The Story Behind Kenwood Design
It’s funny how life has a way of pushing you to places that, deep down, you know you’d like to go, but aren’t quite brave enough to do so yet. If you would’ve asked me 5 years ago where I’d be today, starting my own interior design business wouldn’t have been in the picture. I’d thought about it. Dreamt about it and ran more “what if” scenarios past my husband, Micah, then I’d care to admit. But, I went to school for marketing and (to this day) enjoy my job, so I just didn’t see myself actually taking the leap of faith.
One night, Micah and I were watching one of my favorite HGTV shows, Fixer Upper. At the end of the episode, I shared with Micah what I’ve thought for years. “I just can’t believe this is actually what they get to do every day. It would be my absolute dream job.” Micah’s response surprised me, and even though it was simple and he probably didn’t give it another thought, I sat with the next few words for a long time. “What says you can’t do it, too?” It seems insignificant, but it was in that moment my mindset started to shift.
Making the “What Ifs” Come to Life
Last year, I finally decided to turn my “what ifs” into reality. Beyond my obsession for HGTV shows, drawing up house plans just for fun, and continually coming up with renovation projects for our 1960’s home, there were several signs pointing me in this direction. It sounds silly (and very millennial), but responses to a social post of our dining room last spring is what ultimately lit a fire underneath me.
I had a few gracious people who, after seeing the post, asked me to help decorate their homes - the very thing I loved doing in my spare time for our own home - and placed their trust in me. This meant more to me than they could imagine. It showed me there was a need I could help with, and I knew if I didn’t act on it now, I’d end up regretting it. Pushing past my worries and reservations, I started researching what I had to do to start a business, contemplated name and logo ideas, and began laying the groundwork of what I’d like this interior design business to look like.
The Kenwood Design Name + Logo
I knew whatever I went with for a name and logo, I wanted it to have meaning that tied back to the reason why I love designing and decorating to begin with. Ever since I was little, home has been one of my absolute favorite places to be. Whether it’s the home I grew up in or family and friend’s places that feel cozy, welcoming, and well-loved, it’s where some of the best times are shared with the people I love most. This same feeling has carried through to the place I call home now. There’s a certain reassuring feeling I get when I turn onto Kenwood Avenue after a long day and know our house is just down the road. So, when it was time to pick a name from the list I compiled, I kept coming back to Kenwood Design because to me, Kenwood is home.
Once I landed on the name, I started the logo design process. I had page after page of logo options I’d created, tweaked, and played around with, but none of them were feeling quite right. There was one in particular I liked, but just couldn’t find the right font for (the marketer coming out in me). Finally, it dawned on me. It wasn’t feeling right because those fonts didn’t have any meaning to me. What would have a ton of meaning would be if I used the handwriting of the two people who instilled my love for home from the get-go to inspire the logo design.
I called up my mom and dad to enlist their help. I asked my mom if she could write “Kenwood” in cursive and my dad to write “Design” in print. They were game, and I’m so glad they were because this was the key. I worked on recreating my mom’s cursive in Illustrator and found the closest font I could to my dad’s, making a few additional tweaks to make sure it reflected the characteristics of his handwriting. Then, with a simple heart in an outline of a house to represent my love for home, the logo felt complete.
The name and logo incorporates a piece of my first home and current home, and to me, it feels just right. And really, that’s my ultimate goal with your spaces - To help you get to a point where everything feels just as it should. The Kenwood Design story is short and sweet right now, but I’m so excited to continue building this business and to see what the future holds!