communication
What premium clients actually want (hint: they don’t want to manage you)
The mindset shift from “checking boxes” to “how do we elevate this?”
Why broad strokes build confidence (and why too much detail can overwhelm clients)
How trust is built through relationship, consistency, and understanding what clients value
The power of “we” and why a team increases professionalism and client confidence
The moment Rebecca stopped feeling like “the assistant” and started feeling like a designer
Why premium businesses run on structure, trust, and leadership, not chaos and hustle

February 10, 2026

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Winter Designer Retreat

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2 Nights of Hotel Accommodations, Opening Night Welcome Reception, 2 Breakfast Buffets, 1 Private Dinner with Rebecca and Other Designers, Loads of Learning, The Opportunity to Connect and Build your Designer Network, And be ready to make 2023 your best year yet.

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TERMS & CONDITIONS

Please read all of the terms and conditions set forth below. The Winter Designer Winter Designer Retreat is offered subject to our standard terms and conditions, set forth below. Upon purchase with Rebecca Hay Designs Inc., you are deemed to be accepting all “Terms and Conditions.”

Reservation Policy:

All Winter Designer Retreat prices are current at the time of publication and in CAD. To confirm your reservation, you must pay the full amount via the secured form on this website. Payments will be processed by Stripe.

Cancellation Policy:

In the event an attendee cancels prior to December 18, 2022, a refund will be issued, minus a $275CAD administration fee. As of December 19, 2022, the event is 100% non-refundable. Exceptions to our cancellation policy cannot be made for any reason, including weather, terrorism, civil unrest, or personal emergencies. There is no refund or discount for arriving late or leaving a Winter Designer Retreat early, or for not participating in any scheduled activity.

Cancellation Insurance:

We strongly recommend that you purchase flight cancellation insurance to protect yourself from unexpected circumstances that may cause you to cancel your Winter Designer Retreat. Cancellation of any travel plans, airlines, etc. will be completely your responsibility.

Cancellation by Rebecca Hay Designs Inc.:

Although it's unlikely, Rebecca Hay Designs Inc. reserves the right to cancel any Winter Designer Retreat at any time for any reason determined at our sole discretion, including too few participants, or if the quality of the Winter Designer Retreat or the safety of the participants is deemed by Rebecca Hay Designs Inc. to be compromised. In such a case, a refund of payments received from Winter Designer Retreat reservations shall constitute a full and final settlement and release of all claims against us. In the event of cancellation, Rebecca Hay Designs Inc. is not responsible for any loss incurred on account of non-refundable or non-transferable air tickets or other unrecoverable travel costs.

Travel Requirements & Conditions:

Please ensure that you have all the relevant travel documentation for your Winter Designer Retreat location and that you arrive at the airport on time. Rebecca Hay Designs Inc. is not responsible if you lack the required documentation for your flight or for entry into another country (valid passport for the entire duration of the Winter Designer Retreat and return travel, visa, entry fee, etc.). However, if you are unsure of your requirements and need help, you are welcome to contact us for assistance. Rebecca Hay Designs Inc. cannot accept responsibility for delay or cancellation of any flights, train, buses or other forms of transport.

Resort Policies:

Your Winter Designer Retreat will be held at the JW Marriot in Muskoka, and all guests are required to follow their policies.

Responsibility of Valuables:

Upon check-in, all valuable items may be placed in your room. Rebecca Hay Designs Inc. is not liable for any breakage, loss or theft of personal items. Please limit your valuables, as traveling with such valuables will be your complete responsibility.

Personal Safety & Insurance:

Rebecca Hay Designs Inc. recommends that you obtain cancellation, travel and medical insurance prior to attending any of our Winter Designer Retreats. Prior to participating in any activities or using any facilities, please ensure that you are medically and physically fit and able. If you have any injuries or illnesses, please seek doctor’s advice prior to attending. Rebecca Hay Designs Inc. is not liable for any injuries due to use of our facilities or participation in activities or during travel to and from the Winter Designer Retreat. Any injuries or medical conditions are completely your sole responsibility. By sending a deposit toward your Winter Designer Retreat, you certify that you do not have any physical condition or disability that would create a hazard for you or other participants during the Winter Designer Retreat. In other words, you certify that you are healthy and fit for any activities in which you plan to participate. Furthermore, it is required that you have the proper personal and health insurance to cover your needs while present in the Winter Designer Retreat, in case of any loss of property, illness, injury or death.

Rebecca Hay Designs Inc. retains all copyright license rights and sole exclusive ownership of the information, photographs and material displayed on its website and obtained during the Winter Designer Retreats. The material may not be modified, copied or used in any other way without first obtaining written permission from Rebecca Hay Designs Inc..

Liability:

Rebecca Hay Designs Inc. shall not be liable for any failures beyond its control. This covers natural disasters, war, ‘acts of God’, closure of airports, civil strife, accidents or failure to perform by third parties, including suppliers and subcontractors.

We respect your privacy, both personal and informational. Rebecca Hay Designs Inc. will keep all information that we collect from you secure, and will not provide this information to any third party providers. In order to prevent unauthorized access or disclosure of your personal information, we have put in place suitable physical, electronic and managerial procedures to safeguard and secure the information we collect online.

We are committed to creating special memories for you during your Winter Designer Retreat, and that includes having an on-site photographer and/or videographer to capture any special moments. If you are not comfortable having your picture taken, please let us know in advance. Otherwise you authorize Rebecca Hay Designs Inc. to use any and all photos for Social Media and Marketing purposes.

*All policies and terms and conditions may be subject to change without notice.

Acceptance of Terms and Conditions:

By making a booking with Rebecca Hay Designs Inc. for a Winter Designer Retreat, you accept on your behalf and all those named on the booking to be bound by these Terms and Conditions, including the general release of liability and assumption of risk, described below.

Release of Liability:

You hereby release and discharge Rebecca Hay Designs Inc., a Canadian company, its shareholders, directors, officers, agents and employees, from and against any and all liability, loss, cost, expense or damage arising, directly or indirectly, from the Winter Designer Retreat, including your participation in the Winter Designer Retreat activities.

Assumption of Risk:

You acknowledge that you have voluntarily applied for a Winter Designer Retreat with Rebecca Hay Designs Inc., a Canadian company. You understand that you may be traveling to a foreign country and that you will participate in various activities. You are prepared to assume the risks associated with this Winter Designer Retreat, including: forces of nature, terrorism, civil unrest, war, accidents, personal injury and similar circumstances. You also assume risks associated with illness, disease, physical exertion and alcohol consumption, knowing that access to suitable medical support may be delayed. Your hereby agree to take full responsibility for your own actions, safety and welfare, including unanticipated events, injury, illness, emotional trauma or death

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