Design crush | interior designer Kenan Hill
Get ready to be inspired by the creative journey of this multi-hyphenate. Before launching Kenan Hill Design in 2022, Kenan explored a variety of pursuits, from selling pet portraits on Etsy to starting her own culinary venture. Her discerning eye and love for design challenges have shaped her unique approach to interior design, each experience adding a notch to her 'designer belt’.
We were blown away by Kenan’s recent Buckhead project using our very own Georgia Stripe wallpaper, and wanted to learn more about what’s inspiring Kenan’s process today…
Photo credit : Kenan Hill
photo credit : Lauren Carnes Photography
Tell us a little about your path to becoming an interior designer…
I graduated from UNC-Chapel Hill with a degree in fine art painting, and for the decade after college I tried out a variety of creative pursuits. I painted custom pet portraits; sold painted glassware on Etsy; photographed families, food, and real estate; taught cooking classes; worked for a meal kit delivery startup; and co-founded an e-commerce florist. After having my first son in late 2019 and taking an extended pause from professional pursuits during the pandemic, some friends asked me to help them with a big renovation project. That project led to more projects, and I felt like I finally landed in a role that balanced my desire for both creative expression and an analytical challenge. My training in fine art was hugely helpful in understanding color, texture, and the way objects relate spatially. I officially registered Kenan Hill Design LLC in May 2022, one month after I had my second son!
Kenan with her family & her artwork. Photo credit : Lauren Carnes Photography
You have two toddlers at home. What’s a typical day like for you as a working mom? How do your children influence your design aesthetic?
I try to keep client meetings, site visits, and sourcing trips to preschool hours (weekday mornings). Fortunately a lot of the behind-the-scenes design work can happen anytime on a computer or sketchpad. I’m trying to balance being present with my young boys and building my career. That means I don’t feel the need to maximize the number of projects I take on right now. I only commit to 1-2 full scale projects at a time, as well as some smaller refresh/consulting jobs.
Kids definitely affect the materiality of my home (and my clients’ homes)! Performance fabrics, durable and easy-to-clean materials, and minimal sharp/fragile objects are all considerations. I don’t necessarily want to change my aesthetic itself, but rather think about how we’re going to achieve a look in a way that isn’t irreplaceable or too precious. Now is just not the season of life that I want to invest in priceless antiques or silk rugs. I also try to let my 4-year-old have a say in some design decisions, within some parameters! He chose purple for our playroom walls (I chose the shade) and requested stars for his bedroom ceiling (I picked a fun wallpaper pattern with stars).
Details of Kenan’s project using Georgia Stripe in color way Clay. Photo credit : Kenan Hill
Where do you find your inspiration?
I really love design that is both rooted in history and location. For historic homes, I think about and research what was happening design-wise and culturally at the time the home was built. I like to add elements to an older home that feel like they could've been original, like ceiling medallions or unlacquered brass finishes that have a nice patina. I get inspired looking through old books and antique/vintage stores. For new builds, I like to create a fictional story about the home that helps inform the quirks and charm that make a house feel more unique. Regardless of a house’s age, adding regional materials help a project feel “of a place.” Sometimes inspiration comes just by looking around the neighborhood or city where a home is.
Nature is a huge source of inspiration for me! In my own home, I’ve tried to bring the outside in, with botanical artwork that tells the story of our Southern location: magnolias, hydrangeas, gardenias, etc. I also love to look for color inspiration in nature.
Of course, social media plays a huge role in inspiration, both following other designers and seeing DIY projects. Traditional media, like shelter magazines (Architectural Digest, Luxe, etc.), are always fun to flip through. But mostly I think design should be rooted in a client’s story, so digging into their family history, favorite travels, and the location of the project are all an important part of my process!
Favorite places to find unique items in Atlanta (and beyond)
Antiques & Beyond is one of my favorite shops near me. My Favorite Place in Chamblee is always a great treasure hunt! Of course the monthly Scott’s Antique Market is a designer favorite. And local estate sales can be a time capsule full of treasures! I try to pick up unique items when I travel as well–a pottery shop in Mexico City, an artist’s studio in St. Tropez, a craft fair in Western North Carolina.
Favorite color to use in your designs?
I’m unapologetically a fan of pink! I will never stop trying to add pink to my projects when clients will let me! But mostly I just love color, and I’m happy when I can go bold on projects.
What draws you to specific patterns and how do you use them in your designs?
With my training in fine art painting, it’s natural that I am most drawn to painterly patterns. That’s why I love E. Lamb Studio designs!! Seeing brush strokes and imperfections show an artist’s hand, which I find far more interesting than most perfectly geometric patterns. I’m personally a big fan of florals and botanical prints, and I love a contemporary take on toile or chinoiserie.
I think a lot about scale, color, and shapes when selecting patterns. The scale of the pattern relative to the size of the space is important; if a pattern is too small, it might feel busy, but too big might be overwhelming. Obviously it’s important to think about the colors in a pattern and how they relate to the rest of the scheme, whether matching, complementing, or providing contrast. Looking at the lines in a space is another big factor–you’ve got to find a balance between linear elements and organic shapes.
Tell us a little more about this Buckhead foyer project…
Think pink! A view of the dining room’s coordinating wall color. Photo Credit : Kenan Hill
Pattern Play taking this foyer to great heights! Photo credit : Kenan Hill
This was a fun project because the space hadn’t been touched since I was a toddler! This home is in the Garden Hills Historic District in Buckhead, which is a neighborhood first developed in the 1920s. This house is actually listed on the National Register of Historic Places, which I think is so cool! The current owners purchased and decorated the house more than three decades ago, so it was time for a refresh (at the urging of their adult children). Prior to the redecoration, the foyer and butler’s pantry beyond had a 1990s pink and blue floral wallpaper and a blue stair runner with small floral details. The adjacent dining room had a pink damask wallpaper.
At our first meeting, I brought some wallpaper samples to get a feel for what they like. As fate would have it, they were immediately drawn to the E. Lamb Studio “Georgia Stripe” wallpaper. When I held the sample up to their existing wallpaper, it had nearly identical colors, which they still loved! It was meant to be. We debated whether to explore more wallpaper options, but I had a strong intuition that their initial attraction was the right one. Stripes are classic, which suits the traditional house, but the scallop detail and painterly quality keep it fresh and contemporary. Most importantly, the large scale of the stripes worked well for the large expanse of wall above the staircase.
When selecting a new stair runner, I knew we needed to balance out the stripes with a smaller, more organic pattern. I chose an antelope style carpet, which has irregular spots and an ombre background. The final detail was replacing the old plastic switch plate covers with unlacquered brass ones. They have an egg and dart pattern on the sides, which is a subtle nod to the scallop in the wallpaper design. The brass feels like something that could’ve been original to the house and it coordinates with the brass light fixture hanging in the foyer.
The secondary part of this project was removing the wallpaper in the dining room (next to the foyer) and the butler’s pantry (through the door under the stairs). We painted the dining room a solid pink and the butler’s pantry a medium blue, drawing each from the colors in the Georgia Stripe pattern. Removing the wallpaper from both of those spaces simplified them and allowed the foyer wallpaper to really shine!
