Hello

I did not want another day to slip by without writing an entry.  So I thought I would share what has been going on in my life.

This past weekend started off in the airport at 7am catching a flight to Chicago.  I had the opportunity to be someone’s surprise birthday present Saturday night in Chicago.  I don’t know who was more surprised, Shannon (the birthday girl) or me (I have never been asked to be a birthday present but was completely flattered).  Her husband Robin flew me out to surprise Shannon at her birthday party.  I love meeting new people.  She and her friends are huge fans of my show and hearing feedback is always amazing - it seems many of you learn a lot from watching.  Part of Shannon’s present is a design plan I am creating for their beautiful home.  Chicago is also one of my favorite cities so it was a nice weekend get-away.  But by Sunday afternoon I was back at the airport heading home to Los Angeles.

Yesterday was the beginning of the installation for the LA Mart / LA Magazine project downtown.  It is coming together beautifully - I will share photos after next week when the place is photographed by the amazing Grey Crawford.

Today was the final installation day for the A. Rudin Flagship Showroom in the Pacific Design Center.  This is the first showroom I have designed and I am so proud of the results (my favorite part is the chocolate brown glossy walls in one of the galleries).  I will also post some photos of the end result soon.

On Thursday, I will be speaking in the Showroom between noon and 1pm.  My talk is about furniture and design through the decades.  I found some pretty great photographs from the past.  It is amazing how everything old is new again.  I’d love to meet you if you’re able to make it - Unfortunately, I will have to leave by 1:15 sharp as I have to catch a 2:45 Flight to Orlando Florida right after.

I will be in Orlando appearing on the iVillage TV show Friday morning/afternoon.  This talk show airs on NBC (visit www.ivillage.com for local times).  I will be talking about how to bring your house into the Spring season with simple easy accessories…  Spring is finally here

I will be flying back Friday night, so as you can see, I may not be able to write again this week…. but hope to have lots of photos to share with you soon.

Thanks to all who keep checking back.  I am grateful to share with you

Kenneth

4 AM Tuesday

I have new respect for hosts of morning TV shows.  My call time for this morning’s KTLA show was 5 AM (which meant I was up at 4 AM)  The host and reporters were already on air - with tons of energy.

The segment was a lot of fun - I spoke about the hot color pairing of blue and green for this spring as well as reflective accessories like crystal candle sticks and balls.  One highlight of doing these shows is getting to meet interesting people while hanging out in the green room. The Radio City Music Hall Rockettes were backstage in their Christmas outfits…quite a mix of seasons!  They were on air speaking about the recruitment opportunities for new Rockettes.

After the show I stopped by one of my projects (the Loft in downtown LA for the imaginary James Bond character)  I thought I would share a before picture below - it should be finished in the next 2 weeks and open to the public for 2 weeks.  I’ll keep you posted on dates and times for tours (if you can’t make it, I’ll be sure to post photos for you to see)

That does it for me - I am tired so it’s nap time on the sofa with Oliver and Benson

A Rockette, Janel and I discuss my segment during a commercial break

What season is it anyway?  While I discussed Spring trends for your home, the Rockettes were in town promoting auditions for new Rockettes - in complete Christmas attire

Second and final stop of the day - The downtown loft I am designing for LA Mart and LA Magazine for a James Bond Character. Day one of installation.  First up is window treatments and Wallpaper

Crazy Monday

What a crazy Monday - today was the first day in my new office.  Thanks to Adam, Dale and Susan in my office for making it a smooth transition.  It was the best birthday gift I could have received.  I plan to photograph the different spaces and post the final result so you can check it out.  It is a palette of lacquered whites, cream linen, rosewood, exposed old brick and nickel finishes.  I found out today that Bing Crosby was the original owner of the building.  I love learning about the history of buildings.

Today we also started the installation of A. Rudin’s flagship showroom in the PDC.  I also want to thank Carolyn, one of my top designers - without her great sense of style direction I would not have made it through this hectic day.

Speaking of Top Design, many of you wrote in asking if that was me on Bravo’s show Top Design last week.  Yes, I was invited to check out the contestants design challenge for Bacardi Limon’s Lounge - I thought they did a great job -

If you live in LA - tune in to KTLA tomorrow morning as I will be a guest discussing easy ways to bring Spring into your home.  I believe it will be in the 9 o’clock hour and possibly the end of the 8 o’clock hour.

I also wanted to send out a huge thank you to all of you that responded with excellent interview questions for my new website.  Each submission was full of great questions, and I think they will make for a great interview.  We hope to select the first batch of questions soon - I’ll keep you posted…

Carolyn and I discuss location of new pieces in the A. Rudin Flagship Showroom in the Pacific Design Center.

It’s Been a While

Sorry it’s been a while since I last posted.  I had a last minute trip to Philadelphia last week and when I came back I was faced with my office remodel and a outdoor make-over for the Tyra Banks Show.  It is going to be a busy spring - at least we gained an extra hour of daylight.

I still plan to add new elements to my website by the end of this month so keep checking back.

One feature of the new site will offer you the chance to interview me.  You can ask any question you want (around 7-10 questions).  Ask anything from what’s my inspriation to what’s my favorite music - so go ahead and email your’s to .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) or click on the link to the right down below…if you are chosen, we’ll contact you to let you know when we plan to post them on the new site.

Thought you might also like to see some photos of what’s been going on day to day in the life of a designer.

Checking on some measurements in one of the conference rooms in my new office.  Notice my favorite design tool, the blue tape on the floor - it helps to see what size table will work in the space.  Don’t you love the old exposed brick?

Next up was taping a make-over segment for Tyra‘s show.  We are creating an outdoor living and dining room for Jessica who wrote in asking for help.  She has 3 guy roomates and feels like she is living in a frat house.  I’ll be sure to post photos of the space when it’s finished.  I will be taping the in-studio segment tomorrow and will know what day it plans to air.  I don’t want to give away the result before you can watch it - keep checking back.

After taping it was time to pick the right shade of blue for Julie and Billy’s kitchen - the cabinets were just installed - I’m hoping the countetops and all finishing touches are complete soon so I can show you the “after” photos

Me in my current office writing this blog.  Notice the vintage wallpaper with butterflies?  I found it at an old warehouse sale - it’s over 50 years old. I’m not a typical butterfly person, but I love mixing old, new and the unexpected.