Designing Men
Mark Kennamer feels every interior should be as individual as the people living there. “No two houses will ever look the same,” he says. “Every one we do has its own personality. It’s not a carbon copy of the last client.”
Creativity has always been part of his story. He worked at a flower shop in high school, studied design after graduation, and spent a short time in Atlanta working for an event planner before an opportunity to design a home brought him back to Birmingham. One house led to another, and before long, he had built a career designing unique, livable interiors. He’s been at it for more than 23 years now—and still insists the reason he loves it is simple. “Because it’s fun.”
His personal style is reflected in his traditional English home. “Think Cotswolds,” he says. “I’m very traditional, but I like modern lighting, furniture, and art—so it’s eclectic, but classic.” His go-to color palette includes lots of blues and greens.
Kennamer enjoys getting to know each client’s personality and helping them discover their style. “A lot of our clients don’t know what they want at first,” he says. “Pinterest and Instagram are my worst nightmares,” he adds with a laugh, “because those ideas don’t always translate well to people’s particular homes. “I stay in my lane so much it’s hard for me to even think about what’s trendy,” he says. He focuses on elements that last.
Travel influences Kennamer’s design approach, too—though not in the obvious way. He notices details others might overlook: the way a hotel handles scale, how materials are fabricated, the small choices that shape how a space feels.
Many of his clients return again and again, calling on him for edits, refreshes, and entirely new chapters. Second homes offer another kind of freedom, allowing clients to step outside the language of their primary residence and try something entirely different.
Even in his own house, Kennamer enjoys mixing things up. A room may stay in place for a while, but it’s always fair game to be his next playground. “I’m picking out fabric for new draperies in my guest room right now,” he says, laughing. More than two decades into the business, the pleasure still follows him home.
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