Whatever Your Style, This Expert’s Got You
Written By: Dr. Paula Trimble-Familetti
Photographed By: Bianca Simonian
Expert: Kenn Gray
Credentials: Owner, Kenn Gray Home
Kenn Gray is as passionate about design as he is about his clients. With candor and honesty, he creates spaces his clients will truly enjoy.
Q: You say you look in the closets of your clients before you begin a project. How does that inspire you?
Kenn Gray: It is almost too simple! I can tell a lot about a person’s tastes, styles and how far outside the box they are comfortable stepping by looking at their wardrobe choices. I get a lot of side eyes when I ask a client to do this, but the reality is that the end result is a seamless melding of their personal style into the project, which makes for a very happy client!
Q: As an interior designer, how do you see your role in the community?
KG: Great question. My answer is most likely going to be vastly different from what most of my peers would say, I imagine. Being an interior designer here in the Coachella Valley holds a very unique set of inspirations for me. Obviously, so many of the creative design talents here give me so much in the way of inspiration and pride to be a part of such a well versed and creative collaborative community, and most importantly, a sense of passion for my own clients and projects. This being said, I feel like I utilize my platform here as a well known creator of space to try and inspire others, influence their daily choices and help them know that they are in control and that they can design their own life.
Q: What motivated you to enter the interior design industry?
KG: I have always been an obvious creative presence in the world, but the challenge was which direction to focus those creative juices. After moving to Los Angeles at the tender age of 18 to attend Otis/Parsons School of Art and Design, I started down the road to what is now not only a 22-year career as owner [of] my own interior design firm, Kenn Gray Home, but I have found other ways to lend my creative and unique spirit to the world. I am also the Art & Design Director for stylefashionweek.com.
Q: How would you describe your style?
KG: My own personal style is crazy. Really, I am very over the top with both my wardrobe and interior design choices in my own life and homes. I am known, however, for being the designer who listens to my clients and truly gives them what they will enjoy living around in their own homes and spaces.
Q: What are your clients looking for in a design professional?
KG: Well, most of my clients appreciate my candor and honesty regarding their project. They also love that I am involved from beginning to end. From working with the contractor, starting with the house plans and finishing touches a few months later, or simply helping a client choose some throw pillows for their sofa or a paint color for the kitchen, my job is to give the client what will make them feel good, not imposing my own personal aesthetic upon them.
Q: Do you have a favorite form or type of architecture you like to work with?
KG: I do love midcentury and modern. However, I love very traditional just as well. I have such an innate appreciation and prowess for all types of design, so working with new clients all the time is amazing and challenging. I never get bored, that’s for sure.
Local Fare: One of his favorite local spots is Eight4Nine in Palm Springs.
Read All About It: Gray writes a biweekly column for Live Magazine titled, “Designing Your Life.”
Kenn Gray Home
310.994.2688
Photoshoot Location:
KBC by Benjamin Sullivan
73-790 El Paso
Palm Desert, CA 92260
760.864.8522
