(SH): You often embrace vibrant color, whether it’s in paint, fabrics, or accessories. What was your favorite crayon in the box when you were young, and do you still incorporate that color into your design work today?
(CK): Cornflower blue. And I do still love it but not as an all-over, everywhere color. I see it more as a “special treat” color. Today, if you were to look and see which crayons of mine are really short and nubby, it would be the greens.
(SH): And now with three young children, we’re guessing you deal with a whole lot of crayons, among other things! We’re curious—what decorating compromises have you had to make with an active family?
(CK): I really don’t think I’ve made many. When it comes to decorating with children, people tend to build closed cabinets everywhere and use fabrics that may better handle wear and tear but aren’t comfortable. And they hide away all their beautiful, delicate things. I believe it’s more about having things in your house that you—and the children—are not afraid of. You teach them to live in your world and to have respect for their surroundings. For me, that means having trays around so the kids can carry their stuff back into their own rooms when they’re done playing with their toys. I also like to have some covered storage where things can be dumped inside, but not so deep that we can’t ever get to it. And I do allow some clutter and spills because those will happen. When you have enough pattern and busyness in a space, though, you don’t notice the little blemishes as you would in a pristine environment. I like old things better than new things, so patina doesn’t frighten me. It’s less a design style than it is an attitude about how to live.
