About Tara & ModernMaven

It all started when…

Though she traces her roots to the earthy tones of Palisade, Colorado, design maven Tara Gray leads what can best be described as a colorful life. She’s drawn inspiration from living in Hawaii and, now, vibrant South Florida, but Gray’s passion for styling interiors is a lifelong affair. She studied Interior Design at the Art Institute of Colorado and upon graduation, embarked on a career in commercial and hospitality projects before changing gears again and redirecting her attention to teaching and designing luxury residential projects.

She met her husband, Luc, a custom luxury home builder, through the trade and they married in Maui—sight unseen, simply because Hawaii seemed to them the ultimate in destination-wedding locations. Their beach ceremony was complete with Hawaiian music, a Hawaiian minister, Hawaiian flowers, hula dancers, a luau, and a honeymoon on nearby Molokai.

Predictably, they fell in love with the islands. Gray admits, “We were one of those stereotypical couples who say, ‘Wouldn’t it be so great to give everything up and move here?’” Telling themselves “Maybe someday, when we retire,” they put the idea to rest—but within a few years felt ready for a changed and Hawaii life became their goal.

Affirming their decision to take the leap, pieces began falling into place: through Instagram, Gray serendipitously found Luc a job on the Big Island; they sold all their belongings and, three-year-old daughter Channing in tow, headed across the Pacific Ocean. Gray soon became design director for a firm with locations on the Big Island and San Francisco.

Outside of designing luxury residences on Hawaii’s ritzy Golden Coast—akin to our Jupiter Island or Palm Beach—Gray began flexing her entrepreneurial muscles with her own company, Modern Maven (modernmaven.net). Soon, Tara’s desire for a deeper creative outlet synced with her longtime love of vintage VW buses and she purchased a 1978 edition from Craigslist in Seattle. Millie, as the bus came to be called, was shipped across the Pacific, given a fun, floral themed facelift and transformed into a tropical oasis on wheels. She became the perfect prop for photography, events and pop ups and became known around Maui as the Aloha Bus.

The Grays embraced the aloha spirit for three years on Hawaii and another three on Maui until a new opportunity—this time in the form of a large Palm Beach project—brought island life to a close but landed them in another American paradise: they relocated to Tequesta in January 2020.

Arriving in Florida , Millie received a major glow-up and was transformed into a (still very tropical) softer, romantic boho bus. While still radiating the aloha spirit. Tara styles and rents out Millie for photo shoots and events—from corporate fundraisers to picnics, baby showers, engagements, birthday parties, weddings, and beyond. Millie is also styled for photo sessions of all kinds, with Tara as the photographer.

Along with Millie, Tara also captures images in her Garden Cabana and Maven Bath. This is the perfect indulgent experience for ladies of all ages, maternity, mama & me and kiddos. Tara’s beautiful array of beautiful props and furnishings allow her create beautiful photography sessions even without the bus or the bath. Taking family photos and helping business owners with marketing and social media content are also part of her offerings at Modern Maven Creative Studios.