It was just a few days before Christmas in 1959. My Mom was surprised to find me asleep under the tree, still clutching my safety scissors. She was even more surprised that I’d painstakingly trimmed all of the tinsel, replacing the asymmetrical naturalistic look with an exacting horizontal line. Misguided? Yes. This is, however, the first recorded expression of my sense of style.
My informal career prep continued throughout childhood. The curriculum included: drawing plans for houses and furniture, and studying the color wheel in the Encyclopedia Britannica. The re-arranging of my parent’s household furnishings occurred frequently and without their prior knowledge, approval or consent. It was their expressions of surprise that encouraged me to develop better designer/client communication.
It’s a living
Ken at home in the garden. |
Photo studios, locations and sets were my occupational home for the first 25 years of my career. Initially, I was in front of the camera as a model. Next, I was behind the camera and slightly off to the side as a photostylist. In the early 90’s I transitioned from fashion styling to home styling. Designing and styling tabletop displays and room sets felt like coming home. Working with interiors had brought me full circle back to my passion.
Within a few years I began to style private homes, which led to designing events for non-profits and corporations. By this time I had years of writing articles focusing on home style, food and fashion. By the late 90’s my career as a journalist kicked up a notch as a columnist for The Oregonian and with articles in various regional and national magazines. Then KPTV hired me to work on Good Day Lifestyles, a show about home, food and gardening. It was a wonderful opportunity, in a new medium, to report and present stories about the topics I love.
And now
When I began helping people with their homes making things pretty was my goal. Please don’t misunderstand me, beauty is a worthy objective, but there is more. Now I comprehend why maturity refines a designer. It comes from entertaining, cooking, cleaning and otherwise managing a household. An authentic home is more than merely stylish. Real elegance is a product of more than just a veneer of beauty. It shows in the way people interact and live in their homes.
At this stage in my career I want to help people live fully and beautifully. Graceful living comes from building ease into the way a house operates. Today my greatest joy is helping clients design a refuge that delights the eye and soothes the soul.
