 Kenneth Brown splits what little leisure time he has between his loft above his office in the Los Angeles area and a mid-century modern home he recently bought in the desert in Palm Springs. He is a fan of sleek mid-century modern but an even bigger fan of comfort.
“The interior of my own home is a very rich palette of warm tones,” he says. “I don’t have any pattern; all the fabrics are different textures from linens and wools to mohairs and silk. After a long day of working on 26 products where you’re dealing with lots of pattern and color, I want to walk into my home and have a sense of calm. My home is much more monochromatic.” It’s the kind of place, he says, where you can take your shoes off and put your feet up on the furniture. “I don’t have a showroom for a house. It is beautiful and it’s incredibly well done and I’m proud of it, but it is comfortable and inviting. Even the dogs are all over the furniture.”
Those two dogs, miniature dachshunds named Oliver and Bensen, are part of a weekend ritual that is one of Brown’s favorite times: “I can’t live without my naps on Sunday with Oliver and Bensen right next to me on the sofa. That is the greatest,” he says. Here are a few more of Kenneth Brown’s favorite things.
Favorite drink: Green Calli tea.
Favorite reading: Right now I like mysteries.
Favorite piece of furniture: It would have to be my Holly Hunt sofa. It has a classic style that makes me think I’m going to have it forever. It’s timeless with clean lines and it’s very comfortable. The material is a linen-silk-cotton that takes on a new personality as it ages. It’s a sort of sand color with mocha running through it, almost like a light tweed. It wears beautifully.
Favorite design era: I love the 1940s and 1950s. It was such a great time when American families went out and bought their own houses. Everything, the homes and even the cars of the era, had a clean look and a fresh feel and people were taking chances and taking design risks. They were stepping outside of the traditions that had been handed down from generation to generation. I love that experimenting, even though some of it turned out to be awful. They were willing to be different.
Favorite pastime: I have been watching a lot of black- and-white movies from the 1930s and ‘40s and I try to imagine what colors were in the spaces. I was watching Dark Victory with Bette Davis and I just wanted so badly to know the color on the walls and on the iron railings on the staircase. It’s a wonderful thing to see that era’s beautiful design and the classic stuff that I would still want to use today. It was a simple way of designing that had a lot of impact.
Favorite way to clear his head: My workout three times a week from 8:30 to 9:30. I have a trainer who helps me do light lifting, stretching, light cardio. The exercise really helps me clear my mind.
Favorite career (if not a designer): I would definitely be a doctor of pediatrics. I love children and that’s what I was planning to do until I discovered my passion was interior design. I was a little worried about telling my parents of my plans. I was afraid they’d say that it was a hard way to make a living. But they were very supportive. They said, “You know, Kenneth, you’re going to do great because the cream always rises to the top." I have great parents.
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1. Understand your space before you design it. “I’m not just talking about the walls and the floor and where a window is, but everything. The volume of the space, the light and where it comes from,” Brown says. The biggest design mistake is thinking that you, or a designer, can walk into a place and really know what needs to be done, he says. “It’s like a very good paint job. The best paint job is always about spending more time with the prep. I’ve found that the more I prep myself on the space and the homeowners’ vision and what they want, the more able I am to give them that good paint job, which is the room they want.”
2. Comfort is key. A Kenneth Brown room isn’t a success unless it’s comfortable and someplace the homeowners want to be. Like his own home (see “At Home With Kenneth Brown,” at left), gracious environments are meant to be beautiful but totally livable, he says. “Combine that couch you sink into with pieces you love that give the room smash or personality.”
3. It’s more about taking out than putting in. “A problem people have is that they see things that they like and believe they have to have all of it,” says Brown. “But it’s not filling up space that is important; it’s about putting up things that mean something to you. If there’s a blank wall it’s OK to have it empty until you find that piece that speaks to you. Editing a room so that it’s not cluttered will help keep your mind at peace.”
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